Spanish football managers are all the rage (MV contends that Pep Guardiola has ruined the game, but we will move on), even my hapless lot has one. Spanish rock bands, though? Harder to think of.
To fix that, along comes After Lapse. “Pathways” is the six-piece’s second record—and it marks them out.
The opener, “The Shadow People,” is both heavy, crunchy, and melodic, and the guitar work is first-rate.
A tough one to pin down, “Clones” treads a modern prog route, think Haken and the likes, but is rather more melodic than that.
The keys on “Dust To Dust” ensure Rubin Sancha is right to the fore, but the harmonies here are lush. Almost Spock’s Beard at points. And if the intro to “Thanks But No Thanks” recalls Dream Theater, then you can only surmise that comparison will be welcome.
As much as the structure and time changes here are as elaborate as any prog record, After Lapse aren’t copying anyone. The chorus and hook to “Dying Star” are pure power metal—which gives way to a heavy breakdown and somewhat brooding verses. Indeed, that one feels very much like the centrepiece here.
“Walking By The Wire” is—initially, at least—a change of pace, but they can’t resist some arena rock bombast, and you can see how they would have fitted on a bill with the mighty Threshold when they do “Wounds Of The Past”.
This is just a superb record. Seemingly emerging from nowhere and on the Frontiers Label, better known for its melodic rock than anything like this, the slow-building “Turn Into Light” alone should mark this band out as one to investigate. A ballad, it adds a texture to this collection but hints at the idea that After Lapse see themselves on the big stages. This soars as high as anything in the 80s ever did.
Although some sound epic, they pull off the always neat trick of not actually being that lengthy. And then comes “Temperance,” a kind of instrumental epilogue. As if to give you thinking time.
If the credits roll on this—and you can see it as a kind of film soundtrack—then they do so on a record that is one of those rare but always beautiful things that can only happen when you discover a new band. It sounds like “Pathways” is a pathway to future greatness.
Rating 8.5/10
REVIEW: AFTER LAPSE – PATHWAYS (2024)
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