For their fifth studio release entitled Year Zero, Galahad has really pushed the envelope. In fact it’s quite a departure from their earlier efforts and without question their most adventurous recording to date. For the record Galahad consists of Roy Keyworth (guitars), Stuart Nicholson (vocals, keyboards), Spencer Luckman (drums), Dean Baker (keyboards), and Neil Pepper (bass).

As the band proclaim in the promo materials, Year Zero unlike previous recordings consists of no proper songs. What they mean by that is that they’ve chosen to create pieces of music with little regard for traditional pop structure. In true prog fashion there are bits and pieces linked musically without the typical “contrived” attempt to ‘finish’ all the fragments into traditional songs. And as Martha Stewart would say, “it’s a good thing.” What this does is create more of a flowing tapestry of musical ideas. There still are many hummable bits, catchy melodies and interesting musical interludes throughout but none is overdone. Perhaps the closest they come to a full-fledged song is the second part of track 11 entitled “A Very Clever Guy”. This is also the only track where Stuart Nicholson’s vocals resemble his stellar work on Following Ghosts. Having only recently discovered their previous release Following Ghosts I’m amazed at how Nicholson’s vocal skills have matured over the years. It’s worth noting how his vocal work on the remaining tracks, much like the music tend to be a little more edgier. He also shares vocal duties on a couple of tracks with John Wetton. The overall symphonic nature of the CD is enhanced with some beautiful choir vocal support.

Perhaps the biggest sonic quality that’s introduced on Year Zero are the electronics. Just listen to track 1 “Year Zeroverture” and track 6 “Democracy”. Galahad have gone down a path that puts the spotlight on some very interesting keyboard sounds…think…Tangerine Dream with guitars and drums…fat, analog arpeggios almost in an electronic dance feel. That’s not to say the guitar takes a backseat. Just the opposite when the keyboards return to the support mode, the guitars come to the fore. But on Year Zero many of the guitar parts are much more experimental, playing with sounds to create the mood and fill the atmosphere. Again keep in mind with no traditional songs per-se; the music flows from element-to-element in a seamless fashion.

From start to finish Year Zero treats the listener to a wide range of musical styles including jazz, ambient, electronic, classical, rock, choral and more. It is also without question Galahad’s most homogenous recording. The crafty, seamless musical transitions from style-to-style over the course of the recording gives Year Zero an expanded musical depth that truly enhances the Galahad catalog. If you enjoyed Following Ghosts this will seem quite a departure at first, but give it a few listens and I’m sure you’ll enjoy the newfound compositional depth. It’s that depth of composition that gives Year Zero top marks in my book and staying power on my CD player.

Review by Jerry Lucky
February 04, 2003