The Batlord

Ryan Reynolds is going to be playing Deadpool in the upcoming movie. Clear?

__________________

Trollheart

Not really as I don't know who Ryan Reynolds is, but I'm going to make a leap of logic and assume he's the guy doing the slow handclap. What fun.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

DwnWthVwls

^Ryan Reynolds

__________________
I don't got a god complex, you got a simple god...

Trollheart

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Title: Exodus
Artiste: Waken Eyes
Year 2015
Nationality: Multi (American, Canadian, German and Swedish)
Familiarity: 0%
Genre: Progressive Metal
1
Expectations: Not an idea, though with prog metal I'm always hopeful. It is their debut, so that could be a good or a bad thing. I do note with some trepidation that Metal Archives only has lyrics for one of the ten songs here; if that means that they're mostly an instrumental band it could be a hard slog.

1. Cognition: Birdsong; cliche perhaps but always nice to hear, now a dark synth slowly making its way in, rolling percussion starts, stops, heavy bass line beginning. Very dramatic and almost threatening melody building with a sort of Arabic feel to it at least initially. Softening now under some beautiful piano and gentle synth before a powerful guitar whines in and I really think this one at least is going to be instrumental. Getting back to the darker, dramatic feel now. Big powerful marching drums, eiher choral vocals or a choir. Good start. Very good start.
2. Aberration: Seems to have segued directly in, lending more to my initial impression that this was and is a concept album. May not be, but I wonder. Nice piano line driving this one, I guess another instr --- oh no. There are vocals; soft, powerful, totally reminds me of the lower register of a-ha's Morten Harkett. Well I'm glad it's not all instrumental, as that's hard to write about, especially in a short review like this. Nice ballad for the second track (wonder why there are no lyrics for this?) with some really expressive guitar work from Tom Frelek, who also takes keyboard duties. Maybe not a ballad after all: speeding up now. Henrik Båth does a great job on the vocals. Twice as long as the opener at over eight minutes, and a lot going on within that time.
3. Deafening thoughts: Good hard guitar punch leading this in, heavy from the off, then the synth sounds like violins as the vocal comes in, Båth now sounding more like Roy Khan from Kamelot or Damien Wilson from Threshold. He has a good range, demonstrated here, as is Frelek's fretboard skills. Powerful song.
4. Back to life: Gorgeous guitar opening with spoken word (MLK?) and I feel this has to be a ballad, but of course it could change. I doubt it though. Oh man what a solo! Love this. (Breaking news: recent reports suggest a link between Trollheart's awarding of Blue ratings and his love of ballads! More after these messages.) Gorgeous piano outro (yes I know I used the word gorgeous twice; it's that good) and more of that spoken speech thing to fade out.
5. Palisades: Another expressive, progressive guitar intro with attendant soft lush keyboard, kicking up a little now, and here comes the big punching guitar and what had seemed like it might possibly be another ballad has just shaken loose and become a fast power rocker.
6. Cornerstone away: Another beautiful ballad with unknown female guest vocals. Okay, again, started as a ballad style but has exploded into a passionate powerful prog metal epic. Vocal harmonies are immense. Sounds like some Spanish guitar in there now. Not crazy about the sudden, abrupt ending, but it's a small niggle.
7. Still life: I'm going to say this is another instrumental. Some lovely work on the guitar, both acoustic and electric, with a nice sort of swaying, almost bluesy at times beat. Pretty much a vehicle for the talents of Tom Frelek.
8. Arise: Darkish piano opening this before it bursts into a big heavy rocker, then tailing back to allow Frelek to take it solo on the piano for a moment before it comes back in full force. Sense of urgency, even panic in the vocal, and a great hook in the song. Lovely soft midsection in which both guitar and synth shine, and the percussion makes a great showing too.
9. Across the horizon:For a seven-minute-plus song this went in much faster than expected, which is always good. Sort of mid-paced with a really nice midsection where it all slows down before it picks up again; great vocal harmonies.
10. Exodus: And so Waken Eyes sneer at the closer to Iron Maiden's current opus, composing a last track that is almost a full minute longer than “Empire of the clouds”! Running for just five seconds short of nineteen minutes, it starts off with a soft piano which actually reminds me of the end of “Dancing with the moonlit knight” on Genesis's Selling England by the Pound, and with plenty of space for everyone to stretch here, it runs for a minute and a half before being joined by gentle acoustic guitar until Frelek changes to synth then some Spanish guitar as we move into the third minute. Speedy little bass solo with synth and harder guitar, drums pound in as it all breaks like an advancing wave and we're well into the fourth minute before there are even any vocals. When they come in, they're soft and calm beneath the returning gentle piano as guitar begins to riff. Breath-taking slow section in the middle where they bring back in MLK (I'm pretty sure it's him, as well as other people like Kennedy I think) to underline the lyric before it explodes again on an expressive guitar solo in the eleventh minute. Big powerful finish in the best tradition of progressive metal.

Final result: Really, really impressed with this, so much more since it's a debut. Going to have to keep an eye on these guys.

Rating:

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

Title: Transitions
Artiste: Time Horizon
Year 2015
Nationality:
Familiarity: 0%
Genre: Progressive Rock
2
Expectations: Ant has already declared this a “meh” album, so I may not have too high expectations of it, but then, I'm never led by anyone else's opinion of an album, so I'll make my own mind up. I do however wonder at the wisdom of having three tracks opening the album that all have the word “only” beginning their title, though I do note Yes's Tony Kaye and Fleetwood Mac's Billy Sherwood are involved, so perhaps it won't be that bad.

1. Only one way: Get very much more an AOR feel from this from the beginning. Vocal is excellent, but I'm hearing Asia so much in this, particularly in the chorus, and now we have trumpeting Downes-like keys. Hmm. Great vocal harmonies certainly. A little derivative? Let's reserve judgement at this early stage, but hold that thought.
2. Only through faith: Very nice soft synth line with twinkly effects, choral vocals, very short so I'm going to assume it's an instrumental. Sort of church organ coming in now, to tie in perhaps with the title and yes, it gives off quite a spiritual ambience.
3. Only today: Ah no, again I hear the ghost of Asia so clearly in this. It's like something off Astra, and that's thirty years old. Vocalist though is emulating John Payne. Some good guitar work from Dave Miller, but now we're getting a very Yes-style keyboard from Ralph Otteson, who's also responsible for the vocals, or most of them at least (seems they have something of an Alan Parsons Project thing going on, and the first track was sung by drummer Bruce Gaetke).
4. Prisoner: There's nothing wrong with these songs, it's just they don't sound anything original and there are so many bands I can compare the musical style to it makes it a little boring. This even has the basic melody of a Yes song, just can't recall which one. Something off Big Generator I think. Or maybe Union. Nice work by Tony Kaye, guesting on the Hammond. Which I guess reinforces the Yes comparisons.
5. The moment is here: We're back with the drummer singing, but despite the somewhat portentous announcement in the title I don't quite feel the excit --- oh wait a minute. This is rather nice. The first song of theirs I've heard that sounds like maybe they actually turned off Asia: the Complete Box Set while writing it, and paused the Yes documentary. I must admit I don't see a huge difference in the vocals, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, ie they can both sing well. Great hook here, first I've been able to grasp. Much of this is down to the superb work from Sherwood.
6. About time: This is a very impressive instrumental, quite appropriate in title to the rest of the album, the previous track excepted.
7. You're all I need: I'm not quite sure if this is getting better as it goes along, or I'm just getting more tolerant. This is still very Asia/Yes hybrid, but there's something intriguing about the tune. Chorus ruins it totally though, changed from Green to Orange. Pity. Damn crappy formulaic chorus! Couldn't they come up with anything better? This should be Green but I can't do it. Not even with that smoking guitar outro. Boo.
8. River of sorrows: I think everyone would expect this to be a ballad. And it is. Sort of a vaguely oriental feel merges with blues, with the very slightest whisper of eighties Dio.
9. Water girl: Seemed like it slipped directly in from the last track, and may very well be another instrumental, with some lovely piano from Otteson and some very expressive guitar from Miller. Another one where they throw off the shackles of Asia comparisons. Nice.
10. Love is here: Gorgeous violin thanks to Mike Mullen, and it would seem we have one more vocalist, though Jake Livgren sounds again quite similar to the other two, making me wonder if where “vocals” are credited on the album they mean backing vocals? Anyhow, this is a lovely ballad, a strong ending to a not overall strong album, but one that may reward repeated listenings.

Final result: I certainly wouldn't go so far as to call this a meh album, as Ant did, but the overreliance on tropes used by the bands mentioned, and others, is a little unsettling. Nevertheless, while this is by no means an amazing album, when Time Horizon settle down and stop just copying their heroes they can write and play some pretty fine music. Maybe they'll get it right on their third album, which I wouldn't be averse to listening to.

Rating:

(Sorry; not a single YouTube exists.)

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Anteater

The reason 'The Moment Is Here' is any good is because Time Horizon is covering a better band - one of Sherwood's late 80's groups called World Trade who originally wrote the song. Me saying a record is "meh" simply means there's nothing remarkable about it rather than it being terrible. But I expect really good hooks in my AOR / prog crossover stuff...and these guys just don't deliver.

That Waken Eyes album sounds pretty competent by the way. Bit o' early 90's Fates Warning in there.

__________________
Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

DwnWthVwls

You're bad at YouTube Trolly.

These work in the US, idk about for you:

Water Girl


Only Today

__________________
I don't got a god complex, you got a simple god...

Trollheart

Thanks. No there's a list but I'm not allowed play them in backwards Leprechaun Land it would seem. Any chance a mod could paste those into the review for me? Thanks. And thanks DWV.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Trollheart

In fairness, had this been referred to me via "Love or Hate?" I'd probably have given it a Like but not a Love. For me, meh means pretty much what you say, but if I find something decent in among the dross it can often lift it out of mehland and into Like City or even Lovetown. Not so with this one though. Thanks for the info on that track, didn't know that. They are very Asia for much of the album though aren't they?
That Waken Eyes album sounds pretty competent by the way. Bit o' early 90's Fates Warning in there.[/QUOTE]
I'll be keeping an eye on them for sure.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018