ABEL GANZ - THE DANGERS OF STRANGERS - 1988

Abel Ganz was one of those British bands that took the symphonic prog trend to a more immediate, straightforward realm, creating catchy melodies with an incorporated pop feel: that is, neo-prog, pretty much similar to what Pendragon was doing back in the 80s - not as emotionally rich as Marillion, nor as powerful as Pallas or Saga, nor as mysteriously somber as IQ -, just effective songs with a prog touch, well rooted in a tightly focused sense of melody. As it's usual in neo-prog, the keyboard layers and harmonies are the main sources that sustain the songs, though they're not as massive as in Pendragon's albums nor as pompous as in Pallas's recordings. Abel Ganz should be mostly regarded for their good taste at writing and their fluid interplaying, but not for bringing out something really new or amazingly special to the neo-prog genre (or prog, in general). The first two tracks are the longest ones, conceived as multi-part suites. The opening namesake song kicks off in a similar vein as the opening cut of Mike Rutherford's "Smallcreep's Day", with a mid-tempo motif: then, after a faster interlude that occasionally gets a bit epic, comes a different mid-tempo motif that features a recurrent ethereal melodic line on synth. 'Rain Again' finds Alan Reed delivering lead voice right before he entered the Pallas ranks: his vocal cadence fits perfectly the melancholy ambience in the slow parts of the song, but not as much the most enthusiastic moments. Some of the most energetic guitar parts of the album are comprised here. The following three numbers are nothing to write home about, but it is worth noting the sharp interplaying that takes place during the instrumental prelude of 'Hustler II', before Christopher Forsyth begins to sing his lines. 'Pick a Window' is the nice instrumental that closes down the album with a touch of simple elegance. Not great, but easily enjoyable, particularly the first two tracks.
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