Sanctuary The Power To Believe

Amazon.co.uk King Crimson's The Power to Believe has been a long time coming--band-leader Robert Fripp has always stated that they'll only record when music is ready to be recorded. But no matter how painful the waiting, it's always worthwhile: Fripp and his ever-changing personnel never fail to fascinate and challenge. The Power to Believe is no exception, opening with its title track, an echoing a cappella romance sweetly delivered by vocalist (and co-guitarist) Adrian Belew. The song is reprised three times later: once with jangling eastern percussion rising to a climax of soaring guitar: again as a sci-fi extravaganza harking back to Crimson's glorious past: and finally as a closing a cappella repeat. In between lies the disciplined, purposefully varied and often mind-blowing instrumentation you expect from some of rock's most accomplished musicians. "Facts of Life" is dirty prog blues, a more complex version of Jerry Cantrell's solo work, ending with what sounds like two trains on a collision course. "Dangerous Curves" is like a low-key "Kashmir" rising in intensity to a storming metallic crescendo. Then there's the filthy rock of "Happy...", with its sarcastic refrain "We're gonna re-peat the chorus"--Adrian Belew clearly and rightly berating younger outfits for their lack of artistic ambition. All in all, it's a tremendous effort. --Dominic Wills