As a lifelong fan of
Saga
I do feel let down, not so much because of the new guy handling the vocals,
because replacing Michael Sandler, a guy, who has been the centre of attention
for more than 30 years, is extremely hard. Rob Moratti is a good choice for the
position and he does a sufficient job to warrant consideration - even for the
hardest die-hard fans - for him as the new captain of the ship on stage.
No doubt this still sounds and feels like
Saga
with a twist. The unmistakably sound they have developed over decades is
ever-present; the haunting melodies, the solo passages and the duels of Ian
Crichton and Jim Gilmour as well as the well crafted arrangements.
But at the end of the day, this does not make me jump for joy. It does enough to
entertain but not enough to excite me. The album ends up being rather pale and
faceless, sadly a little like most the albums they made in the early 90's; good,
borderline mediocrity with a few highlights far between.
The next chapter of
Saga
begins a little bumpy and they need to write more convincing material to move
forward with Rob Moratti.
