Pepper’s Ghost Track By Track
November 2004

As usual, it was very exciting to me, putting Arena’s new record into my CD player for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect, and the cover of the promotional release revealed very little information except for the song titles and the song writing credits. I haven’t checked Arena’s web page very recently, due to PC circumstances, so I was really forced to let the music (and the cover) do the talking. This is a story about my first impression of Pepper’s Ghost… and what it has become to me: Arena’s best album to date.

As you probably already know by now, Pepper’s Ghost is the title of Arena’s new album. The subtitle says ‘7 Stories of Mystery & Imagination’, which immediately reminds me of the record Tales Of Mystery And Imagination’ by The Alan Parsons Project. This 1976 record is inspired by the stories of famous writer Edgar Allan Poe and is characterized by its dark atmosphere. 

I wonder if Pepper’s Ghost is as dark and mysterious as Tales... Well, at least the cover lives up to that promise. The cover features the band members themselves; they all appear as a character in a picture that seems to have been taken from a comic book, in a very ‘Jack the Ripper’-like scenery and style. The appearance of the cover, from the front cover to the font that is used, is very inviting and atmospheric. So far so good. Time to give the record a spin….

Bedlam Fayre (6:03) starts with some sound effects, just like Witch Hunt kicked off on Contagion. This time the sound, instead of voices, is hurdy-gurdy music; as if you find yourself on some kind of fare (duh!). The minute you are getting used to the sound, the band kicks in – and heavy it is! Bedlam Fayre appears to be very high-paced and versatile. It immediately appeals to me because of the heavy guitar, the 5/4 time signature, and the catchy chorus. Other characteristics: energetic drumming by Mick (check out the double bass drum!), soaring guitar lines, heavy riffs and power chords by John. Distorted vocals in the middle section provide for the progressive touch. This is an instant classic; it grabs you by the throat and won’t let you go for the full six minutes. It proves that Arena has become heavier – yet again!

Smoke And Mirrors (4:42) starts with a very beautiful, atmospheric guitar intro. After the intro, the band plays the main theme: heavy guitar and a full organ sound. While not as heavy as Bedlam Fayre, again the guitar is very present, and it seems as if Arena is more riff-based than they used to be. The verses are sung over the same structure as the intro and main theme. Again, the chorus is very beautiful, not in the last place because of the harmony vocals. This song is very open and catchy, which is its strength after the rollercoaster Bedlam Fayre. Although a bit on the short side, it contains all of the ingredients that makes progressive rock so great.

Next, the first epic is due. The Shattered Room at first seemed a bit ‘common’ to me, but now, after playing this record over and over again in my car, it has grown out to be one of my favourite tracks on Pepper’s Ghost. The song starts with mysterious sounding keyboards, and a beautiful vocal line sung by Rob (obviously). The whole song is very beautiful, and contains some typical Nolan lyrics. 

The music in this song is very adventurous. The melody line in the verses is stunning, accompanied by a nice drum rhythm, choir keyboard chords and a modestly plucking guitar with a lot of reverb (nice). The chorus at first didn’t do that much to me, it didn’t seem to be catchy enough – that has changed. 

Then the middle section! It starts off very Arena-like, with great keyboard solos (accompanied by guitar) and guitar solos (accompanied by keys) and again, a great rhythm section. Then, after a haunting keyboard-only soundscape, a fast rhythm is played with Arena-UNlike ‘staccato’ heavy riffing. The sections where Rob sings are more like what we are used to, but when the guitar solo kicks in, I cannot believe my ears! In fact, the piece of the guitar(/key?) solo starting from 07:50 reminds me very much of mid-eighties heavy metal bands playing twin-guitar solos (like Vicious Rumors).

The Eyes Of Lara Moon (4:30) is a ‘slower’ song, yet very atmospheric. This song has some dark lyrics, and the acoustic and electric guitar trade places every now and then which makes this song very pleasant to listen to. Only remark about this song is that it seems to be over very quickly.

Tantalus (6:51) begins with Strangers On A Train-like piano play. Rob sings the vocal line over this theme, and he seems very self-confident in this section (‘Trust in no one’). It fits the music very well. Again, the vocal line contains some great melodies (is that Clive on backing vocals?). After the mellow piano section, a guitar-dominated rhythm begins. The drum rhythm seems a bit too simple to me at times, but on the other hand, it is quite effective and in no way disturbing. Although the guitar is heavier than you might be used to, this is a typical Arena section; both musically and lyrically. 

The end section of the song is one of the highlights of the album to me. A massive chorus line with a very catchy melody is sung over the riff; after that the riff goes on and some guitar solo ‘ad libs’ are played – fantastic! When it fades out I always wish it could have gone on forever. 

Luckily, next there is Purgatory Road (7:25). If I had to choose my favourite track off of Pepper’s Ghost, I’d first say that that would be impossible. Next, I’d pick Purgatory Road. Why? Well, because it is the perfect blend of great music and atmosphere. After a soaring guitar intro and a pounding rhythm with power chords on guitar and church organ, the verse is sung over a haunting guitar riff. The Air-like effects on the vocals that follow (vocoder) are very-well dosed and fit the music perfectly – this is new to Arena, but they are very good at it right away! The chorus is as effective as can be, and won’t leave my head since the minute I first heard it. 

The instrumental intermezzo is dominated by heavy guitar riffing and splendid keyboard solos. The guitar line, accompanied by sound effects (sounds like a news broadcast) and great rhythm is fantastic! The song ends with the chorus again, this time played over a faster rhythm, which is really effective as well.

The last song on the album is Opera Fanatica (13:06) and is the only song that is written by Clive only. If you’d thought that the heaviness of the previous tracks is to be ‘blamed’ on John & Mick, you’re wrong. After an over-the-top haunting intro with a competing male and female opera singer, the band kicks in. Double-bass drums by Mick again, great bass play by Ian, and John Mitchell riffing to a repetitive strain injury! 

This is one of the highlights of the album as well. The chorus (‘The King is dead, so worship me’) is very, very bombastic and is backed up by the ‘phantoms of the opera’ from the intro. The middle section contains lots of keyboard and guitar duels, in melody lines that require certain instrumental skills to say at the least. In fact, all band members excel in this section, and it is probably the most progressive part of the album. The ‘Set them free!’-part is very catchy and is sung with great harmony vocals. The guitar line that is played over the main riff, by the way, reminds me of A Crack In the Ice of The Visitor. 

Overall, this album is completely to my taste. I have always liked bands that added a bit of heaviness to their progressive rock (like Porcupine Tree on In Absentia), and that is exactly what Arena have done on this album. Without losing their own identity, Mick, Clive, John, Rob and Ian have succeeded in surpassing themselves yet again, and they sound very confident. 

I can imagine people finding this album a bit on the heavy side, as it certainly is a tad heavier than Contagion, but on the other hand, the ingredients of Arena’s music that have made it so enjoyable in the past haven’t disappeared, and the heaviness is probably a question of ‘getting used to’. Take it from me, classics like Bedlam Fayre, The Shattered Room, Purgatory Road and Opera Fanatica will make it all worthwile…!

By: Remko Heerings