After the first run and the resulting first impression WARCHILD is still strongly reminiscent of the failed concept album A PASSION PLAY relic. According to Ian Anderson Passion Play and WARCHILD are thematically linked to each other. Warchild is like the second part of the A PASSION PLAY - Saga, which was planned even as a movie, but as always failed because of the money. The first two songs WARCHILD and QUEEN AND COUNTRY appear still as holdover from the disastrous "Chateu d'Herouville" - Sessions, later jokingly called Anderson "Chateau d'saster", from whose ashes the unfortunate a passion play was. Said songs sound, as the albumumspannende Suite of the previous album, choppy, disharmonious and tuneless, sometimes even cacophonous. Ignoring the first two songs, so WARCHILD is still a bold and outstanding concept album, which loosely modeled on the previous album, but is still open. The songs BACK DOOR ANGELS and SEALION sound very dark and bombastic, are the vocals but melodic and rhythmic not so choppy as the first two songs of the album. One must BACK DOOR ANGELS and SEALION classify the hardest numbers of the band, as a year later, Black Satin Dancer by MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY. The two airy singles SKATING AWAY and BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE addition SEALION and BACK DOOR ANGELS absolute jewels of the album. BUNGLE IN THE JUNGLE sounds delightfully fresh and carefree, just like the acoustic number SKATING AWAY, with his funny intro, in which Anderson sitting at the breakfast table and einschüttet tea while humming the melody of the song in front of them. Other highlights are undoubtedly THE THIRD Hoorah with its very folkloric held basic melody which is presented by the bagpipes and Ian Anderson's voice (who would have thought that the dervish also masters this instrument?), As well as two fingers, which is unusual, since it is this is a diversified processing of songs LICK YOUR FINGERS CLEAN from the remastered edition of AQUA LUNG. The text of LICK YOUR FINGERS CLEAN was left unchanged, the basic melody also, yet this piece has been completely rearranged and restructured before it became a much more demanding TWO FINGERS. As dominant instruments namely accordion and acoustic guitar were used, whereas we put the initial piece on piano and flute, but which is not too short in two fingers also, any more than the electric guitar. Particularly commendable are on the album but the many bonus tracks (seven of them!), As there would be: Reminiscent of The Hare WHO LOST HIS SPECTACLES SEALION II with Jeffrey Hammonds Chanting, the very classic held, solely on the orchestra and Anderson's flute limited WARCHILD WALTZ and the ingenious jazzy instrumental QUARTET, and the cool rock number RAINBOW BLUES. Similar to passion play the saxophone and the synthetizer also play a crucial role here, however, are not as pushy as to erstgenanntem. All instruments have equal rights here, as well as the still very lush and bombastic orchestration, which makes the album but all are heavy in the stomach because it has not been used so discreetly and sensitively, as later on MINSTREL IN THE GALLERY, but here only the drama diehnte. For beginners in the field Tull album is not recommended because it is very difficult still in the stomach and still too many has cross-references to PASSION PLAY. Also it sounds, as already mentioned quite cacophonous and disharmonious and not as balanced as the majority of Tull releases. VERY unconventional and lush!
