La Belle Dame is the latest release from Italian Prog Rock band GOAD who are approaching their 50th year in the business. It’s not often that a band with a 50 year history has never crossed my radar. The music was composed to be an opera dedicated to the ballad written by English poet John Keats. Described as sophisticated, deep and magical, for lovers of dark atmospheric music in the vein of VDGG, King Crimson, Genesis, and Procol Harum. Let’s throw out the comparisons, because this does not come close to the classic bands listed above. If GOAD are trying to be weird for the sake of it, then goal achieved. The production and mix are dreadful, with vocals overpowering the music, nothing feels cohesive. The musicianship is clumsy, as if they were still fumbling around with ideas during the recording. The drums rarely if ever provide any steady foundation, and are amateurish in execution. The keyboards are the only bright spot, but nothing can save what can best be termed a head scratcher, there is too much good music out there to give La Belle Dame repeated listens, once was enough.
Track List:
1. The Haunted Palace In The Poe' Land
2. The Queen Of The Valley
3. The Man In The Dreamland
4. Magic Stairway pt. 1
5. Magic Stairway pt. 2
6. Magic Stairway pt. 3
7. To Sorrow Good Morrow pt. 1
8. To Sorrow Good Morrow pt. 2
9. To Sorrow Good Morrow pt. 3
10. To Sorrow Good Morrow pt. 4
11. To Sorrow Good Morrow pt. 5
12. The Sweetness Of The Pain pt. 1
13. The Sweetness Of The Pain pt. 2
14. The Sweetness Of The Pain pt. 3
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