Band:	Pendragon
Album:	Men Who Climb Mountains
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	October 06, 2014
A review by:	R'Vannith

Disc I [Men Who Climb Mountains]
01. Belle Âme
02. Beautiful Soul
03. Come Home Jack
04. In Bardo
05. Faces Of Light
06. Faces Of Darkness
07. For When The Zombies Come
08. Explorers Of The Infinite
09. Netherworld

Disc II [Live acoustic in UK]
01. Voyager
02. Man Of Nomadic Traits
03. This Green And Pleasant Land
04. Nostradamus
05. Paintbox
06. King Of The Castle
07. Indigo
08. Freakshow
09. Masters Of Illusion
10. Space Cadet
11. Edge Of The World
12. It's Only Me

It's an effort to reach the summit.

Listening to a Pendragon record isn't an insurmountable task; their music being melodious and vocally directed within albums always managing to portray the ideals of neo-prog, which is only to be expected of one of that sub-genre's most well regarded and pioneering bands. Winds of old symphonic prog passing through the adept fingers of keyboardist Clive Nolan continue to work their way naturally throughout the course of a Pendragon tune, which, in the recent recordings of Pure and Passion have been defined by fresh aspirations, and newer contemporary ventures.

Metal. Not something foreign within a modern prog context of course, in all its varied forms, but Pendragon have been one of those older and more experienced prog rock bands established in that particular 80's movement to be willing to realise a contemporarily relevant sound via self-adaption. What I mean to say here; of all prominent neo-prog bands, theirs is the style that embraces a heavier approach, and therein a metal edge to its most discernible extent. Pure, ironic in name in comparison to its sound, is designed with this as its obvious imperative. Metal riffs and guitar lines are present in crisp clarity within compositions which are rather more modern in design than you would expect of a band bearing the neo-prog flag. To hear amidst the array of sound effects in Passion vocalist Nick Barrett bordering on a rap inflected variation of his own style certainly had folks talking at the time.

For Men Who Climb Mountains, however, this "modernisation" is no longer as much of an emphasis. In fact, such an emphasis is entirely absent here, leaving this record stripped down to the band's bare minimums. Bare minimums, bare essentials, bare bones; however one describes it, it seems to be a stylistic decision here, for better or worse.

As a result, this album comes across as a rather rhythmically humble, melodically focused and a guitar and vocal centralised presentation of what their sound has become, and one without any of the affectations of recent records to speak of whatsoever. Explorative aspects and outlandish features are nowhere to be found. It's basically just you and the mountain to climb, the mountain being the song structures built up out of a rather repetitive process of straightforward rhythm, set tempo and vocal resonance. Even the symphonic element is noticeably withdrawn, acting more supportively than as a compositional directive, and Nolan asserts his presence more significantly in piano keys here, rather than emerging forward in the mix from what is an understated synth backdrop, which really only becomes noticeable at set intervals throughout the climb of the tunes. The tracks may ascend to points of recollection through said repetition, most readily recognised in Barrett's performance and his interplay with the instrumentation in tracks such as the bass strung "Explorers Of The Infinite."

"It is what it is. There's nothing you can do about it." This memorable piece of lyric seems like a summary for the way the listening experience proceeds; a statement of intent that the record conveys as a whole. The wait for more exhilarating passages is rarely rewarded, as the album finds a fixed mood and follows it through to its conclusion, with an absence of surprises in store. In truth, it's a very honestly expressed listen, as in one which demonstrates the key components and basic rubric which underlie any Pendragon record, but without ever pushing the envelope.

This climb is never an arduous one, and is established with flow and melodic cohesion, but it can be considered an uncharacteristically uneventful endeavour for Pendragon. Yet, by the album's end, and when the summit is reached, there are elements and moments which will be remembered, despite its decidedly straightforward presentation. It's all still onwards and upwards, really.