Formed in the first half of the ’80s, COMEDY OF ERRORS has experimented line up changes and even a long hiatus… however what hasn’t changed over the years is their elegant brand of neo progressive rock full of melody, mixing the classic prog era with a updated sound, from lengthy captivating compositions to song-format tracks with an even a pop-rock approach.
There has been six years during which the group from Glasgow has remained stable in terms of personnel, the same musicians of the previous two albums are present on their brand new effort “Threnody For A Dead Queen“.
If you are new to the band be prepared for exquisite musicianship, interesting arrangements, melodies all over, some catchy tunes, some dreamy ones. Musically there’s a wide range of comparison to make: think ’80s YES Big Generator era, Asia, Trevor Rabin solo, Marillion, Arena, a bit of Magnum, and more.
They open with the lengthy proggy ‘Summer Lies Beyond’, a beautiful piece starting with distantly sounding motives and vocals, after a minute or two the steady rhythm section joins in. Gradually the piece builds up tension, thanks to the lovely keys – ivory player Jim Johnston is the principal songwriter – the guitars in a Trevor Rabin fashion and Joe Cairney smooth voice. There’s great atmospheres, and while the song is long, the melodic sense isn’t lost one single moment.
Marillion-esque runs are all over ‘The Seventh Seal’ conjuring classic prog from the past with neo-prog and modern day YES arrangements. The guitar are superbly clean, and the vocals during the verses craft a slow rock ballad delivery.
For ‘Jane (Came out Of The Blue)’ the band goes to a song format tune with a lot of Eighties on it, a very melodic song with an almost catchy chorus. The short instrumental ‘Through The Veil’ is all about soundscapes, before the title track offers another brilliant slice of proggy melodic with synths, mellotron, glockenspiel, and dreamy guitars creating a magic spell. Then the song gets upbeat with a ‘90125’ YES meets Asia spirit for a compelling finale ala Pendragon.
It’s time for the grand apotheosis on ‘Funeral Dance’, with theatrical chords accompanied by drum rolls and synthesizers.
COMEDY OF ERRORS show to us another good example of how to make good melodic progressive rock music without the necessity of complicated use of scales and time signatures, being enough inspiration and good taste.
Highly Recommended
1. Summer Lies Beyond 15:27
2. The Seventh Seal 14:10
3. We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On 3:02
4. Jane (Came Out Of The Blue) 4:00
5. Through The Veil 3:33
6. Threnody For A Dead Queen 12:28
7. And Our Little Life Is Rounded With A Sleep 3:09
8. Funeral Dance 3:09
Joe Cairney (v)
Sam McCulloch (g)
Mark Spalding (g)
Jim Johnston (k)
Bruce Levick (d)
Comedy Of Errors – Threnody For A Dead Queen 2023+FLAC
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