Sunday 30 June 2019

All Alone (Final Conflict, 1992)

Final Conflict have a very smart name. Because melodic prog always include a fierce battle between an accessible and recognizable way to prog and the quest for a personal style. These English musicians surely were hugely influenced by Fish era Marillion (is it a deadly sin? We all were...), but they also had two very good singers, namely Brian Donkin and Andy Lawton, and they created their own version of highly emotional prog.

I like this artwork by Brian Picken... that reminds me of something! 


Dreamy guitars and keyboard carpets are never too showy, but strongly effective, as the whole band tend to the same (and never too easy) target: that is to put in music their inner world. "All Alone", coming from the album "Quest", is a good example of such a visceral approach: no virtuosity, no intricate interplays, no special effects of any kind. Just the essence of music: pure pathos. And a beautiful melody, moreover...