Pallas
Pallas formed in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1974 under the
initial guise of Rainbow. When Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore
decided to form his own band called Rainbow, a change of name
was called for and Pallas were born. The first stable lineup
came together in late 1979 consisting of Ronnie Brown
(keyboards), Euan Lowson (vocals), Niall Mathewson
(guitars), Derek Forman (drums) and Graeme Murray
(bass). Ronnie was the last to join Pallas and his
entrance also marked what would be the last lineup change for a
long time. It also signaled the beginning of a long uphill ride
for the band. It is a tribute to the stability and strength of
Pallas that they weathered a very difficult period of time until
July 1983 when a major deal with EMI was secured.
With the success of the then newly discovered Marillion, EMI
Records decided to capitalize by signing new hopefuls Pallas.
The band had already been gigging relentlessly and had garnered
excellent reviews in both Sounds and Kerrang. Their first
release through EMI was an EP that had already been released
independently by the band themselves in 1981. Entitled Arrive
Alive, the album sold very respectably and contained tracks that
had already become live favorites in the band's set. The band's
debut studio album for their new label (EMI), The Sentinel,
finally saw the light of day in 1984. Produced by Eddie Offord
(Yes, ELP), the album was a concept piece based on the lost city
of Atlantis. A lot rockier than some of their progressive
contemporaries, the album proved to be a hit with fans and press
alike. A relatively successful tour of the UK followed in
support of the release before problems within the ranks began to
set in.
In the summer of 1985, Pallas parted ways with frontman Euan
Lowson. The band felt they had gone as far as they could
with Euan and he was duly given notice. An important step in the
band's history, the obligatory advert was placed in Melody Maker
for a new singer, and after many auditions a replacement came in
the guise of vocalist Alan Reed. An EP entitled Knightmoves
was issued by the band to introduce their new vocalist to fans
and was received incredibly well. The change in line up had
proved to be the right choice with the band taking on a more
mature approach to the music. The follow up album to
Knightmoves came in 1986 with the release of The Wedge.
A much more polished affair, the album was a marked step forward
in all aspects. Somewhat more commercial than their debut, The
Wedge displayed an overall sense of progression in both
attitudes and song writing. A supporting tour followed.
The end of the eighties marked the beginning of what would be
"The Missing Years" for Pallas. The promise of a third
studio album was in the offing but never appeared. Many assumed
they had split up, however the odd live appearance along with a
demo produced for the fan club called Sketches showed they were
still alive and well. New material made its appearance on the
two compilation CDs bought out by the Dutch SI Music label and a
tribute album to the late Geoff Mann. This occasional flurry of
activity indicated that the band were still active but progress
on a new album was constantly hindered by the band member's
personal commitments along with their splintered geography,
making it difficult to convene for writing sessions and
rehearsals. After almost 13 years since the release of the last
full studio album, Pallas returned with Beat the Drum in
the late '90s.
In 1998 new drummer
Colin Fraser joined the band and signaled the return of Pallas
with Beat the Drum, and they
were in fine form. The band achieved their aim of drawing from
their previous two studio albums, whilst employing the
technology developed since those times to produce a new 90's
version of the classic Pallas sound. The band made their first
UK appearance in five years at the Classic Rock Society and was
given a rapturous response by dedicated fans.
Their next album, The Cross and the Crucible, their first
for IOMA, features 9 brand new examples of bombastic, cinematic
prog delight that marks Pallas' return to their roots. The album
was inspired by the band's fascination with the human condition
and our incredible ability to do wonderful, beautiful things
while also being capable of incredible cruelty.
The
Dreams Of Men, their new album on InsideOut, is being
released soon and will be featured in Pallas’ live performance
at RoSfest 2006. As a special treat, original vocalist
Euan Lowson will be returning to sing a few songs with the band
on stage. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the original Pallas
together at
RoSfest!
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DISCOGRAPHY : :
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Arrive Alive - 1981
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The Sentinel - 1984
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The Wedge - 1986
|
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Knight Moves To
Wedge
1986
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Beat the Drum - 1998
|
Live our Lives - 2000
|
|
The Cross And The
Crucible
2001
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Mythopoeia - 2002
|
The Blinding
Darkness
2003
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-2003.jpg)
The Blinding Darkness
(DVD)
2003
|
The Dreams Of Men -
2005
|
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