‘Empires Never Last’ is the sixth proper Galahad studio album.
This is easily Galahad’s heaviest, most muscular and guitar orientated album to date.
With ENL Galahad are at last showing their teeth and at times what a fine set of razor sharp teeth they are! The band are, at times, verging on Prog/Metal territory but without the hair and the histrionics!!
What we have here is Galahad the ’Rock’ band, at times morphing into Galahad the modern ’Metal’ band but still containing elements of Galahad the ‘Progressive’ band.
Although a lot darker both musically and lyrically from previous albums the sound is still distinctively ‘Galahad’.
Keyboards still feature prominently, but the band evokes a more industrial feel at times on this album with its liberal use of sequencers, effects, samples and unusual electronic sounds.
There are quieter moments, but these only serve to provide the required light and shade, there are certainly no ballads on ENL!
Empires Never Last was recorded at Thin Ice Studios, Surrey and engineered and mixed by Karl Groom who has worked with numerous prog/rock/metal bands including Arena, Mendeed, Dragonforce and, of course his own band, Threshold.
Therefore, as you would expect, the production is pristine and the sound is huge! Thus, the energy, spirit and attitude of the band has been captured on this album unlike any before it.
Empires also features a few special guests including Karl Groom (Threshold) on guitar, Clive Nolan (Arena, Pendragon) on fake dulcimer and Tina Booth (Magenta) on vocals.
Original press release:
…And then mysteriously, from out of the ether Galahad return in all their progressive rock finery, their magnificent feathers unruffled by three years of hubble, bubble, toil and quite a bit of trouble. The long awaited brand new studio album ‘Year Zero’ (GHCD8), at last completed, and due for release in 2002, distributed in the UK by the venerable alliance of Pinnacle/Voiceprint Records. Yes indeed, Galahad are ready to Prog Rock and Roll with it!!
‘Year Zero’ consists of only one track but has been subdivided in to several sections (for the benefit of those listeners who want to skip the bits they just don’t like or indeed to rearrange the various parts in to a different order which will, no doubt, not be conducive to the generally intended storyline of the aforesaid album!) and is indeed based on a loose concept, the concept of which is……Oh we’re not going to tell you so you’ll have to think of your own, use your imagination like you used to have to in the days before all those expensive, pretentious videos!!!!
Whilst remaining true for to their progressive roots for much of the album, there are a few ‘other’ influences creeping in such as hints of cool jazz plus a smattering of ‘modern’ beats and rhythms, continuing themes where parts of ‘Following Ghosts’ left off, plus a small slice of floating anarchy throughout the strawberry jam and whipped cream middle section.
As with previous albums Galahad have also continued their tradition of including several special guests on their albums. Year Zero features the various talents of the Sarah Quilter on saxophone, flute, clarinet and backing vocals. Even Alex from ‘A Clockwork Orange’, has crawled out of the woodwork to make a brief but chaotic appearance.
With Year Zero Galahad have come up with an album which, in places, is very different from anything they have done before but still manages to maintain a few of the old Galahad trademarks such as melody, mellotrons a plenty, reasonably coherent words and a fair amount of heady self indulgence. A progression of sorts, we say. Do they care, do they hell!!
Go on, give it a whirl!
Originally released in 1998. First album to feature Dean on keyboards.
Mainly song based and quite different in places to previous albums as more 'dance/breakbeat' influences started to appear.
Probably Galahad's most musically diverse album.
Includes live favourite 'Bug Eye' and another fourteen minute epic 'Shine'.
The 'difficult' third album. Recorded by Tony Arnold, who had worked with King Crimson, Robert Fripp, Andy Summers to name but a few.
However, this album took over four years to record and was the most expensive ever recorded by the band by some stretch!
On balance we think it was worth it...just! Featuring the dark and atmospheric 'Exorcising Demons' and the epic title track -- still one of our best-selling albums!
Galahad's first 'proper' album release. Self written, arranged, produced, funded, promoted on a shoestring budget by what was a very young band at the time.
'Nothing Is Written' was also the first Galahad album to be released in Japan on the Canyon International label, which was the biggest independent record label in Japan at the time.
'Nothing Is Written' was also released in the, now defunct, cassette format in Poland!
Galahad's first proper studio recording, originally released as a five track cassette 'In A Moment Of Madness' in 1989, later added to with three extra tracks and released in 1993 on CD, re-mastered and with additional bonus 'live' tracks from 'The Christmas Lecture' cassette recorded live at Whitchurch Parish Hall, December 12th 1992.
Recorded at a Classic Rock Society gig at Herringthorpe Leisure Centre, Rotherham on Saturday 22 April 1995 by Chris Thorpe. It was released originally in conjunction with the CRS.
This was also Galahad's first proper live album release.
'Official' bootleg album recorded directly from the desk by Andy Stone at Mister Smith's, Bournemouth, England on Friday 28 October 1994. This album was originally released in 2008 by Oskar Productions as a bonus CD on their re-issue of 'Classic Rock Live' re-branded, strangely enough as 'Two Classic Rock Lives'.
Recorded live at the legendary Colonial Theater, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA on Saturday 28th April 2007 in front of a very vociferous and receptive American audience. A day to remember!
'Official bootleg' album released on tape cassette back in January 1992. Subsequently re-mastered, tidied up and released on CD by Oskar Productions in 2008. A must for Galahad completists everywhere
Third release in the 'Other Crimes' series, released in 2001 and subsequently re-mastered and re-released as a double CD with OCMII by Oskar Productions in 2008.
Mainly acoustic, slightly experimental Galahad spin off project from 1994, featuring Stu, Spence, Roy, Neil from Galahad, plus ex-Galahad keyboard player Mark Andrews as well as Sarah Bolter on flute,clarinet and saxophone.
This album was recorded live in the studio with several tracks being improvised. The result being a far more mellow, folkish album than the normal Galahad output.
Probably the most radical release in the Galahad canon. Consisting of remixes from original vocal, guitar, keyboard and woodwind tracks taken from the Following Ghosts master tapes and used to 'build' completely new pieces of music.
Although not a dance re-mix album as such, there are a lot of breakbeat/house style beats along with more ethnic/eastern influences which Galahad has dabbled with over the years.
On reflection, although it was an unusual experiment there are some very interesting and creative moments on the album, which still sound fresh and contemporary after all these years later, proving conclusively that Galahad have never been just another,so called, Neo-Prog band!
Whitchurch 92/93 - Live Archives Vol. 2 - CD/DVD digipack
£12.45
Many, many moons ago, way back in the early 1990’s, a couple of brothers and very enthusiastic live music fans, Dave and Pete Martin, decided to organise occasional rock shows at the village hall of a small, quiet but idyllic Hampshire village called Whitchurch. They very kindly asked if Galahad would play a few of these gigs after having seen us, I believe, at the London Astoria playing with Pendragon amongst others in 1991.
As a result Galahad played several gigs at this bijou, on the face of it unremarkable venue. But these gigs were special, very special, small yes, but with the audience packed in like sardines, the beer flowing freely, hot sweat running down the walls, the atmosphere was electric, strangely reminiscent of some heady times at the Marquee Club in London, which was odd considering we were playing in the most unlikely of venues tucked away deep in the Hampshire countryside. These were some of the most memorable and fun shows the band ever played and we think the members of the incredibly receptive audience would agree, if of course they can remember!
Those gigs will always linger long in the memory, Pete and Dave went on to better things in bigger venues, but these gigs were where it all started and will always have a special place within the heart and the history of the band.
Fast forward to 2011…and the good news is that these shows were recorded both in audio and video format, plus our dear friends at OSKAR Productions in Poland asked if they could release these now ‘historical’ musical documents, to which we replied ‘of course’ you can. Thus ‘Whitchurch - 92/93 - Live Archives vol. 2’ will be released as a digipak double album featuring an audio CD of the show played by the band on 18 July 1992 and a DVD of the show the band played on the 16 July 1993, which is made all the more poignant as both concerts feature Neil on bass guitar, who was in fine form, as were the rest of us at the time!
Originally released in 1998. First album to feature Dean on keyboards.
Mainly song based and quite different in places to previous albums as more 'dance/breakbeat' influences started to appear.
Probably Galahad's most musically diverse album.
Includes live favourite 'Bug Eye' and another fourteen minute epic 'Shine'.
The 'difficult' third album. Recorded by Tony Arnold, who had worked with King Crimson, Robert Fripp, Andy Summers to name but a few.
However, this album took over four years to record and was the most expensive ever recorded by the band by some stretch!
On balance we think it was worth it...just! Featuring the dark and atmospheric 'Exorcising Demons' and the epic title track -- still one of our best-selling albums!
Galahad's first proper studio recording, originally released as a five track cassette 'In A Moment Of Madness' in 1989, later added to with three extra tracks and released in 1993 on CD, re-mastered and with additional bonus 'live' tracks from 'The Christmas Lecture' cassette recorded live at Whitchurch Parish Hall, December 12th 1992.
Two great Live albums in one re-mastered package. CD1 recorded at Mr Smiths, Bournemouth on 28 October 1994. CD2 recorded at Rotherham for the 'Classic Rock Society' on 22 April 1995. Also includes FREE poster while quantities last!
Originally released on cassette in January 1992 and the first of the 'Other Crimes' series. Re-mastered and released in a digi-pack format using the artwork from the band's only single release 'Dreaming From the Inside' back in 1987. An Official 'bootleg' and an essential collector's item.
Galahad Acoustic Quintet - Not All There - CD album
£8.95
Mainly acoustic, slightly experimental Galahad spin off project from 1994, featuring Stu, Spence, Roy, Neil from Galahad, plus ex-Galahad keyboard player Mark Andrews as well as Sarah Bolter on flute,clarinet and saxophone. This album was recorded live in the studio with several tracks being improvised. The result being a far more mellow, folkish album than the normal Galahad output.
Probably the most radical release in the Galahad canon. Consisting of remixes from original vocal, guitar, keyboard and woodwind tracks taken from the Following Ghosts master tapes and used to 'build' completely new pieces of music.
Although not a dance re-mix album as such, there are a lot of breakbeat/house style beats along with more ethnic/eastern influences which Galahad has dabbled with over the years.
On reflection, although it was an unusual experiment there are some very interesting and creative moments on the album, which still sound fresh and contemporary after all these years later, proving conclusively that Galahad have never been just another,so called, Neo-Prog band!
