 
|
KING CRIMSON
The Power To Believe (Sanctuary Records)
Reviewed by Karl Cable
There are no new versions of "Larks' Tongues in Aspic" on the new King Crimson disk, but there are elements of the band's past in plain view. That said, this might be the most exciting collection to come from this band since 1981's Discipline.
The album is framed and bridged by four different pieces titled "The Power to Believe." The first, "a Cappella," is a simple piece with only Adrian Belew's voice, processed through some sort of device. This launches right into the album's first major instrumental, "Level Five." The song's intro is typically Crimso, slow and bombastic, but they pull a fast one on us and turn the piece into an uptempo number. Full of tight ensemble playing, the four members of the band play with, against and off each other, and the result is a piece of amazing intensity and focus.
Two of the songs from the EP released last spring (and reviewed in Cosmik in the summer) reappear here in slightly altered form. "Eyes Wide Open," the next cut on the disk, is one of them. The only real difference from the EP version is that the version on the new disk is electric, and the one on the EP was all acoustic. This version is nice, but I think I actually like the acoustic version a little more. "Elektrik," the next cut, is another instrumental, and it begins with a plaintive little figure that made me think of the calliope near the end of "In the Court of the Crimson King," from their very first record. The rest of the song, however, is without a doubt contemporary Crimson. The rhythm work of Pat Mastellotto on drums and Trey Gunn on the Warr Touch Guitar are phenomenal in this one. There's a melody/rhythm figure used in this song that I seem to remember hearing from the League of Gentlemen, a brief project that Robert Fripp was involved in in the early 80's. The song goes through a lot of rises and falls in dynamics, but as you would expect from King Crimson, the intensity continues to build throughout the composition.
Next is a two-part song, "Facts of Life," with a spacey/percussive intro, which explodes into the main body of the song. (Somewhere this needs to be mentioned: If this cd had been released ten years ago or more, it would have had warnings all over it about taking care not to damage your speakers. There are some sounds on this disk that will CHALLENGE your sound system, no matter how good it is!) There are lyrics to this song, but it's the instrumental portions of any Crimso album that are what you pay for, and this song delivers some kick-ass instrumental sections. King Crimson is calling what they're doing these days Nuovo Metal, and this song turns many of the conventions of Heavy Metal on their ears, and does it deftly.
Next, "The Power to Believe" gets a (mostly) instrumental treatment. This one is filled with fascinating soundscapes and spacey effects. The next piece, "Dangerous Curves," is the high point of the disk for me. A Crimsoid march in 6/4 time, it begins in almost complete silence with simple chords from a string synthesizer. Slowly, the song's throbbing rhythmic trademark appears, and stays throughout the rest of the piece. The songs builds relentlessly, with wild sound effects happening right and left, and finally climaxes with a huge dissonant chord that takes more than a minute to die out. They performed this one when I saw them in 2001, and I'm glad they did, because the song has enormous power.
The second carryover from the EP comes next, "Happy with What You Have to be Happy With." The only difference that I can see from the EP version is that the first chorus was shortened. The disk finishes up with two more treatments of "The Power to Believe," the third one containing a slow passage that brings to mind some the 70's Crimson sounds. Trey Gunn even gets a nasty, dirty bass sound like John Wetton used to use back in those days.
These are four masterful musicians, and they mesh together marvelously. Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew play together so well that they are heard throughout this cd literally alternating notes in a melody. They've worked out a disciplined chemistry that at times makes them sound like one guitarist with a gigantic, ten-fingered hand. If you've ever liked anything this band has done in the past, there's a very good chance that you're going to love "The Power to Believe."
Track List:
The Power to Believe I: a Cappella * Level Five * Eyes Wide Open * Elektrik * Facts of Life Intro * Facts of Life * The Power to Believe II * Dangerous Curves * Happy with What You Have to be Happy With * The Power to Believe III * The Power to Believe IV: Coda
© 2004 - Karl Cable