Best album of 2005 for me was
Sieges Even's The Art Of Navigating By The Stars, excelling in creativity and magical wonders. Huge were my expectations when Paramount arrived, with this band you just know that you'll get something different. Their new album is both innovative and a success, but not quite as magnificent as last time around.
When Alpha And Omega Collide is typical
Sieges Even, multi layered structures that challenge your senses, making you wonder just what it is that binds the track together...something is but it can't come any closer than naming it the indefinable
Sieges Even "element". No other band writes music like this.
Superb bass diversity sends
Tidal down a complex and comfortable journey, delicate lead guitar harmonies and a brilliant chorus adds extra depth before a spectacular acoustic guitar solo takes a leading role in a mellow closure.
Eyes Wide Open ranks among my favourite songs of the year: Beautiful, catchy, soft as silk and with a refrain reaching the inner core of your soul with a healing touch.
The jamming mid-section is ear candy of the most delicate kind and Arno's voice shines through even the darkest of nights. Truly an eye-opener of a song.
Iconic is a solid track, rich in detail but without the really defining moment.
The calm and mystic mood of
Where Our Shadows Sleep is a delicious treat, incredible how much atmosphere this band is able to create without the use of keyboards.
The chorus becomes a bit stretched out but again a good song that never really reaches the next level.
Duende has some exciting breaks and interesting ideas but it somehow lacks a clear destination.
Timely fitted in
Bridge To The Divine brings tempo and melody back into the flow, Markus Steffen's unique use of a wide range of guitar styles and sounds makes this album highly dynamic, I'm truly impressed with the diversity and emotional aspect he's able to express, this track being a perfect example.
Alex Holzwarth's drumming is worth a study of it's own, extremely technical but with a fascinating ability of always being in focus and supplying just the right feel and weight (a heavy one) to the songs.
Leftovers get a groovy treatment in collaboration with a fierce bass approach from brother Oliver Holzwarth. A fine and very tranquil song.
Mounting Castles In The Blood Red Sky quite successfully mixes hypnotic and more intense elements with quotes from Martin Luther King's famous "I have a dream" speech. There is an otherworldly feeling to it.
With its almost 9-minutes the title track brings the album to an end, a thick and heavy guitar riff becomes a main element with a stomping, almost aggressive rhythm section and as a stunning contrast a saxophone solo suddenly gives it a warm embrace, again this is music with an in built challenge.
Arno Menses adds a soulful and uplifting touch to the whole product; it's hard imagining this album without his tender and expressive vocal input.
Huge credit goes to the rest of the band, their ability to feed upon each other's creativity and skills bring along a vivid vibe, musically we are talking top of the game here.
Pick the bass in any of the songs and you'll experience a degree of participating and ingeniousness that's just spectacular.
Enhancing the smooth feel is a crystal clear and extremely spacious production.
This is also an album where there's a thin line between music and lyrics, the words circle around big issues where there's room for interpretation, covering both abstract views of the world and more down to earth issues of inner tranquillity and meaning.
As pointed out some less memorable elements keep this album from being a real triumph, and I do miss a few more guitar solos but if you enjoy Progressive music this unique album and band is highly recommended.
Intelligent, hypnotic, insightful,
Sieges Even.
Written by
Tommy Thursday, October 11, 2007
Show all reviews by TommyRatingsTommy: 7.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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