Originally posted here: http://bit.ly/lxQTKS
(this is my first review and I only wrote it because I was bored and the fact that I love this album, obviously, so hopefully you can forgive a track by track)
Review begins for real now:
This is the debut album from MaYaN. Tagged as “Symphonic Death Metal Opera”, Mayan is a new band of Dutch musician Mark Jansen (Epica, ex-After Forever). For me this is a case of setting the bar really high with the debut album.
Symphony Of Aggression – one of my favourites. The song sets up the album perfectly, containing all the elements that make the sound really great. Jansen’s growl is a really deep one, and fits the death metal sound even better than his work with Epica. Clean vocals from a host of guests also give the album that opera edge mentioned in their branding. A great start.
Mainstay of Society (In the Eyes of the Law: Corruption) – Not as good as Symphony, but still quite powerful. Not really much to say about it other than that.
Quarterpast – This is an interlude, featuring a boys choir. Nothing really to write home about. The metal fan in me sometimes wants to skip it.
Course Of Life – Lots of clean vocals from guest Henning Basse here. It’s less intense on the death metal side of things than the first two tracks were, but I still enjoy it a lot.
The Savage Massacre (In the Eyes of the Law: Pizzo) – Similar sort of feel to the previous track, but guest opera singer Laura Macrì first shows up here. A stunning singer, her contributions to this album are too few by far.
Essenza Di Te – Another interlude and the second Laura Macrì appearance. Seems a showcase of her vocals actually above anything else. I feel less inclined to skip this though.
Bite The Bullet – Not a favourite of mine. The weakest of the non-interlude tracks, but still good.
Drown The Demon – MaYaN really brings the intense death metal back in force here. This is another highlight of the disc for me. Reminds me of After Forever some with great use of Floor Jansen’s powerful voice.
Celibate Aphrodite – another highlight and the third and final use of Laura Macrì’s vocals, and the best use. Her operatic voice broken up with heavy sections of riffing works extremely well. My favourite track overall.
War on Terror (In the Eyes of the Law: Pentagon Papers) – My friend thinks the intro to this sounds like something out of Harry Potter. I basically agree, but the intro serves the track well, although as part of the whole disc it’s not a favourite of mine.
Tithe – An Outro. The only completely pointless track on the disc. Uses pretty much the same melody of the intro to War on Terror. Could really have been a part of said track.
Sinner's Last Retreat (Deed of Awakening) – listed as a bonus track, although I have yet to see a version of the album that doesn’t have it. Lacking this track would be a shame though, because it’s actually one of the best, and there’d be a big hole in the album without it.
CLOSING COMENTS/CONCLUSION: It has a few faults to be fair, but Quarterpast is a highly addictive album. The only other thing to really say is that its a grower. I give it a higher grade now than I would of after one or two listens. But now 5 stars without hesitation. One of the year's best albums. Can't wait for a follow-up.