PINNACLE POINT – Symphony of Mind

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, a maxim that applies equally well to sleeve art. It’s worth bearing in mind for anyone tempted to glance at Pinnacle Point’s new album. Part renaissance hokum, part Egyptology grab bag, the aesthetic looks like the kind of thing the loon-panted astral travelers of 70s psych would have contrived had Photoshop been available to them.

It’s a shame, because underneath the ruffs and rococo, there’s melodic music of substance that deserves a fair hearing. Showcasing a fine ear for Kansas-a-like dynamics, Pinnacle Point have distilled the best of epic melodic rock and turned out an album of more than respectable tunes.

Of course you don’t need a reviewer to tell you that thorny digressions on the nature of reality and allusive lyrics are not part of the deal. This is rock with its arms open, it fists aloft and nothing unrevealed – and it’s all the better for it.

Instrumental opener “So Alive” establishes the manifesto early doors. FM rock reference points combined with some of the trickery of prog rock, its violin and guitar duel drop hints of the technical proficiency to come…and what proficiency. “So Alive” gives up a rousing chorus and a Wakeman-esque keyboard freak out, while album uber-anthem “Weight of the World” is bound to appeal to middle-aged petrol heads everywhere.

The album reaches its peak on “Prodigal”, a superb number that slinks along to Lamb-era Genesis organ stabs and mournful violin. It may not quite untether itself from its influences, but there’s sufficient groove to make the music move with purpose and a satisfying degree of unresolved tension.

In a world where competence has become a byword for an implied sense of superiority, Pinnacle Point have delivered an album that’s as rich in accessibility as it is in harmonic invention. It’s this delicate balance that should enable them to short-circuit the doubters and confirm their status as major players on the melodic rock scene.