Apocalypse’s Castle (all the way from Chicago!) is yet another gold-dust time capsule find from the wonderful Guerssen Records label. This is a very excellent self-recorded (with great sound!) progressive-rock gem from 1976. Apparently, the reel-to-reel tapes were recently found by Michael Salvatori in his attic.
By the way, Michael is the writer, guitarist, player of the recorder, and lead vocalist for the band. His younger brother Tom assists on guitar (at times of the classical variety), his wife Gail plays keyboards, violin, and sings a nice harmony, and finally friend Scott Magnesen is the percussionist.
The first song, “The Spirit,” begins with a Steve Howe acoustic-guitar intro ala “Roundabout”, but it quickly mushrooms into an electric guitar, melodic bass (think Chris Squire or Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash!), a mellotron, and very precise drumming. Ah — the duel voices of Michael and Gail add an (almost) folky element. The song changes tempo countless times, as good prog songs are wont to do. Then the pace quickens, and the spirit of Yes, circa their namesake and Fragile albums, certainly permeates the almost seven-minute epic.
The lyrics, by the way, pose the eternal hope of “I’ve got to find an answer” and “what is tearing at my soul.” Yeah, the song is complex, majestic, just plain prog great, and exactly the stuff I hoped to hear from the grooves of an album purchased to fill a Friday night’s solitary listening turntable time way back in those youthful ’70s.
The next song, “Only the Children Know,” clocks in at almost eight minutes, and once again, begins with an acoustic guitar, more mellotron and emotive vocal, before it blossoms into an epic electric guitar stride that recalls the early Genesis sound of their Trespass album. There’s a lovely piano and voice interlude that, of course, is followed by a tug on the full-blown throttle that likes to tingle the cerebral cortex of the attentive progressive rock devotee.
To complete the current cosmic circle (as progressive rock tends to do), Apocalypse’s The Castle has an initial vinyl release – which will, hopefully, be followed by the compact-disc issue.
It’s just an idea, but this LP evokes that lovely British ethos or bands like Fantasy, Renaissance, (early) Skin Alley, Jonsey, Rare Bird, England (of Garden Shed fame), Treason-era Gryphon, and that second Gracious album, all of which never met the superstar status of the big guns like Emerson Lake and Palmer. This is the kind of album that found its way into the much-anticipated pages of prog-dealers’ catalogs (thank you, Laser’s Edge, Wayside Music, Doug Larson’s Imports, and Greg Walker’s Syn-Phonic Music!) that rescued the avid music listener from the perils of synthpop, Milli Vanilli, and arena rock!
Truth rather than dare time: Yeah, I entertained the thought, for a mere second of two, that the Flock of Seagulls might have some enduring musical merit. And, yeah (again!) I am waiting for my deathbed confession to reveal the embarrassment that I seriously considered buying a Spandau Ballet album. But I will go to my grave with the horror story that concerns Haircut 100!
That said, Apocalypse’s “Turning Around” floats on a big mellotron early King Crimson cloud. Acoustic guitars strum an earthy comfort. And the song suddenly throbs with a Yes-inspired chugging pulse and a really nice guitar solo that, once again, manages to tantalize the ever-willing cerebral cortex, while a recorder dances with the just a whiff of ancient Britain.
The acoustic violin-fired title track follows with absolute melodic mysticism that gives a glance to the melodic patience of Led Zeppelin’s middle section in “Stairway to Heaven,” and then, with celestial organ and ethereal guitar solo, the tune finds enough drama to blunt any 1976 punk-rock spittle rage. Truly, the interplay between Michael and Gail Salvatori is warm enough to wear all the age from any hoary British courtyard tombstone inscription. It’s just another idea, but Tony Stratten-Smith’s Famous Charisma label quite often, managed to do just that.
The final song, “All the People,” stretches its 10 minute-plus vinyl spin with folk sincerity, while the keyboards map out the sonic sounds of Saturn’s ring. This gets into Genesis’ “Stagnation” orbit with cosmic acoustic guitar recorder patience. But then the song blossoms, with dual voices, into a tension-graced guitar solo that unleashes dark melodic wisdom – until the vocals return for a brief moment of a sublime and sympathetic musical moment that swells with a passionate and very singular epic-ending beauty.
Of course, as Peter Gabriel once sang, “Yes, it’s only knock and know all, but I like it.” So, if I may say, “Take a little trip back with father Tiresias” and “listen to the old one …”
Well, while never claiming to be a (sadly) blinded Theban seer who “crossed between the poles,” I can certainly attest to being an “old one” who in the early ’70s saved up all dishwashing part-time job money to buy Yes’ Close to the Edge, King Crimson’s Islands, Genesis’ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, and a few lesser-known prog gems like Focus’ Moving Waves, Van der Graaf Generator’s Pawn Hearts, and Caravan’s (quite lovely!) For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night.
And with those aging crackly vinyl credentials, allow me to suggest, with a final and eternal devotional nod to the beauty of Tales from Topographic Oceans, that Apocalypse’s The Castle is truly fine progressive rock (“and know all”) music.
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