Pallas
The Messenger

Maybe it hasn't been talked about much… but the past year formally ended with a new album from Pallas, 9 years after the previous one, which was truly the swan song of 2023. It's the album that marks the return of singer Alan Reed, the best and most expressive vocalist they've ever enlisted, with whom they created their best works between the late '90s and 2000s.

And it's an album that brings them back to those levels; not that the previous two were bad, on the contrary, but this one comfortably surpasses them and aligns with those works. It's deeply atmospheric but also edgy at times, just like "Beat the Drum" and "The Cross & the Crucible" were. The choice to rely almost exclusively on long tracks proves successful; the formula involves few but lengthy tracks, a very common approach in prog and probably the best, as it keeps fillers at bay (very likely when tracks exceed 10-11 minutes) and allows for better development of each track, bringing out the best, delving into each discourse, and differentiating from the usual album format.

Here, six tracks suffice, and they are well-extended, with only one being short and immediate, "The Great Attractor," with its decisive rock heavily driven by guitar and bass, undoubtedly the track with the least appeal, while the rest is a fascinating and evocative sonic journey. The more relaxed and dreamy atmospheres can be tangibly felt in the two central tracks "Fever Pitch" and "Heavy Air," which sound misty and autumnal, gray but suggestive, light and somnambulistic, seeping into the skin like humidity during a walk in the November countryside. "Sign of the Times," however, showcases both sides of Pallas, leaning more toward the sharper side, with guitar and bass taking the lead. In "The Nine," listeners are inexplicably taken aback by a totally unusual rap singing; in general, its steady and relaxed rhythm, vaguely artificial beat, the way moderately hard sounds blend with dense atmospheres, combined with this rap singing, gives the track an almost trip-hop vibe. The most comprehensive track is "Messenger," where there's the most material, moving seamlessly among rock, electronic, ambient, symphonic and choral openings, and insertions of acoustic guitars.

Overall, "The Messenger" is an album that sounds perfectly like a neo-prog record and like a Pallas album, not revolutionizing the coordinates of the best works but neither merely copying them; it thoroughly explores them, extends them, trying to make them sound always different, especially the keyboard parts, which are more important than ever in albums like these. They don't just serve as banal backdrops but offer well-crafted parts, aiming to guide the listener rather than just awakening their mind.

It's unfortunate that Pallas tend to be overlooked despite their relative historical significance ("The Sentinel" was one of the albums of the progressive renaissance in the '80s, let's not forget), and it's strange to notice that they only have about 3,500 monthly listeners on Spotify; moreover, this title hasn't even been uploaded to this platform or other major platforms (the band has explicitly indicated Bandcamp as the only way to download and purchase the album and support the band), a choice that certainly cannot play in their favor in these times when streaming is the best way to establish a connection between band and fans. Probably, their lack of prolific output hasn't played in their favor either, with only 8 albums in 40 years of career, which is really few, but there is no doubt they've done great things and should feel rightfully proud.