•
Rating: THE REVIEW
An always underrated album, perhaps more difficult to digest compared to the "major" works. But Relayer is absolutely not an album to avoid; on the contrary, anyone who enjoyed Close To The Edge and Fragile should not miss out on this gem of skill and also of imagination.
The CD starts with a long suite (almost 22 minutes), The Gates Of Delirium, majestic and largely instrumental. The piece is introduced with delicate acoustic guitar arpeggios accompanied by very delicate bells. After about a couple of minutes, the instruments leave the center stage to Anderson's celestial voice, which together with guitar and drums gives us a few minutes of pleasant listening. Then we reach the true 'heart' of the song, a long instrumental piece which is grand, energetic, and engaging. When listening to it, it's impossible not to stop all other activities to attentively follow these splendid instrumental evolutions.
It seems unnecessary to emphasize that the technical skill of the quartet is astonishing (and the band will give us further proof in the second song, Sound Chaser). Moraz and White have nothing to envy from Wakeman and Bruford. After this instrumental sequence, the composition takes on more 'heavenly' tones and moves towards the end of this masterpiece.
As already mentioned, the second track, Sound Chaser, is a rather agitated piece where the quartet does their best. Each of the four pushes their abilities to the maximum to gift us a jewel of technique. At the beginning and end of the track, there's a frenetic repetition of the same basic rhythm, played gradually with increasing speed. In the central part, however, there's room for a beautiful guitar solo, a calm sung piece, and a short keyboard solo, which leads back into the initial rhythm and, after being interrupted by a chorus, concludes the track. All of this happens over nine minutes. Of the same length is the third (and last) song, To Be Over, a not exceptional, but pleasant and 'relaxed' piece, with calmer tones.
In conclusion, maybe Relayer is not up to the standard of some previous albums, but I assure you, it's worth buying.
p.s. That 4 is actually 4.5
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
Relayer is an underrated Yes album praised for its technical skill and imaginative compositions. It features the majestic 'The Gates Of Delirium' and intricate instrumental pieces. Though more challenging than earlier works, fans of Close To The Edge and Fragile will appreciate this gem. The band’s musicianship shines, particularly in 'Sound Chaser'. The closing track offers calmer tones, rounding out a worthy addition to any prog rock collection.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Other reviews
By Hetzer
"The Gates Of Delirium is, in my opinion, one of Yes’s best tracks, a magnificent symphony of war and peace."
"'Relayer' has often been considered a minor episode in Yes’s career, but I find it to be another peak of their dazzling discography."
