Powerstars

The 2nd album Trollheart has sent me, he described it by saying that he reviewed 2 years ago and didn't know what to think of it. I decided to give it a whirl, cuz good ol' Trolly sent it to me. Yes. I called him Good Ol' Trolly. Get over it

1. Sirenum Scopuli
Nice little acousticky opener. Very mysterious and dissonant. One of the cool things about this song is that it leads directly into...

2. React
..."React." Good God, I love this song. It starts off mysterious and almost like a combination of folk and metal and then goes distinctly Hard Rock. I love the sound of this track. Not too heavy, but heavy enough. Very dark, but not too dark. Guitars, vocals, and drums are all brilliant. Sheer brilliance on a plate. I really like how dreamlike it sounds towards the end. Those guitars almost sound like synthesizers. All I can say is...REAAAAAAAAAAACT! REAA-AACT!

3. Sparrow
Ooh. Heavier stuff! Bang that head! Intro reminds me of "Black Dog" by the Zeps, but muuuuuuch darker. Once again, we have guitars that sound like synths during that first verse! It goes from heavy to dreamy to heavy again. It's like a metaphor for not being able to find what decisions to make, or what paths to take. But, instead of sounding weird, the transitions are very natural. I really like the transition from the verses to the choruses with the band yelling. Also, that solo!

4. High Times
Almost like an ever so slightly lighter combination of "React" and "Sparrow." It's very heavy, but not as dark as those songs and very melodic. The harmonies during the chorus are a personal favorite part of the song for me. Also, the drums in the early verses truly have a great song, necessary for this song. I love it.

5. Numbers
Funky intro that allows me to hear more bass. I like the bass there. Then...Oh my God, it's even heavier than "Sparrow!" This is really nice and still doesn't manage to be too heavy, though I do believe it may cross the line into METAL. Not a bad thing, mind you. The processed vocal near 3 minutes in is surreal, mildly psychedelic, and awesome. The guitar chord morphing at the end is really cool. Once again, oozing with love for this album.

6. One With The Sun
One of the longer tracks on the album, it starts off very surprisingly joyful. Which is a good thing, I like it. Then there was a little dissonant chord. And a line about crazy people while we go back to happiness. Lyrical dissonance, indeed. It still ends up being a happy song through and through, even with the little dissonance on occasion. Even with the lyrics about crazy people committing murder. I mean really, lyrical dissonance. Little happy guitar solo is a nice touch to the false mood the song sets considering what the lyrics are about. This is certainly a highlight of the album.

7. The Ghost You Gave Me
Opening with heavy drums, guitar, and mysteriously reverbed vocals. Actually I don't know if that's reverb, double tracking, harmony, or really good production. Proves how good these guys are. I do like the harmonies we get around 50-60 seconds in, which I can actually tell are harmonies. I do know they have really good production though. They really managed to make that guitar solo sound like a synth solo. And no, there are no synths on this album. Wikipedia (The most reliable site ever) said so. On a more serious note, Trollheart said so in his review. Anyways, back to the song The chorus is one of the catchiest parts on the entire album. Pure awesome

8. Pretty
Very trippy verses. It's also very calm and cool. I love later on when they add like the whispery thing (lolwat). Then the guitars crunch, baby! Chorus is pretty bouncy as far as dark experimental hard/prog rock goes. Yeah, that's what I'm calling it. But yeah, chorus is cool, as is that little guitar break around 1:30. I'm getting used to 3 by now, and I like them very much.

9. Afterglow
Ooh, cool lighter intro. Still dark, but lighter than anything we've heard up to this point. And, ooh! OOH! Hints of orchestration! Also, dem harmonies during the chorus! The lightest song on the album, and trust me it's not a bad thing. It allows the band to show off their more melodic side as well as still experiment with the spacey effects and orchestration! Seriously, that was a nice touch! Another highlight and certainly a great song!

10. It's Alive
Right on back to the heavier stuff, the drums really shine on this one! At least, I thought it was heavier (and darker), but dat verse is almost jazzy. That's right, they're throwing another musical genre into their musical palette, but only for the verses. What can 3 not do? The flanger guitar is truly enjoyable to listen to. I love when it slowed down a bit for a solo and then for a bridge. Not to mention the "It's A Lie" part. Very catchy at times.

11. Only Child
I love the intro to this one. I have no idea how to describe the wonderful intro. Anyways, this is the longest song here, so I'mma be typing this track's part up for a while. The acoustic guitar on this one seems almost mexican folk songish at times. That's really the only way I can describe it. And wonderfully, we have some more harmonies. These guys can harmonize very well! And then, we get slidey wah-wah guitar parts. Ooh! OOH! OOOOOOOOOOH! These guys seem to take influences from every musical genre that involves a guitar and then some! Then at around 3:45, the drums pick up and, once again, it is glorious! Then, we have the lead vocalist playing "Call-and-Respond" with himself, which is very nice. The finest hour for the producer on this album, whoever they may be. We get a trippy "Piano and violin" solo thing that is probably the single best part of this wonderful track and closes it out.

12. The Barrier
We have slow spacey folkish thing going, and the vocalist sings folky very well. It almost reminds me of "American Pie" at times and unlike "One With The Sun" this is a legit optimistic effort. The guitar solo is certainly a highlight. And of course, they gotta give us some awesome, yet subtle harmonies. Spacey and awesome. A unique end to a unique album.

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this album. They use the same formula on almost every song, but manage to introduce enough variation to keep it fresh. An awesome album.

Final Score: 90/100

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