Alright, Alright, I realize that the title Space Odyssey has been used one too many times, at first glance anyone might think, what is this, another fucking neo-classical symphonic metal album hell-bent on revising the whole galactic concept even one more time, literally beating the shit out of a dead horse, well lets again, not judge an album by it's title/cover.
There really is nothing but positive things to say about this record, yes it is somewhat of a symphonic metal record, tending to lean more toward a Rising Force style Power Metal sound, but Andersson really has created a strong record that is surprisingly top notch among many of the symphonic releases out there, and the fact that this record is produced by the Flower Kings' Jonas Reingold, helps prove that.
For keyboardist/composer Andersson to initiate such an ambitious project, along with guitarist Magnus Nilsson, drummer Zoltan Csorsz, and vocalist Patrik Johansson, to create classical compositions that tend to have the Metal song structure up to par, is an important feat, especially to stand up amongst all the symphonic metal material out there. Andersson tends to keep the balance from all out orchestration to a riff based sound, keeping it easier on the ears for those who might not really be into the symphonic material. There is that classic Rising Force and
Stratovarius feel along with the darkish atmosphere of TYR/Headless Cross era Black Sabbath, and there is leeway for Nilsson to show his extreme versatility on the axe, making him stand out among any guitarist, his playing is very noticeably phenomenal, especially when he shreds the arpeggios.
Embrace the Galaxy does not really have the stereotypical concept album connotations applied to the overall feel to the record, we have nine tracks, most clocking in between five and six and a half minutes, most cuts have the fast paced stature to them creating the driving force with over the top progressive changes and so forth.
"Emposium" is a Sabbath-esque cut, with Johansson sounding just like
Tony Martin on this song while a ballad titled
"A Perfect Day" ends this record. But all in all the rest of the cuts such as
"Entering the Dome" which is probably one of the best Rising Force songs that Malmsteen never created, not to mention the perfect Power Metal opus
"Grand Opening" tend to keep the brightness consistent on this album.
In an advertisement for this album, there was a statement that said that this was "the album that
Dio and
Yngwie Malmsteen never made," well; this record is worthy of that statement, not to mention it does give Arjen Anthony Lucassen a hell of a run for his money.
Written by
Hashman Wednesday, November 26, 2003
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