This is surely not an album you easily listen through.
The second album from Pagan's Mind offers Progressive Power Metal on a very high technical level.
The band combines a very solid rhythm section with a lot of depth, some very up front keyboard arrangements and a lot of raw guitar riffs.
Approaching starts the record with a short instrumental, which builds intensely and then goes right into a heavy riff in
Through Osiris' Eyes. The song is extremely varied and has an amazing bombastic and huge chorus, which is truly great. The keyboard elements give the song a special feel, and also the detailed powerful drumming is a big plus through the record.
The singer has a powerful varied voice and all in all this song is my favourite on the album.
Entrance:Stargate is another technical mid-tempo song, but it has not got the same interesting melodies as the previous one, still pretty good.
...Of Epic Questions as the title says deals with the bigger spiritual themes, which works well. The song offers some highly complex breaks and changes in atmosphere. A very raw chorus, and a lot of progressive elements all the way. Here I find the distorted voice parts pretty fitting.
Dimensions Of Fire is a long, changing song, again with lots of details. Not as interesting as most of the songs but the technical elements makes it above standard.
The beginning of
Dreamscape Lucidity is extremely fast and bombastic, and the keyboard creates a lot of melody. Here the distorted voice part is not working that well, and I think that the often use of it is too much. The song overall is of high quality and there are many interesting elements to explore.
The Seven Sacred Promises is a very melodic track with a great chorus; it also offers a brilliant varied progressive mid section. A great chatsy song.
The next two tracks are both instrumentals forming
Back To The Magic Of Childhood. Very technical and atmospheric. The two sections are together very long, but the fell of the different moods are totally working.
In Brilliant White Light is a short piano/vocal song, a slow and pretty atmospheric song, but without the exactly mind-blowing elements.
Aegean Shores is a more direct melodic fast song, but still technical. I find the more direct approach fitting and more songs in this manner would have made the record even better. It seems that the progressive elements sometimes take away some of the flow and melody in some of the other songs. This song shows another "more in the flesh" style. A great song with lot's of power.
The Prophecy Of Pleiades is a long changing track with lots of melodic guitar and atmospheric keyboards. A very varied song. The slower sections of the song reminds me extremely much of Dream Theater's Learning To Live, I don't know if this is meant to be some sort of tribute, but it comes very very close.
Lyrically the album concentrates on philosophy, mystic, magic and spiritually. Most of the times it works, especially when the atmosphere fits, in some few tracks both lyrically and musically it makes a kind of distant mood, which becomes a bit much in the end.
The production is full of both detail and depth, so all is in order here.
The musicians all perform on a high level; the drums are extremely well played, there are many cool raw guitar riffs and melodic leads, the bass is very powerful, the singer puts a lot of variation and detail into the songs and the brilliant atmospheric keyboard elements creates a lot of moods.
I have tried to find some critiques on this record, and I have mentioned the ones I could find. They are the reason why the rating is not even higher, because overall I am amazed by the talent of this band. These are songs that have so many interesting and well performed elements that it is a pleasure to listen too. The band is very unique and has a special sound, and offers Progressive Power Metal that really kicks ass. I expect very much of this band in the future.
In short this is a highly technical and powerful release.
Written by
Tommy Wednesday, January 1, 2003
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