When I first got involved with the progressive underground there is no doubt there were a handful of albums which had a massive impact on me which I still listen to this day, and one of these was ‘More Than Meets The Eye’. I saw different line-ups of the band, but the one I love the best was Gary Chandler, Steve Christey, Martin Orford and John Jowitt. Gary and Martin could also often be found performing as a duo, and some of my very favourite gigs come from this period. Over the years there have been some line-up changes, with Martin moving away from music a few times, and although the classic line-up did get back together for some albums in the 2000’s, both Martin and John departed again after 2006’s ‘Photoplay’. They were replaced by bassist Andy Marlow and keyboard player Arman Vardanyan for 2012’s ‘See Right Through You’ before Martin returned again for the last album, 2016’s ‘No Fear of Looking Down’. It has taken eight years for the guys to return with their tenth studio album, but it has been worth the wait as it feels as if they have never been away.
Jadis are one of those very rare prog bands indeed, in that they just don’t sound like anyone else. Here we have a band which first and foremost relies on Gary’s melodic guitar playing and vocals, this is supported by a dynamic rhythm section and keyboards which slip alongside the melody, providing support, harmony or driving the lead along with a second singer who has been with Gary so long that he knows just when to come in or pull away. This is classic Jadis, and as soon as I put it on the player, I knew I was in for fun as it is exactly what I have come to expect from this band over the last 30 years. They know their style and what they all bring to the party, so Martin can move from flute to lead keyboards, Steve never seems to stop going all around the kit, Andy is much more than just a simple bassist laying down the foundation as he often provides his own counter melodies, and then at the front is Gary Chandler. Right from the beginning, he has never lost his focus, even when he had to start the band again from scratch, and his passion and drive has produced an album which could have been released 30 years ago.
All reviewers want to be objective yet are always subjective as there are so many factors which impact how we perceive music. So while I am not sure if this really is the best album they have released since ‘More Than Meets The Eye’, all I can say is that it certainly feels that way. I am not going to ask how long until the next one as I did that when I reviewed the last album as four years felt way too long, and this took eight, but all I can say is that to my mind Jadis are firmly back where they belong, right at the top of the prog Olympics. The gold medal for great music goes to Jadis, and fully deserved.
