Sieges Even - Sophisticated
If I had to use one word to describe this album, it would be "Melancholic". This album has that feeling written all over it.

This is Sieges Even's fourth album and my favourite.

It takes a lot of time and concentration to fully appreciate this album. Even after listening to it several hundred times I still discover new things every time. This is one album I will never get tired of. It has so many great and complex melodies, weird rythms and ideas, but most of all brilliant musicianship. Everything is packed together in a distinct melancholic atmosphere that leaves an emotional impression.

I find some of the lyrics in the songs pretty hard to figure out. There are many double meanings and ways to understand them, it all depends on your mood. That is a good thing though.

This is the fastest and heaviest album the band made and it shows right from the first song "Reporter". A very aggressive song. It starts out with an in your face guitar riff, great drumming and the singer sounds like he'll never run out of breath. The chorus is awesome. What a song.

Trouble Talker is a sad and complex song that goes from fast to slow to heavy and back again. Awesome drumming and guitar playing make this song even better.

I absolutely love Middle course. It has everything that makes Sieges Even a great band. The way this song builds is fantastic. It starts out slow with a beautiful guitar melody, before picking up speed and going crazy in the powerful chorus. The middle part where the guitar and bass play together has to be heard. And then the guitar solo leaves me breathless. Awesome and thoughtful stuff.

The title track starts out with a cool bass line before attacking your speakers with some aggressive riffs. This was my least favourite song the first couple of times I heard it. But after listening to it many times it grows up to be another awesome song. It's just very complex and you won't notice all the melodies right away.

Dreamer is probably the most accessible song on the album. It has a very powerful chorus and quickly became my favourite song for the first spins but loses some impact with repeated listens.
Wintertime has taken over that honour. It is also one of the saddest songs on the album. It pretty much defines the melancholic atmosphere that drips from the album. It starts out with a beautiful melody before going into a story about love lost and gone. "I feel things become true - Which I said to me and you in a thousand lies before".

Water the barren tree has a very nice keyboard melody and a fantastic atmosphere. Another brilliant song. War - I guess the line "Human nature - The only nature man can't control" says it all.

Fatal is another great song with many different melodies and closing the album off is The more the less. A pretty weird song with many different styles. It has some awesome melodic parts and some very progressive parts. With time this song really grows.

The production on the album is beyond great. The sound is very clear and you can hear everything that is going on if you listen closely. Anything else would have been a disaster with an album as complex as this.

From the clever cover to the brilliant music to the lyrics everything about this album screams quality. If you like your music a little complex and have the patience to sit down and really listen then this album will reward you with awesome music and quite an emotional ride. I give it my highest recommendation.

Written by Steen
Friday, May 3, 2002
Show all reviews by Steen

Ratings

Steen: 9.5/10

Members: No members have rated this album yet.


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RevelationZ Comments


Comment by Daniel (Anonymous) - Friday, January 3, 2003
Is the drummer Alex Holzwarth theo one who plays wiyh Rhapsody now?
And is Oliver Holzwarth the one who played on the NIME album by Blind Guardian?



Comment by Steen (Staff) - Friday, January 3, 2003
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Comments: 518
Yeah, both are correct.

They are also working on a new band at the moment. Check out http://www.looking-glassself.de/ for more info.

Posted by Steen (Staff)
Friday, January 3, 2003

Comment by Carlito Brigante (Anonymous) - Wednesday, April 14, 2004
over the top!


Comment by Tajs (Anonymous) - Thursday, July 8, 2004
What can I say. This is a brilliant album and I agree 100% with the rating. When I come back to this album after listening to other stuff, the originality and musicianship surprises me again and again. Especially the guitars are fucking amazing! This guy rips and shreds like nobody else, keeping his originality and melody. It doesn't really sound like anything else. One of those cds that stand out from the crowd. A Must Buy!


Comment by M. (Anonymous) - Tuesday, June 7, 2005
I agree with the rating. But: under no circumstances is this the best among Sieges Even albums! Both Steps and the classic ASOC reside somewhere in the infinite interval between 9.5 and 10.0.


Comment by Al (Anonymous) - Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Is the latest album 'The art of Navigating by the stars' a hint on actually how do locate this album because it seems to have dematerialised off the face of the earth.

Somebody tell us how the fuck we can get hold of it.












Review by Steen
Sieges Even - Sophisticated

Released by
Under Siege - 1995

Tracklisting
01 - Reporter
02 - Trouble Talker
03 - Middle Course
04 - Sophisticated
05 - Dreamer
06 - As The World Moves On
07 - Wintertime
08 - Water The Barren Tree
09 - War
10 - Fatal
11 - The More The Less


Style
Progressive metal

Related links
Visit the band page

Sieges Even - Official Website

Other articles
The Art Of Navigating By The Stars - (Steen)

A Sense of Change - (Steen)

Paramount - (Tommy)

Playgrounds - (Steen)



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Ratings
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4 - Below average
5 - Average
6 - Good
7 - Very good
8 - Outstanding
9 - Genius
10 - Masterpiece
666 - Unrated

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