Apocalypse: The Castle

In 1976, Chicago-area high-school student Tom Salvatori founded the symphonic prog outfit Apocalypse along with his classmate, Scott Magnesen, his brother Michael, and Michael’s wife Gail. Tom played guitar and bass, Scott was the drummer, Michael also played guitar, and Gail was the keyboardist and violinist. Michael, Tom, and Gail all provided vocals. They put together a set of demos that finally have been released as The Castle through Guerssen’s Out-Sider Records.

It is quite beautiful in many spots, despite having a somewhat unfinished and amateurish feel in others. That, of course, is to be expected given the record’s origins. How to describe it? Well, it has a classic mid-70s prog sound, also to be expected, with tasteful guitars, team vocals, and a nice helping of Mellotron. To me, the band most resembles Renaissance, but you can hear the influence of other prog giants such as Camel and Genesis. There are also some Canterbury stylings. It features an attractive cover that is very much of its time, too.

Each of its five tracks are enjoyable. But the ones I enjoy the most are the opener, “The Spirit,� the title track, and the closer, “All the People,� which comes in at more than 10 minutes.

Although I received a promo copy on CD, it seems to be available for purchase only on vinyl and in digital form. I would recommend this lost oddity, a somewhat classic work. Also, it’s worth noting that the band is not to be confused with the Portuguese symphonic prog band of the same name, which released several albums from 1991 to 2011.

Track Listing
1. The Spirit (6:53)
2. Only the Children Know (7:27)
3. Turning Around (5:03)
4. The Castle (7:35)
5. All the People (10:32)

Added: February 7th 2024
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 298
Language: english

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