| The
Review |
The first time I put this on I was immediately transported
back to the London Marquee Club sometime around 1983. Is this
a good thing or not? At the time the Marquee was the home
of the eighties British progressive rock revival, a scene
of regular packed gigs spearheaded by a young Marillion with
a supporting cast featuring the likes of Pendragon, I.Q. and
Pallas. If you are familiar with any of these bands early
material, you have a pretty good idea of the basic sound and
style of this album. Arena and many others have covered similar
territory over the last 20 years. If you are not familiar
with these bands, you may have a much fresher view of Credo
and "Rhetoric"! ***
As Credo draw so heavily from the eighties era of British
"neo-prog", comparisons are inevitable, to this reviewer at
least. Mark Colton is a passionate and talented vocalist,
and his style is very similar to a certain tall Scotsman who
once fronted Marillion. Similarly, keyboard man Mike Varty
(who also produced the album) is obviously an accomplished
musician, but those widdly solos and subtle piano parts are
perhaps just a bit too similar to the keyboards on the first
few Marillion albums. He is a gifted player and one can't
help wishing he could have expanded his range beyond a few
classic mellotron, choir and string sounds, however effective
they may be. ***
Lyrically, the first two or three Marillion albums again
appear to be a major influence. There are tales of obsessive
and broken relationships, the futility of war, lost innocence
in general. "Turn The Gun" appears to borrow rather obviously
from Peter Gabriel's "Family Snapshot", another early eighties
classic. ***
While they win few prizes for originality, Credo are
obviously playing the music they love. There is a genuine
sense of passion and commitment here, and "Rhetoric" comes
across as a strong statement. There are tasteful melodies,
some great guitar work from Tim Birrell in the familiar style,
and other nice touches. The beginning of "To The Grave..."
is one of the more interesting sections, a touch of early
Pink Floyd perhaps, with some nice violin from the multi-talented
Varty. "The Game" has some lovely moments reminiscent of Genesis.
"...To Say Goodbye" stands out as a simple but strong song
with nice keyboard atmospherics, and the album climaxes well
with "Seems Like Yesterday". ***
This is Credo's second album, released exactly 11 years
after "Field Of Vision". They are currently gigging in England
to support the release, and they should have no trouble attracting
fans of the "neo-progressive" sound. Whether they will be
able to evolve beyond their influences remains to be seen,
but perhaps this is not important. Good luck to them. Despite
its limitations, "Rhetoric" is a solid body of work that deserves
respect. ***
http://www.timburness.com
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