Before we get into the music, I have to ask: did anybody really expect an album cover like that from LABYRINTH of all bands? A handcuffed, naked mannequin's ass? I suppose they're attempting to make some sort of a statement with that cover, but I have no idea what it is. Oh well. On to the music!
Most fans would agree that
Labyrinth reached their pinnacle of musical brilliance with their sophomore release
Return to Heaven Denied. I belong to that group of fans, and even after six or so years of owning that album I still listen to it at least once a month. There aren't many albums that so effortlessly combine melodic power metal with electronica, but
Labyrinth did it amazingly well. Since then things have been up and down for the band, but their new album
Freeman should prove to everyone that
Labyrinth is definitely alive and kicking. They still haven't surpassed the brilliance of
Return to Heaven Denied, but what they have done is evolve into a unique, exceptionally talented power metal band.
Freeman shows
Labyrinth combining everything they've learned thus far and showering us with melody, intelligent compositions, and a musically multihued collection of superb songs.
Freeman begins with the track
L.Y.A.F.H. - which as far as I can tell stands for "Light Years Away From Here" (if I'm hearing the vocals correctly). A surprisingly mellow track to begin with, especially after their last album that contained the heaviest music
Labyrinth has ever produced. This first track contains a lot of soft vocals and acoustic guitars, but there are spots of heaviness here and there. It's a great track with a sing-a-long chorus and a great emotional atmosphere, although there are better tracks on here. Vocalist Roberto Tiranti (am I the only one who misses the name Rob Tyrant?) is one of my favorite singers in the power metal world and he is by far the greatest aspect of this album. His voice is nearly perfect from beginning to end on this album.
M3 has a great driving beat and an extremely catchy chorus that is one of the best tracks on
Freeman. There's nothing necessarily amazing about this track, but I find myself listening to it more than the rest of the album, mostly due to the fantastic chorus.
Face and Pay begins with down tuned, muddy guitars that carry on the heaviness from
Labyrinth's last album. It's a great song, but towards the end it slows down abruptly and turns into moody, melancholic jazz. Suddenly they switch from power metal to electric piano and jazz guitar, and it works fabulously! They throw breaks like these in throughout the album but they don't inundate the music; everything fits together perfectly and the jazz/piano breaks tend to shift the songs emotionally in new directions.
Speaking of emotion,
Malcolm Grey is probably the moodiest, darkest track
Labyrinth has created. It begins with a wonderful piano piece that feels so despondent, so empty; it actually depresses me just a little bit every time I hear it! The piano section is a great intro to this song, though it is almost ruined by Rob's crazy laments/acting before the actual singing begins. Much like Rhapsody's earlier narrations that seemed as if a mattress salesman performed them, this bit simply does not work. It's a fleeting moment however, and the rest of the song is fantastic.
The rest of the album has its highs and lows, but overall I genuinely love it. They've kept most of the influences from their previous album and are steering slowly away from the more common keyboard/guitar style of power metal they've been known for.
Labyrinth has matured immensely and this is strikingly obvious in listening to
Freeman. Any fans of
Labyrinth or power metal in general are urged to check this release out.
Written by
Matthew Tuesday, February 8, 2005
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