After releasing a self-produced LP entitled Arrive Alive (recorded in Scotland in 1981), Pallas was courted by EMI records (who had just signed contemporaries Marillion) and thrust into the studio with none other than Yes / Emerson, Lake & Palmer producer Eddie Offord to record the LP that would become The Sentinel. All this boded well for Pallas, but EMI’s initial interest in the band waned (EMI perhaps feeling that Marillion had the better potential for mass-market success, and the market may not sustain both bands), as did Offord’s enthusiasm for producing the album properly, and when The Sentinel was released in 1984, it was regarded as a compromised affair by all involved (despite sporting what was widely regarded as one of the genre’s most beautiful covers ever, illustrated by Patrick Woodroffe). Original singer, Euan Lowson left the band shortly after release. Pallas recruited new singer, Alan Reed, recruited from Scottish contemporaries Abel Ganz, to mixed success in the late 80’s, recording The Knightmoves EP (1985) - featuring the epic “Sanctuary” - and album The Wedge the following year. Disagreements led to the band quitting EMI in 1987, and despite sporadic attempts the band effectively faded from view. Eleven years later - much to everyone’s surprise - the band reappeared with the album Beat The Drum. Now signed to Germany’s specialist prog label, Inside Out, there was also a tentative return to live work. Good reviews and a regular revenue stream meant a regular flow of material. 2001 saw the release of The Cross & The Crucible, which heralded a return to more progressive stylings as well as a taste for the gothic. A live DVD/CD package The Blinding Darkness in 2003 served as an effective “greatest hits” collection, and included a surprise guest appearance by original singer, Lowson. 2005 saw the release of The Dreams Of Men, a harder-edged yet still more complex work that rates among the band’s best. Hardly the most prolific of bands, they continue to write and perform regularly. |
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