Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The dance of death eventually shrouds us all but along the way to be invited to the ball, to be guided and led by the hand to the Danse Macabre is to be enlightened and shown the way of a new breed of Progressive thinking.

For virtual band Imaginary Creatures, being trapped forever on a type of celluloid is not an option, the expression of music that is aching to be released, to be heard in full on their second album Danse Macabre, is one that is liberal and allows the perception that often clouds pre-conception to be disbursed and scattered with the wind, taking the dust of prejudice with it and it is an absolute joy to witness.

Lyric writer extraordinaire David Scott really uses the formula laid down in the album to full effect, using language in a way that all fine poets are urged to master. He is aided though in the pursuit of a good story by composer Iain McKinna, drummer Ted McKenna, Keith More, the fabulous addition of John Burgess and Kenny Tomlinson on saxophone and Rich Anderson on Keyboards, alongside the returning backing vocalists Alexis Anderson and Kirsty McKinna who really get down deep and dirty into the abundant and image ridden lyrics.

This virtual collective, to be heard and never seen, much like the folklore creature of the American undergrowth the Squonk, plays with sound and texture and the final result is ten songs that offer so much to the listener that like a bunch of presents underneath a sparkling new Christmas Tree, the temptation to start just anywhere is overwhelming. It may be one of the rare albums that you can start at random with, especially in a Progressive format, but the story, whilst not linked, states with enthusiastic glow that the tale begin at the start of the Danse, not half way through.

Tracks such as The Abyss, the excellent The Big 86, the fabulous and disturbing Charles Manson Eyes, the unseen truth of There Is No America and the final absolute belter which is Caliban all make this particular album such an imaginative joy to hold close; a true musical journey into a realm hidden from view from the blind and the presumptive, for in all things only those willing to open their eyes and feel the embrace deserve to feel the benefit of the Danse Macabre.

Ian D. Hall