Search - Par (Project) Lindh :: Gothic Impressions

It takes a special person to REALLY like this

Jeff Hodges | Denton, TX United States | 08/17/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Last year when I "rediscovered" prog-rock, I started doing research on the internet and taking notes. In a prog-rock discussion group (which I am now no longer subscribed to), the Par Lindh Project came up with high recommendations. Par Lindh was praised as the "new Keith Emerson".While I will admit that Par Lindh is an excellent keyboardist (as well as an impressive multi-instrumentalist), I think that he has greater strength as an arranger. In this context, this I mean his knowledge of the sonic history of the keyboard and wisely choosing authentic keyboards for maximum effect. Harpsichord and moog (and everything in between) go hand in hand on Gothic Impressions. His compositions are pretty strong and relatively hummable, but I would hesitate to call him an innovator. I think that it would be more accurate to classify him as a "retro-progger" (labels are so dumb). For a good example of what I mean, try to listen to "Green Meadow Lands". This is one of my favorite tracks on the disc because he totally captures the late '60's Moody Blues/King Crimson vibe (read: he uses lots of mellotron). It sounds totally period, even down to the Greg Lake-ish choirboy vocals. However, unlike Greg Lake, the vocals are drenched in classical training. Lake knew when to cut loose and do some screaming. On Gothic Impressions, all the vocals seem more like chamber performances, and come off as soulless in the symphonic rock context.The other track I like is "The Cathedral", which has some really tight playing. However, after a little research, I found that several of the players on this piece are former members of Anglagard, and the type of playing they exhibit here is characteristic of their work, not necessarily Par Lindh's. This leads me to another problem that I have with Gothic Impressions. The Par Lindh Project is not a band, but a collection of various musicians that cover whatever parts that Par Lindh does not cover himself. Even on many solo projects, artists use that same core musicians for most of the recordings have more success creating a unified, consistent sound to their projects (i.e. Peter Gabriel, Sting, Elton John, Fish, etc.). If Par Lindh had used the Anglagard members for all the tracks (just for example), I can't help but think that the overall album would be much improved.Many of the other tracks on Gothic Impressions fall under the description of okay, but inconsistent and pretentious in the vocal department. However, the last track is an entirely re-done rock-styled version of "Night on Bald Mountain", and it exemplifies everything that could go wrong when creating a symphonic rock album. Clocking in at well over ten minutes, it is unimpressive in terms of arrangement and instrumentation, and in all honesty, it does nothing to improve on the original orchestral version. I can see that Lindh is sort of paying homage to Keith Emerson, but even Emerson's attempts to "modernize" classical music (which is an oxymoron in itself) were very rarely successful. So I can say that I like Gothic Impressions okay when nobody else is around and I can get to the stop button before "Night on Bald Mountain." I genuinely think that it sounds worse when other people are listening to it, though, and mainly because of the vocals. If you are not bothered by chamber-styled vocals, you will most likely find this album a gem."

A fabulous progressive classic album you need

Jean Emond | Montreal, Quebec Canada | 09/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Cette album est d'une magnifique symphonie avec une orchestration à vous couper le souffle. A mon avis Par Lindh est un des génies de la scène progressive suédoise. A surveiller aussi ses autres albums en particulier l'album BILBO qui vous surprendra par sa grande finesse."