MAGENTA - THE GATHERING (DVD)

MAGENTA - THE GATHERING (DVD)

Disk 1 . . . . . . .135 min.
1. Intro [Opus 3] . . . . . . . 0:53
2. King Of The Skies . . . . . 4:36
3. Gluttony . . . . . . . . . 11:24
4. Demons . . . . . . . . . . 4:34
5. Broken . . . . . . . . . . . 4:11
6. Children Of The Sun . . . 20:24
7. Overture . . . . . . . . . . 5:34
8. Genetesis . . . . . . . . 11:07
9. Call Me . . . . . . . . . . . 5:04
10. I'm Alive . . . . . . . . . . .5:40
11. The White Witch . . . . . 23:36
12. Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:29

Line-up
Christina Murphy: vocals, percussion
Rob Reed: keyboards, vocals
Matthew Cohen: bass
Martin Rosser: guitar, guitar synthesizer, vocals
Chris Fry: lead guitar, vocals
Allan Mason-Jones: drums

format: Single DVD - NTSC • F2 Music # 200510D
release date: December 1st 2005

Magenta's official website at:
http://www.magenta-web.com/

Here I digress a bit from the usual format and will be reviewing a DVD instead of an album, Magenta's The Gathering. I must shamefully admit that this was my very first contact with the group Magenta, and it truly left me charmed, what a spectacular band! Reviewing this DVD was as much a treat as it was a great musical discovery!

Magenta is a melodic, symphonic progressive rock band spearheaded by the beautiful lead singer Christina Booth on vocals and percussion, Chris Fry on lead guitar and vocals, Rob Reed on keyboards and vocals, Martin Rosser on guitars, guitar synthesizer, and vocals, Matthew Cohen on the bass and Allan Mason-Jones on drums. A highly professional group with very talented and skilled musicians, Christina stands out with her beautiful, warm voice and her sensual, captivating presence on stage. Chris is an incredible, emotional guitarist, responsible for Magenta's unique, dramatic melodies and harmonies. Rob adds the symphonic, grandiose depth to the group with his brilliant keyboard work. It's an incredibly satisfying musical experience to see and hear this band. No surprise also that Magenta received in 2005 the Classic Rock Society "band of the year" award, a prestigious prize that had been given to the equally prestigious british group IQ a year before. The music of Magenta has many influences of the great classic groups of the 1970, such as Yes, Rush and Genesis, and some contemporary similarities to groups like Glass Hammer.

The performance presented on The Gathering DVD was recorded on May 14, 2005 at the Pop Factory in South Wales, UK. Beautifully captured with 6 HD video cameras, it features a crisp, detailed image. And what about the sound! The 5.1 audio mix is simply gorgeous! The performance itself is flawless and very impressive, in front of a polite, proper british audience that lets more loose as the concert goes on, erupting in a frenzied standing ovation at the end. The tracklist consists of King of The Skies, a great rockin' number that showcases all the musicians and is a great intro to this DVD. Gluttony has a captivating melody and features great keyboard work. Demons is a powerful track, heavily influenced by Steve Hackett with a rich Hammond sound. Broken is a potent prog number, very precise and structured. Children Of The Sun is a 20-min epic with a dramatic, layered sound, Christina's singing will remind you of a cross between Loreena McKennit and Tori Amos at time, she has a great vocal range. Great solos from Mr. Fry on this one. Overture is a wonderful track, slightly bluesy, with spacy guitar work. Genetesis features emotional vocals and great guitar work from both guitarists, and grandiose, multilayered keyboards. Call Me is a melancholic ballad that features haunting, beautiful vocals from Christina with great interaction between Rob on the keys and Chris on the guitar. I'm alive is a very catchy, dramatic number with a heavy edge. The White Witch is Magenta's "Supper's Ready" or "Close To The Edge"... a majestic 23-min. epic that is truly the highlight of the group's discography and of their live performance. And for the encore, they offer Pride, a great rock composition featuring wonderful vocal harmonies and a great hook. The bonus material on this DVD includes interviews with the band members, with the audience, a music video of the track Broken and a photo gallery of their RoSFest performance in April 2005.

I have never been fond of the concert DVD format, or the concept of the music video for that matter, but as in few rare cases for me, I felt that Magenta's The Gathering is a very satisfying DVD that captures a great performance from one of the most refined groups in progressive music. This is definitely not a DVD that will sit idle on my shelf gathering dust. The Gathering is a great way to discover this band, and a brilliant addition to any symphonic prog fan's collection.

My rating for The Gathering : 8.7/10(album reviewed by Robert Dansereau)