AtomicCrimsonRush Science Fiction themes and incredible metal make a formidable combination! Star One’s “Space Metal” is Ayreon’s pet project that never disappoints with incredible compositions based on sci fi themes from novels, TV and movies. There are some genuinely masterful metal riffs, some played at blinding speeds, others breathing melancholy ambience. I love the way the songs are based on well known sci fi themes, and one listen to the lyrics makes it obvious to the average sci fi freak, such as myself. It is a pleasant surprise when one discovers what the songs are about, which are usually excellent sci fi films. Part of the fun is finding within the lyrics the references to specific sci fi icons. The players are icons of prog metal including on vocals Russell Allen from Symphony X, Damian Wilson, Floor Jansen from after Forever, Irene Jansen of Karma, and Robert Soeterboek, as well as guest Dave Brock of Hawkwind. Arjen Anthony Lucassen is the main lead guitarist, joined by After Forever’s keyboardist Joost van den Broek, Peter Vink on bass, and Ed Warby on drums from Gorefest.

‘Lift-Off’ is a nice intro with spacey elements leading to ‘Set Your Controls’, a fast chugging riffer with awesome Ayreon style vocals. Manic keyboard wizardry, and cranking metal riffs drive this. The lead break is amazing, and this is one of the best album openers for Ayreon. Thematically it could be based on just about any saga where a spacecraft lifts off for an alien planet. Actually it is based on “Doctor Who” though you will have to listen carefully to pick up the references as I missed it and had to look it up.

‘High Moon’ has Deep Purple style grinding organ and the crawling metal riffs are awesome. The sound is huge with deep crunching riffs and slow vocals. It is all based on the movie “Outland” and certainly works as a tribute to the Sean Connery movie of the 70s. It follows the plot closely, the drugs, the deaths and the final shoot out in space. I love it.

‘Songs Of The Ocean’ has the trademark female and male voices working together that permeates the Ayreon albums. This one is based on “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” where the whales are transmitting important messages that cannot be interpreted or answered when whales are extinct in the future. So the Enterprise has to go back in time to the 80s when whales existed. It is in interesting idea and Star One capitalises on this “we survived the human race, but don’t know the words to the songs of the ocean.” It is a memorable melody and has some nice submarine effects. It segues seamlessly into ‘Master Of Darkness’.

The next song is quite heavy with emotional deep vocals trading off with higher register vocals very effectively. Who is the master of darkness? Definitely based on the evil villain of just about any sci fi story. However this one is based on “Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back” though is not as blatant lyrically which is perhaps a good thing as it may have sounded corny if it had mentioned Luke or Darth Vader. ‘The Eye Of Ra’ is a longer song at 7:34, based on a traveller from another galaxy, finding a comet, gaining powers and finding a gateway to the stars; “Stargate” anyone? I am not a fan of the series but it definitely rings of the Egyptian themes in that saga. The song is great in any case, atmospheric and powerful, with great majestic vocals that are mixed to the front at the end but are a bit too bombastic really.

‘Sandrider’ must be based on “Dune” I speculated before I heard it, and I was right, Frank Herbert’s classic novel is given the Star One treatment with admirable guitar ferocity and some fantastic keyboards. The low vocals are effective; “I had seen places man has never seen, am I the one to fulfil the prophecy on the desert planet in our galaxy.” The Arabian style melodies enhance the atmosphere, as well as that brilliant lead guitar.

‘Perfect Survivor’ had me stumped for a while as to what is was based on until I heard the lyrics; “my secret mission brings me back to reality, I had to bring it back alive,” thus it is from the point of view of robot Ash in “Alien”. Other lyrics that indicate this include, “you should know that you all are expendable, I have been programmed to put you out of action.” The riffs in this track are killer and very dark and it is a definite highlight of the album. The odd time sigs are augmented by powerful lead breaks and the harmonies are great too.

‘Intergalactic Space Crusaders’ begins with shimmering organ and a steady chugging metal riff. The lyrics are about a prison in space, and a man who has had his memory blanked, innocent dying, and 7 people fighting against the Federation’s system, okay it is definitely “Blakes 7”. The lyrics “dominator, Liberator” make it even more blatant. Now that I have ascertained what it is about I can enjoy the lyrics even more. I love how Star One are using sci fi themes from my favourite movies and TV shows. This has a strong melodic chorus and delightful keyboard solos. A fantastic song, and incidentally the title of the ‘Star One’ name is lifted directly from an episode title in the “Blakes 7” series.

‘Starchild’ is a 9 minute progressive track based on “2001: A Space Odyssey” of course. I knew that before it even started and then hearing the atmospheric opening with spacey vocal chorus and weird lyrics; “touch me now and feel my force”, indicate the Monolith is speaking. Then we hear a different style of vocal singing, “something strange I feel confused I don’t know why, I’ve been designed to tell the truth, I cannot lie,” and it is obvious that HAL is speaking. It is interesting to hear from the computers POV here. It is one of my all time favourite movies so to hear it in song form is a compelling experience. Star One really captures the awe and mystery of Kubrick’s classic, and the lead break soars beautifully. The lyrics even touch on the trip through the stargate, the all-seeing eye and the transformation of Bowman to the Starchild.

Disc 2 is a great bonus on the Limited Edition running for only 41 minutes but well worth it for a couple of masterpieces. One of these is ‘Hawkwind Medley’ an awesome Hawkwind feast of memorable melodies clocking 9:40. It is made all the better as legendary Dave Brock is on vocals and this is a must for all Hawkwind fanatics. A simply brilliant tribute to the band and very heavy. We have a terrific medley of such classics as ‘Master of the Universe’, ‘Silver Machine’, ’Brainstorm’, ‘Assault and Battery’, ‘The War I Survived’, ‘Spirit of the Age’ among others. They blend together well and are an absolute delight to the ears.

‘Spaced Out’ is the next track of note, with a heavy riff and fast pace. The lyrics indicate that this is based on John Carpenter’s iconic debut movie “Dark Star”; “emergency override, information overload, we are all about to explode.” The keyboards on this are incredible and this rocks harder than a lot of stuff on CD 1.

‘Inseparable Enemies’ has a cool squealing riff driving it. The song is about the end of a war and coming to the realisation “that we are not alone”. The “fortress in space” with men dying in a blood red sky could be based on many sci fi films or TV shows I have seen, such as “Babylon 5” or “Fortress” for that matter. “The birth of a brand new race, the turning of a new page” gave it away, as this is actually based on “Enemy Mine”, though I had no idea till I looked that up. The music is a steady tempo and some accomplished vocals trading off enhance it.

‘Space Oddity’ is a darker amazing cover of Bowie’s well known classic. The vocals have a Bowie-esque flavour but this is way different musically, with low droning synths and keyboard pads. The bridge is atmospheric with echo vocals, and the crescendo is a blast of really heavy distorted crunching riffs, then a clean guitar takes over beautifully. The result is a stunning cover version enhancing the rather sparse original on every level.

There is also a cover version of Donovan’s ‘Intergalactic Laxative’, which works as a curio with some hilarious lyrics about the interminable problems of pooping in space. Moving on. ‘Starchild’ Mixed In Dolby Pro-Logic) is the same as the Disc 1 version apart from remastered mixing making it crisp and sharp. ‘Spaced Out’ (Alternative Version) is rather the same musically but the vocals are slightly different. Overall the bonus disc is worth getting for at least the cover versions.

Overall, the album is not the masterpiece of the follow up “Victims of the Modern Age” but this is still quality prog metal and has some fantastic songs and awesome sci fi themes to revel in.

AtomicCrimsonRush Crimson Glory’s “Transcendence” is one of the early prog metal albums coming in at the end of the 80s decade. As such it suffers from the 80s hangover but still manages to captivate with some masterful tracks that are incredibly complex and intelligently structured.

One of the most dynamic tracks is ‘Eternal World’ with amazing speed picking, screaming lead solos and unbelievable vocals from iconic screamer, Midnight. The tempo changes and melody are enhanced by accomplished fast guitar riffage and atmospherics.

The power metal of ‘Lady of winter’ is a dynamic opener with a killer riff and excellent vocals. This was the sound of 80s metal when metal really took off and spawned some of the most amazing bands such as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Megadeth. These bands dominated the 80s but Crimson Glory fell below the radar for me although I was heavily into metal at the time. The band are definitely very accomplished musicians, the lead guitar is incredible by Jon Drenning, backed up by the rhythm guitar of Ben Jackson. The rhythm machine of bass from Jeff Lords and percussion by Dana Burnell are never less than technical.

There are the obligatory acoustic power ballad segments such as on the opening of ‘Burning Bridges’. All metal albums seemed to have these moments. The lead guitar work on this is excellent with soaring passionate string bends. The solo at the end is worth waiting round for, fast arpeggios and speed picking merged with a steady tempo.

Another highlight is ‘In Dark Places’, one of the longer songs at 7 minutes, with Midnight sounding emotional and passionate. This one admittedly sounds like the type of metal of the year 1988, along with Megadeth’s “So Far, So Good, So What”, Helloween’s “Keeper Of The Seven Keys”, Queensryche’s “Operation Mindcrime”, Fate’s Warning’s “No Exit”, Iron Maiden’s “Seventh Son of a Seventh son”, Metallica’s “And Justice for All”, and Slayer’s “South Of Heaven”. As you can see it was definitely a year of metal with some of the best albums coming out one by one. The template was to present shredding, melodic riffs, amazing lead breaks and powerhouse vocals. Midnight was certainly one of the best vocalists but he was in good company with the likes of Dickenson, and Tate. Even Christian metal sounded like this, with the high vocals and shredding guitars.

What made Crimson Glory stand out within the maelstrom of metal that dominated in this era? The intricacy and technicality of the music was a key factor. The album features strong prog elements that would bring something new to the scene. Listen to ‘Masque of the Red Death’ for some technical guitar riffs and especially Burnell’s sporadic drumming. In the half time feel the guitars blaze with soaring twin lead harmonics, until Drenning takes over with screaming lead wizardry. The pitchy singing is vibrant and Midnight is revered in metal history for this type of singing.

‘Painted Skies’ begins with acoustics, Midnight singing melancholy lyrics, “spread your wings, you can fly, But the dove is never free, In painted skies that shade the colour of your dream, Only nightmares are real, Confusion conceals the only reason for the feelings you can't hide.” It sounds a bit like Queensryche, namely ‘Lady In Black’. The melodic sound is compelling, but it is the guitars on this that lift it, especially the towering lead break and more aggressive riffing.

Another softer balladic song is ‘Lonely’ with nice harmonics and vocals. The sadness is wrapped in well written lyrics about unrequited love; “She awakens from a dream to a silent room, where shadows speak of memories, Another sleepless night afraid to face the day.” The song builds into a heavier riff though maintains the melancholy style. ‘Red Sharks’ is a faster shredder with more aggressive vocals. The lyrics are very anti communist; “Give us your freedom, we'll give you hell, Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil, Glory to red sharks, Answer to your red dictators, Feeding from your dreams, Cast into a sea of red sharks.” The faster Crimson Glory is irresistible but there are dated anthemic vocals that could be excised. The guitars make up for it though particularly when the lead break crunches in with speedy licks, duel hammer ons and power riffing. The technical riff at 3:40 that gallops is one of my favourites on the album.

‘Where Dragons Rule’ is worth a mention too especially for Midnight’s high octave screeches. It even reminds me of Judas Priest style riffing, very steady and precise. It sounds a bit Spinal Tappish with the bombastic male chorus vocal yells and overall lyrics, but it holds well due to incredible lead breaks and vocals.

The album is hailed as a masterpiece of metal by many and is highly revered for the late Midnight’s legacy and overall metal technique. Midnight died of a kidney and liver failure at the age of 47 in 2008. One of the first prog metal albums, “Transcendence” must rank highly as an influence to prog metal to come in the 90s decade.

AtomicCrimsonRush Metal riffs, spacey effects, symphonic keyboard layers, wrapped around a concept - Hemina!

Hemina are an Australian Prog Metal unit that have recently made an impact with their debut Ep that has now become a full blown 79 minute epic master work in the form of 'Synthetic'. The sprawling concept album focuses on a disembodied angel who is forced to live in the modern world and even beyond into other eternities. The musicianship is akin to the metal melodic style of Dream Theater, Ayreon, Pain of Salvation and the symphonic ambience of Pink Floyd. It is about as good as I have ever heard from an Australian prog band.

It begins with 'This Hour of Ours'; a haunting sound of synths and rain falling heavily. The spacey atmosphere builds with the ethereal vocals of Douglas Skene from Anubis, crystal clear and empassioned. The piano accompanies in the next epic 11 and a half minute track, 'To Conceive a Plan' that suddenly explodes with metal distortion and a heavy tempo. Mitch Coull's lead guitar is scorching with a strong percussion beat by Andrew Craig. Jessica Martin's bass pumps along with well executed lines and the keyboards of Phill Eltakchi are extraordinary.

Together Hemina are a powerful force of prog metal and they delight in lengthy instrumental breaks and lead guitar solos. It is nice to hear Jessica's voice accompanying Skene at times.This track has some symphonic violin sounds and is driven by a rhythmic cadence. There are some loud screams to enhance the atmosphere and at 8:20 the riff chugs along well under Skene's finger blistering solo. The riff that comes in at 9:40 is a fast lead phrase that crunches with admirable dexterity. It is followed by blazing twin lead solos. The song is a grand start to this epic album.

Some keyboard wizardry is heard in the next track, 'The Boy is Dead', similar to the blistering work of Jordan Rudess. The pace settles into a quieter passage temporarily before the next metal attack. Quieter ethereal vocals are heard but it explodes suddenly into relentless riffing.

'For All Wrong Reasons' is a nice change into balladic territory, breaking from the heaviness previously. The harmonies are beautiful with Skene and Jessica's duet; 'I've seen each passing season, the places for my calamity.' As far as a ballad goes this is Hemina at the top of their game. The lead guitar soars with emotion and caps off a highlight of the album. This is segued seamlessly by another 11 minute epic 'And Now to Find a Friend', with a string section and then pounding drums and distorted guitar riffs. The synth solo is dynamic and lifts the atmosphere considerably. The vocals are passionate and there is a soundscape of keys and guitars beneath, reminding me of Queensryche or Symphony X. It takes many directions into metal and symphonic territory before settling into a very pronounced ambience with lead guitar finesse and estranged melancholy vocals.

The next track is 'With What I See', beginning softly with piano, acoustics and strings. The metal riffs take over drowning out the keys. It is a fairly standard metal song for the majority but it ends with an innovative passage of feedback and spacey synths, with waves crashing. This segues into 'Hunting is for Women' that opens with heartbeat drums. There is an odd time sig and very off kilter instrumentation. The vocals follow the melody that are more experimental ending with some weird sounds and a nice synth, but it is not one of my favourite songs on the album.

Next is 'Even In Heaven', and it is back to the metal guitars and keyboard runs. The tempo is slow paced for a while but it builds to a driving fast beat and crunching riff. This was welcome after a lot of slower material. Everything stops as the verses come in; 'life takes you by the helm, myself my soul you dwell, its yearning to see the light of day because of you.' The love song becomes a fast paced riffing head banger, with blazing guitar speed sweeps, and percussive blastbeats. The instrumental break is wonderful with mellotron style keys and an incredible breakneck speedy keyboard solo over heavy drums and guitar. The blitzkrieg lead guitar solos are also frenetic and well executed in this highlight of the album.

'Conduit to the Sky' is a short track, less than three minutes, with creepy keyboards and choral angelic vocals. It is a transition piece leading to 'Haunting Me!', that rips along with metal riffing elegance and darker multi tracked vocals, with lyrics such as; 'death is not the end', 'nothing left to see', and 'is this all I'll be.' The choppy riff leads to a twin lead solo, and an ethereal section with effects and vocal intonations.

'Divine' finishes the album with an outstanding lengthy 13 minute epic. The metal riffing is predominant in the first section, with duel lead solos and a layer of keyboard pads. The vocals are again mixed well into the sound; 'Welcome home, I've been here, the walls are so reminiscent.' Later there is a blistering fret melting lead break that is one of the finest on the album. The keyboard solo is very much like Dream Theater and the song settles into a nice quiet acoustic passage with soft vocals at 7:40. A metal riff joins and another verse, similar to earlier. The vocals are high pitched and well sung, as another lead break cracks the sound. There are some death growls to follow that are unsettling after all the clean vocals. The clean vocals soon return though and the time sig changes into a moderate tempo. Jessica's voice is heard again and then a nice reverb guitar with spacey overtones. Reversed effects add to the strange atmosphere, and the song ends on this dark vibe.

This album is certainly an epic journey with incredible guitar and keyboards, as well as a strong bass and drum rhythm machine. The vocals are appropriate and overall this is an impressive debut from this Australian band. There is enough metal here to satiate the appetite and it is brimming over with symphonic and spacey embellishments. This comes highly recommended to the prog metal fan who does not like to be constantly bombarded with speedy riffs, over produced complexity or death growls. In fact this album has a sprinkling of these but focuses on haunting atmospheres, strong melodies and downright virtuoso arrangements.

AtomicCrimsonRush “Inspiration” is definitely one of my favourite Yngwie Malmsteen albums featuring wonderful cover versions of classic rock and some incredible vocals and special guests. It begins with Kansas’ classic ‘Carry on Wayward Son’ with a heavy treatment of the killer riffs and terrific vocals by Jeff Scott Soto, an old fave singer of Malmsteen’s from the early years. ‘Pictures of Home’ is a metal verision of Deep Purple’s seminal rocker, with vocals by Joe Lynn Turner who also sings lead on ‘Demon’s Eye’, both excellent covers with inventive reimaginings of the lead breaks. Malmsteen is a shredding genius.

The amazing ‘Gates of Babylon’ is an outstanding cover here, with the majestic style captured and fret melting lead work. Hendrix is a major influence on Malmsteen who according to his website was born the day Jimi died. ‘Manic Depression’ is one of my favourite Hendrix tracks and it is a joy to hear Malmsteen launch into that riff and scorching fiery lead break. Mark Boals is the vocalist on this and sounds terrific.

In the Dead of Night’ is a slower song but memorable for its catchy chorus and keyboards of Johansson. Whitesnake’s power blues of ‘Mistreated’ follows and is absolutely brilliant, the riff, the lead break, and the vocals of Soto are outstanding making this a highlight. It is nice to hear Malmsteen’s Rush influences here too with a cover of their ‘Anthem’ sounding bright and heavy.

The piece de resistance of this album though is the astonishing cover of ‘Child in Time’ featuring Malmsteen smoking on the lead break. In fact this lead break is utterly ingenious, with super fast arpeggios, hammer ons, speed sweeps, piercing string bends, adagio and even the odd speeded up scale up and down the frets. I have heard this track the most of all on the album, and it is the best cover of the song without a shadow of a doubt. This is one to get hold of to check out Malmsteen at his most ferocious, he simply takes off into the stratosphere on the Fender strat. When the lead break finishes shredding fiercely there is a stunned silence for a few seconds, before the quiet organ returns, and I always draw out a breath of amazement here every time. It is simply breath taking guitar. The song has some wonderful keyboards too from Johansson and Turner’s vocals are top notch.

“Inspiration” is a sensational cover album and showcases Malmsteen at his absolute best. It is great too as an introduction to the many bands being covered, many of which I had not heard a lot from when I first got hold of this album. I think Malmsteen has paid generous respect to songs and artists that have inspired him over the years, and he poured out all his energy and adoration towards these artists onto this album to create something very special.

AtomicCrimsonRush Yngwie J. Malmsteen is of course a legendary guitarist along with Joe satriani and Steve vai that were all the rage in the 90s. I remember this album well back in the 90s as everyone was getting hold of it and I had it on cassette back then. It is a pleasure to finally get the CD but it is not hard to find in bargain bins so it appears many decided to ditch it. Understandably this is very dated and sounds like the 90s neo-classical period.

There are very poppy moments such as 'Teaser' and overall the Whitesnake style power metal, merged with melodic soft rock. I was into it at the time but have since grown completely out of the style. It is not complex music, apart from the lead breaks by maestro Malmsteen. The prog on this is rather hard to find, though occasionally there are interesting orcestrations such as the intro to 'How Many Miles to Babylon'. This is a definitive highlight of the album. The flute and violin with acoustics is quite enchanting. The problem I always had with Malmsteen's albums is the choice of vocalist. On this occasion Goran Edman is actually quite good, adequate at the least but he is always staying on that typical metal note. He can reach a high falsetto and sounds great on the heavier songs.

The best moments for me are the instrumentals such as 'Perpetual', a standout fast lead solo, 'Leviathan', an atmospheric piece with fret melting lead work, and 'Golden Dawn', an acoustically driven piece. Of all these I prefer 'Leviathan' especially the screaming lead break with the odd time sig and constantly shifting tempo. I remember seeing this on video and being amazed at Malmsteen's ferocity on the Fender. It kind of annoys me how the songs fade as Malmsteen continue to shred, it would be better to finish on a huge power chord.

Malmsteen is a genius guitarist and he shreds brilliantly. The lead breaks are incredible, creative and virtuoso as one might expect having a band named after you. He looks great on stage too, and I always enjoyed when tracks from "Fire and Ice" appeared on concert performances. The liner notes of the CD includes that the album was "dedicated in loving memory to Bjorn Malmsteen" which is a nice touch. A clue to his influences are in the personal thanks as Malmsteen mentions the likes of Erika Malmsteen, J.S.Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Jimi Hendrix, H.P.Lovecraft, Enzo Ferrari, Leo Fender, Dinsdale, and Monty Python's Flying Circus. An interesting line up there showing where the music stems from. Indeed the classical influences are prevalent among others. Listen to the intro of 'C'est La Vie' with Malmsteen on sitar for an example of Indian Raga.

There are fast metal moments such as 'No Mercy' with a traditional shredding rhythm, and then an orchestra plays Vivaldi or Bach-ian music for a while till Malmsteen performs a blistering lead break. He loves those high string bends and speed picking sweeps as well as massive hammer ons and arpeggios. The album songs are forgettable, indeed I had to listen to the whole thing to remember a single melody, but at the time of listening it is enjoyable. 'Fire and Ice' is a rather pedestrian hard rock song sounding more like glam. At 2 ½ minutes in though we are treated to a brilliant lead break with ferocious arpeggios and classical inlfuences. It leads to a wah-wah sound for a change and it fades out again.

There is huge diversity on the album such as the speed power metal of 'Forever Is A Long Time' which includes symphonic keyboards by Mats Olausson. Edman sounds great here and the violin section is appropriate to usher is another super fast killer lead solo. He trades of with some equally fast keys too and this is fantastic. Malmsteen loves his ballads and here is no exception with 'I'm My Own Enemy' giving Göran Edman a chance to shine though it lasts for 6 minutes and is hard to sit through. This is perhaps one of those lighters in the air concert moments and Malmsteen can relax on 12 string. The string section is a nice embellishment though. 'All I Want Is Everything' follows, and it is okay but the album is tending to drag a bit at this stage and needs a real kick in the guts to bring it up to standard. After the beauty of the acoustic section it ends with 'Final Curtain'. There is a cool riff to begin and thunder rolls across the heavenly striking violins. The pace is slow but the music is intriguing. The obligatory lead break hammers in once more and she is all over with a thunder clap.

This is a long slog to get through the whole album, especially as it sounds so commercial. It was the album that a lot of my friends had in the 90s and I ended up with it but I rarely played it due to the lack of interest in the neo classical feel, but it is a bit more enjoyable these days with the prog references. Though I admit I won't be returning to this often as there is so much better out there, that leaves this outdated music for dead.

AtomicCrimsonRush Traditional metal with girls rocking hard is nothing new. The Runaways were doing this in the late 70s and then Girlschool were even heavier and showed girls could crank heavy metal among the best of them. Since then there have been a plethora of all girl metal bands coming on to the scene. Kittie or Asarte are perhaps the heaviest, but Crucified Barbara not only can rock hard they can look good doing it. They are Swedish and always are dressed to kill, looking seductive on album covers and photos. I believe that many fans are male simply because they are drawn to gorgeous metal chicks. But these gorgeous girls can really play and demand respect everytime they hit the stage.

The album material is killer rock throughout with only a few slower softer sections.

'Jennyfer' is the slowest and softest using acoustics, the verses are sung with a more commercial sound but it gets heavy again in the chorus.

The traditional metal is heard in songs such as 'Can't Handle Love'. Mia Coldheart sings up a storm as always and keep a constant chugging rhythm on guitar.

'Creatures' starts with a deathly scream, and then Mia's strong vocals. The lead break by shredder Klara Force is excellent, lots of hammer ons and speed sweeps and string bends. The bassline is always pulsating by Ida Evileye. Percussion is handled well by Nicki Wicked.

There is fast metal such as 'Pain and Pleasure' and the vocals sounding like Girlschool. It is loud and aggressive, lots of fist pumping choruses to yell to in the live arena. The chugging riffs are simple but effective. The lead breaks are always a key feature.

Overall this is a band well worth checking out. I believe they are one of the better all girl bands out there; besides looking attractive they actually know how to play solid heavy metal.

AtomicCrimsonRush Megadeth’s albums are hit and miss affairs often but “Rust In Peace” hits the target on every song. The riffing is incredible, with sharp and technical brilliance throughout. The percussion is outstanding and everything is brought together with the inspired vocals of Mustaine.

Quintessential Megadeth is found here on such genius lightning speed lead solos as ‘Hangar 18’. I have the tablature of this in a metal mag and its almost impossible to follow along. The technical expertise of fret melting hammer ons and sweep picking is astonishing. On the live DVDs Mustaine is able to replicate this and it is unbelievable. It would have to be one of my favourite metal songs, the lead soling at the end is phenomenal.

‘Five Magics’ is another very complex shredder but the band have even performed this live. ‘Take No Prisoners’ is another melodic metal highlight but for me one of the most awesome displays of riffing is found on ‘Holy Wars…. The Punishment Due’. All Megadeth addicts know this well and they should as it is the band at their absolute best.

Overall “Rust In Peace” is essential listening with enough variation on thrash riffs to hold the interest.

AtomicCrimsonRush Deep Purple's History Making Live Masterpiece.

Deep Purple's "Made in Japan" is one of the all time greatest immortal live albums in rock history. It features the band at their brilliant best and promoting their masterpiece albums "In Rock" and "Machine Head", both milestones in themselves. The lineup is the infamous Deep Purple lineup that has become rock legend; featuring on vocals the air raid sirens of high octave metal hero Ian Gillan, the pounding drums of Ian Paice, the guitar wizardry of Ritchie Blackmore, the keyboard magician Jon Lord and the wonderful Roger Glover, bass guitarist extraordinaire. The live performance features the best of the band to this point and these lengthy versions are even better than the studio renditions.

The album hits the mark with a rocking start with the hard driving 'Highway Star', the kid sister of 'Speed King'. The dynamic interplay of guitar and organ is wonderful and draws the listener in as it builds into the first verse. "Nobody Gonna Take My Car, I'm Gonna Race It To The Ground, Nobody Gonna Beat My Car, It's Gonna Break The Speed Of Sound" The lyrics embody the essence of the revhead and live Gillan is able to use his power vocals to full effect. But it's all about the riffs for this band and Blackmore delivers everytime; the true metal progenitor of lead guitar finesse, becoming a guitar hero with this album.

'Child In Time' is next running or a whopping 12 minutes. The song is a masterpiece, but live it surpasses even the album version. Gillan explodes on vocals reaching ear splitting notes after a gentle start. The song builds into a paroxysm of thunderous guitar riffs and Lord's keyboards are incredible. It builds into heavier sections with massive keyboard sweeps and fret melting lead guitar. An amazing wall of sound is generated with the rhythm machine of Paice and Glover. Eventually it settles into a serene passage until the finale where all members of the band blaze away and lift off into the stratosphere with crunching chord changes and a freak out of shattering noise as Gillan moans the pangs of child birth; perhaps it represents the birth of heavy metal, and the band deliver.

'Smoke On The Water' follows, beginning with a terrific variation of the opening classic riff. It is the most recognizable riff in rock history that every guitarist knows. The actual thematic content is fascinating about how a "stupid with a flare gun" burned down the recording studio of Frank Zappa and the Mothers in Montreux. Now the event is immortalised forever in song. This will perhaps remain the all time greatest Deep Purple song especially due to the 7 note chord riff. The live version is sensational with a scorching lead break and Lord's shimmering keyboard attack.

'The Mule' follows next with a lengthy instrumental break, and the song runs out to 9 ½ minutes in length. Ian Paice drums up a storm on his Ludwig kit soloing for quite some time. His precision drumming and atmospheric arrangement has become a benchmark for drummers worldwide.

'Strange Kind Of Woman' is also lengthy at 10 minutes and is great to hear as it was one of the biggest singles or the group not available on studio vinyl during this time. It was a chance for the band to kick back and groove along to a pleasing riff. The section where Gillan imitates Blackmore's guitar is often quoted as a master stroke and was influential to many bands to follow. It sounds as though Blackmore was trying to trick Gillan but they trade off perfectly and it is amusing and part of the experience of the live set, reminiscent of Plant and Page of Led Zeppelin.

'Lazy' is a 10 ½ minute opus with tons of keyboard soloing and Blackmore insane on bluesy guitar. It is a terrific lengthy jamming track about a dude so lazy he just stays in bed. Lord is awe inspiring on the organ solo and it really showcases his skill.

'Space Truckin'' follows and clocks in at a mammoth 20 minutes. It is another of the quintessential DP tracks. The power riffs and grinding organ absolutely slam to the wall. The lengthy version originally took up an entire side of the double vinyl album. It features huge spacey solos with Jon Lord's Hammond and his experimental ring modulator sounds. He unleashes a furious tirade of powerful organ stabs as Glover maintains a consistent bassline with Paice backing on drums. The session lasts for almost 15 minutes and is technical and progressive while maintaining strong rock rhythms. The Hammond solo is based on 'Mandrake Root' from the early DP albums.

"Made In Japan" is a classic masterpiece that is one of the most famous live albums in history. Every track is killer and the band are at the peak of their powers. It is a testament of the greatness of Deep Purple in the early years of proto-metal and the progressive nuances throughout, with intricate time sig changes and lengthy jamming solos, make it the ultimate live album of 1972.

AtomicCrimsonRush In 1984 Deep Purple reunited with the original line up and produced a killer album that was always one of my favourites. For a long time I had only the 2 masterpiece tracks 'Knocking at your Back Door' and 'Perfect Strangers' and hoped if the rest of the album were as incredible as these it would be a masterpiece. The truth is the rest of the album is not quite to the standard of these classics but it still solid hard rock.

Ritchie Blackmore is on fire as usual o lead guitar and has some awesome riffing on "Perfect Strangers" Ian Paice is fantastic on drums, Jon Lord is brilliant on keyboards, Roger Glover is te bass man and of course the incomparable Ian Gillan is incredible on vocals. With this line up the band had the potential to produce another masterpiece in the same vein as "In Rock" or "Machine Head". Unfortunately there are a few mediocre songs that mar this status but it still features some amazing musicianship and memorable songs.

'Wasted Sunsets' is a worthwhile ballad, with Gillan a powerhouse on vocals as Blackmore makes his guitar sing. 'Nobody's Home' has a fabulous riff and classic structure like the old days. 'Mean Streak' is another heavy rocker and one of the highlights of the album.

Everytime I hear the album though 'Perfect Strangers' simply jumps out, with it's orchestrated motifs and unbelievable keyboard wizardry from Lord. 'Knocking at Your Back Door' is quintessential DP with its brilliant intro, and astounding double entendre lyrics and infectious melody. Love the section where Gillan sings "she made electric shadows beyond her finger tips but none of us could reach that high," and of course "Sweet Lucy was a dancer but none of us would chance her because she was a Samurai..."

"Perfect Strangers" is the last great Deep Purple album before the whole thing went belly up and they became just another rock band. It is essential listening and definitely as good as the classics of yesteryear, though not quite a masterpiece.

AtomicCrimsonRush Deep Purple's "Fireball" is a very good followup to their masterpiece "In Rock". It features some proto metal classics such as the hard rocking title with breakneck rhythms and excellent guitar riffs of Blackmore. Ian Paice is an incredible drummer and he really lets rip on this album. 'No, No, No' is memorable for the high pitched vocals of Ian Gillan, and killer guitar riffing. 'Demon's Eye' is one of my favourite with pulsating rhythm and unforgettable riffs. It has a funkadelic beat and amazing keyboard from Jon Lord. 'Anyone's Daughter' is a throwaway but is surprisingly jazzy.

'The Mule' has oriental influences and crazy drumming from Paice. 'Fools' is next and really is a grower. At 8 minutes or so the track is the longest and features Blackmore fiddling about and too much organ, but its okay. The album ends with No One Came' with heavy rock elements and huge keyboard runs. Overall a decent album from legends of classic rock.

AtomicCrimsonRush Thanks to reviewers I was drawn to this album like a moth to a flame. Immediately I was dazzled by crunching riffs with heavy guitars and then amazing time changes locking into killer riffing with dirty guitar sounds and serious vocals. The time sigs changes so dramatically it is hard to keep up but it is such a delight to be treated to an obscurity like this hiding in the prog vaults. It begins with 'Dancing Madly Backwards (On a Sea of Air)' with all the time shifts and then blazes straight into 'Armworth' with Rod Evans' vocals, from Deep Purple, and hard rocking non stop rock rhythms.

The riffs are always prevalent and driving headlong to new half time feels and awesome instrumental breaks with the mind bending guitars of Rhino, from Iron Butterfly. His slide guitar work is absolutely psychedelic and atmospheric. Bobby Caldwell was a brilliant drummer and has a field day on percussion injecting timpani triplets and odd beats throughout. The bass of Lee Dorman is a constant pulse. 'Mesmerization Eclipse' is the first break into a different feel after the non stop opening suite of songs. There is another heavy riff and Deep Purple style vocals. They are much more progressive though, and once again the song reaks into several signatures, the band are brimming over with creativity and one never knows where they will go next, fast to slow to downright out of place, each meter is a pattern that locks on with that ever present heavy guitar. I didn't like the way this faded out slowly but immediately the next riff settles in on 'Raging River Of Fear'. This has a heavy bluesy feel, aggressive vocals and accomplished rhythm changes. The drums on this are incredible, constantly providing new tempos and fast paced beats and fills.

'Thousand Days Of Yesterday (Intro)' settles down the fury with quiet acoustic picking and gentle vocals. The harmonies are nice and the overall feel is melancholy to break away from the heaviness before and after. It doesn't last long as the next moment guitars crunch in and a fast tempo with forced vocals on 'Frozen Over'. The half time feel on this is astonishing injecting new metrics and it then changes completely in the next section. Nobody changes time sigs like Captain Beyond; so rapid and always appropriate. It fades into an accelerated acoustic rhythm on 'Thousand Days Of Yesterdays (Time Since Come & Gone)'.

A fantastic rhythm locks in and Rhino is dynamic in the lead break. It fades and hammering chords intro 'I Cant Feel Nothin (Part 1)'. The drums are dazzling along with another massive riff. The vocals are easy on the ears and close to the Bachman Turner Overdrive style. The music continues non stop with a suite of songs; 'As The Moon Speaks (To the Waves of the Sea)' a quiet acoustic piece of beauty with narrative vocals, 'Astral Lady', 'As The Moon Speaks (Return)' back to the pounding rock of 'I Cant Feel Nothin (Part 2)'.

What a fantastic heavy slice of heavy prog with an obscurity that should be unearthed and played often. A great find for any heavy prog fan and one to return to habitually.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Look at Yourself" features incredible heavy Hammond and guitar riffing excellence on one of Uriah Heep's most consistent albums. The front cover is a mirror that many who owned the vinyl would have spent hours watching the reflective surface shine patterns on the roof. The music on the album also reflects the band, the power of progressive symphonic meets heavy rock.

The title track, 'Look at Yourself' is a definitive rocker with trademark driving guitar and organ with a pounding bassline. Mick Box's lead break crunches with incredible staccato Hammond of Ken Hensley and phased guitar. The vocals of David Byron are excellent with a straight clean performance and vibrato. There are so many brilliant tracks on the album that many found their way to best of compilations and concerts. The first 3 are Uriah Heep at their best.

On 'I Wanna Be Free' the harmonies are terrific and the riff is patented crunching guitar blasts similar to 'Gypsy' and 'Lady In Black'. Another great track on the album.

'July Morning' is captivating with quiet passages of serenity and loud majestic music crescendos. The verses are a lighters-in-the-air sway-along melodic ballad, and this is balanced with an outbreak of Hensley's Hammond smashes and Box's vibrant lead guitar. Crunching staccato Hammond blasts and a memorable guitar motif make this a progressive classic.

The descending riff is awesome on the proggy 'Shadows of Grief'. Some excellent Hammond answers and trade offs leading to a vibrant lead break. The organ shimmers on this and the musicianship overall is some of the best from the band. The quiet ending sounds like Pink Floyd's Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun' as it is very psychedelic, building gradually with powerful high harmonies, very much like Deep Purple in some ways. The weird ending is the shimmering Hammond sound heard in the middle of 'Gypsy'.

'What Should Be Done' is next and we have a grand piano intro and Byron's very gentle vocals. This is the Heep ballad that is added to every album. It's okay but I prefer when they are in full flight and hammering hard. The wah-wah guitar break of Box is quite beautiful.

'Love Machine' ends the vinyl album on a powerful note. Tons of Hammond and a riff that motors along with a quick tempo are the dominant sounds. Byron's vocals are fantastic on this. It sounds a bit like Rainbow's 'Starstruck' in melody. The lead break is terrific and caps this album off on a high note.

The bonus tracks are great, a single edited hard rocking version of the title track, and 'What's Within My Heart'. This second track features some banter prior to the song by the band as they count in the sparse twin acoustic guitars. It is a forgettable soft ballad, with minimalist acoustics, and feels like a demo track. It is lovely the way the bass comes in though, and the vocals are well performed.

In conclusion, "Look at Yourself" is one of the best Heep albums without a doubt. It features some fabulous Hammond and is a real proto-metal rocker. The tracks are all excellent with a few patchy sections, and not as proggy as some others, but this album is still very consistent quality rock.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Salisbury" is one of the first great Uriah Heep albums after a slow and steady start with inconsistent albums that always had at least 3 killer tracks. David Byron on vocals, Ken Hensley on keyboards and Mick Box on guitars was the driving force of the band.

It opens with 'Bird of prey' that riffs along with excellent vocals. The music is dynamic and powerful on 'Time to Live' leading to the quiet tranquillity of 'The Park'. The beauty and peace of quiet organ and acoustics with high falsetto vocals are later subjugated by Hensleys' hammering Hammond and Box's monster riff.

'Lady in Black' has a simply awesome proto-metal riff that locks into your brain. The lovely acoustic driven verses are counter balanced by the heavy guitars. The sound is similar to 'Gypsy' and the way it fades to a bass and drum at the end and harmonies is inspired creativity, and then the rest of the music is tracked back in, as if the mixing editor were fiddling with the sound, it's the stuff of innovation.

'High Priestess' is a straight rocker with some great lead guitar on Box's wah-wah pedals.

The final track is 'Salisbury', the monster epic, with huge majestic intro using brass and flute by John Fiddy. The guitars are powerful and drive the song along consistently with one riff after another. The 26 piece orchestra is an inspired touch and it is overwhelmed by crunching Hammond and blazing guitars. It is not as memorable an epic as some others from the 70s, but it is unique to Heep and a definite triumph or a band who opted for shorter tracks on subsequent albums.

The bonus tracks are 'Simon The Bullet Freak' and a single edit of 'High Priestess'. Both bonus tracks are very good rockers and cap off a solid album, showcasing the musicianship of the band. It contains some of the band's best material featuring in many concerts and compilations.

"Salisbury" has a memorable iconic front cover of a tank crushing a flower, that is ironic as the music often reflects the feeling of heavy metal stomping on the flower power generation once and for all. The album comes recommended to those who like hard driving rock with a taste of symphonic orchestral arrangements.

AtomicCrimsonRush A suite of powerful symphonic musicianship and prog metal.

I have had this album "Anywhere But Home" in my possession for a long time after the artists kindly sent it to me, and it somehow ended up on the bottom of a huge pile of prog, so apologies for taking so long to review it! My first impression is that it was actually heavier than I anticipated. The album cover almost looked a bit folk prog, an impressionist painting depicting a couple of kids dancing away from each other, and I was in more of a mood for a heavier style. So I was delighted that at least there were some great metal riffs to lock onto and a very distinct sound like Riverside or Porcupine Tree. The first thing that grabbed me was the very accomplished guitar work of Sebastiano Benatti that dominates throughout. The lead vocals of Enrico Scanu are crystal clean and very easy on the ears, reaching high octaves and maintaining powerful strong melodies. He also plays some flute and acoustic guitar. On bass is Alex Stucchi, backed up by well-executed percussion by Tommaso Mangione. The Dream Theater sound alike sections are mostly due to massive keyboard runs by Tommaso Selleri. For a young band the sound is quite mature overall and the album is a solid debut for Dropshard.

The music is dynamic, a suite of songs that run together with a concept, presented in huge blasts of metal juxtaposed with ambient swathes of symphonic keyboards. There is certainly a heavy texture with chugging distorted guitars but the everpresent keyboards underneath are reminiscent of Riverside's style, along with the pristine vocals. There are no epics to speak of, the longest song being the innovative 8:17 minute Changing Colours, and most of the songs are driven by melody or mood changes rather than complex or diverse time sig changes. Lead breaks are always something to look forward to and this album is no exception, with some exceptional shredding from Benatti.

One of the best tracks is undoubtedly the aforementioned 8 minute song, that builds in intensity from ambience to downright fierce axe work; the finale especially crunches and gains tempo to one of the heavier moments on the album. There is also a terrific heavy interchange of guitar riffing in A Cold Morning, a track that is well worth checking out to taste what the band is capable of cranking out. The low dense guitar sound is akin to Opeth or Dream Theater, a darker sound but always kept in balance with the crystalline uplifting vocals. A New Beginning is another outstanding track with melodic metal, and an infectious riff that locks into your skull. The running time for the album is only 34 minutes although the 4 and a half minute bonus track Freedom Supermarket enhances the album, ending it with some very heavy shades of metal. This track has a powerful keyboard motif augmented by lashings of intense metal riffing. The track also features some high falsetto work from Scanu. Overall the debut for Dropshard is a promising start to another new prog metal band, offering nothing that might be considered new as such, but nevertheless delivering a rock-solid album of symphonic nuances and advanced metal phrases. 3 and a half stars easily and room for improvement with a follow up album that the metal and prog community should look forward to.

AtomicCrimsonRush Light years ahead of their time, High Tide present the birth of prog metal.

The first sound that emanates from this colossal album is a grungy sludge guitar riff, very distorted and fuzzy. It almost sounds grunge and this is back in 1969! It begins with the lo-fi crunching psychedelic metal of 'Futilist's Lament'. The band announce that this is going to be a heavy psych prog experience. High Tide are Roger Hadden on drums, Tony Hill on guitar, vocals, Simon House on violin, piano, and Peter Pavli on bass. They are one of the loudest, heaviest bands of the late 60s and must have been a major influence to Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath and reminds me of Blue Cheer meets Hawkwind. The metal riffs are almost like Black Sabbath in places and the wah wah guitar reminds us we are in the psychedelic 60s. This is a sensational track that must be heard over and over with the amps on 11.

'Death Warmed Up' is a 9 minute hard rocking instrumental with blazing guitars and a manic violin that assassinates the grunge vibe to make way for a progressive heavy sound. The twin guitar lead break is spacey and locks in on a repetitive riff. It is rather lengthy for a loud, proud, and endowed band, but it works in a hypnotic sense, similar to the sonic jamming attack of Hawkwind.

'Pushed, But Not Forgotten' is a slow ballad with quiet violin and guitar and a gentle vocal. But only or about a minute. It breaks out into a loud guitar solo and a heavier beat with some excellent guitar riffs. Then it settles back to a serene atmosphere with restrained music lulling you off to sleep. But now we are on edge wondering when it will break out again. Sure enough the amps get turned up again and the distorted guitar cracks the peace in half with admirable ferocity.

'Walking Down Their Outlook' begins immediately with moderate vocals and steady beat. Then there is a wonderful guitar lick using scaled notes up the frets. The spacey section follows and ascends until another screaming guitar passage. The way the song breaks and changes constantly is quite an original approach given the date this was released. The section that begins at 2:40 is one of the great instrumental breaks, howling guitars, folk violins and keyboard augmentations. The cadence escalates into a hypno-groove with folk metal motorvating along on a strong beat. Then a minimalist violin takes over to finish the track. Wonderful heavy prog.

'Missing Out' is another lengthy 9 minute track, with very complex fugue motifs emblazoned over intricate guitar notes constantly played. The violin is always present slicing back and forth and the estranged vocals of Tony Hill. What a sensational sound High Tide are able to create with these instruments, almost like a metal version of Comus. At 3:50 there is a fantastic violin and lead guitar solo with instruments trading off to the wild percussion. The lyrics are hard to decipher but a lot of it sounds improvised such as "Oh, my soul is going down, and I'm ready." This finishes with an attacking drum solo and an extended outro.

'Nowhere' closes the album with a terrific violin and guitar solo at the start. The violin and guitar battle it out for supremacy for a while, neither winning the contest, and then the lead guitar takes over with prog time changes and is joined by a descending flurry of violin notes. It slows in tempo and Hill's low vocals return; "marking time and shutting out each warming smile, what shall be the go between they laugh and cry, effigies of souls are seen to come and go, moving through the mists of fear , they come to know." The dark lyrics fit in perfectly with the moody atmospheric music.

The conclusion is that this album is one of those rare treasures unearthed from the tomb of obscurity, hardly making an impact until now, and the listener will be enthralled that "Sea Shanties" finally has seen the light of day.

AtomicCrimsonRush Shine On Riverside You Diamond!

The darlings of Poland, Riverside, are a band that I have grown to love over the years and they have produced some masterpiece work such as the recent "Anno Domine High Definition". This album "Rapid Eye Movement" is certainly not without some outstanding moments but it is also not as heavy as they eventually became. The symphonic sounds dominate, and very heart felt performed vocals. The vocals are similar to Steven Wilson's style. Mariusz Duda on lead vocals plays bass and acoustic guitar; Piotr Grudzinski is the guitarist; Michal Lapaj excels on keyboards and Piotr Kozieradzki is the drummer. The band capture a range of emotions and always produce quality music, though on this album not as consistent as others.

One instance is the powerful lead break in the acoustically driven 'Embryonic'. The song is brimming over with serenity including wind howling and intimate vocals, perhaps the band in their most gentle mood.

'Parasomnia' features a heavy infectious riff and a crunching instrumental break. '02 Panic Room' is the single that stems from this album and features in their live set often. The rhythmic pulses and swathes of synth are reminiscent of the 80s such as Human League or Depeche Mode.

'Beyond the Eyelids' features one of the great basslines of Duda. 'Through the other side' has very ambient textures, layers of synth and spacey nuances. There are some killer riffs such as the metal distortion of 'Cybernetic Pillow.' This track also has a sustained string sound on the keyboards and inventive lead work very much like Porcupine Tree.

The lengthy epic 'Ultimate trip' is a 13 minute standout track. The lead break is incredible, and the consistent metal riffing is a terrific augmentation. The structure takes on dark and light passages of musicianship par excellence. Duda's vocals are hypnotic over the spacey music sections. Grudsinski's guitar soars and sings beautifully.

The bonus disc is a worthy addition with a dreamscape of mellotron on 'Behind the Eyes' with its captivating space prog. The guitar work on the instrumental 'Lucid Dream IV' is masterful and in a sense reminded me of Alex Lifeson's style. The odd fractured time sig and Hammond organ sound are embellishments that lift the sound to a crescendo. The synth and metal guitar trade of wonderfully in a Dream Theater fashion. This is one of the definitive highlights of the album. 'Back to the River' has an ethereal outer space drone, then a 6 note phrase that locks in as a lead guitar chimes over, very similar to Pink Floyd's 'Shine On'. The lead break on this instrumental is exquisite sounding like Gilmour, or Steve Hackett. This even finishes with the 'Shine On' riff becoming a cover version of the classic, so the obvious influence is now evident.

No doubt this is a solid Riverside album but I was not as blown away by this as "ADHD" or "Second Life Syndrome", nevertheless it is great to hear these tracks live and to return to some of the songs as part of the Riverside catalogue.

AtomicCrimsonRush Riverside create an emotionally charged masterpiece of colossal power.

The second Riverside album features some of the most enduring material of the band and the heaviest work until the masterpiece "Anno Domine High Definition". Mariusz Duda is always excellent on lead vocals and also plays bass. The guitar work of Piotr Grudzinski is incredible on this album. Michal Lapaj is simply astonishing on keyboards and Piotr Kozieradzki is wonderful on drums. Every track on this album is superb, and some tracks are indispensable. 'After' begins with whispers that are rather chilling and then a very slow ambient Porcupine tree style sound takes over.

'Volte Face' has a driving heavy rhythm and wonderful guitar notes ringing out over the loud percussion and shimmering Hammond. Then that awesome riff with odd time sig crunches and it is a prog metal sanctuary. The spacey vocals add to the atmospherics until we get to the first verse. The melody is pleasant in the quieter sections and it builds to the aggressive passage "I'm not afraid", and the Hammond quivers over the crashing guitar chords. Masterpiece song without a doubt.

The piano solo that begins 'Conceiving You' is appropriate as Duda really delivers a powerhouse vocal, with emotion and vitality, "been conceiving you for too long, if only I could change all things around." The lead break cries and soars as the soundscape builds to a crescendo. The wall of sound that Riverside are able to create is astounding, and really touches the emotions powerfully.

The first epic is 'Second Life Syndrome' a 15 minute eargasm of intricate virtuoso musicianship and towering vocals. An instant classic, the song boasts one of the best structures of the band's repertoire. It begins with a drone and Pink Floyd style guitar riff and then it gets heavier building in intensity, with Hammond blazing and a divine bassline locks in. The vocals of Duda are crystalline and pleasant; "From day to day, From hand to mouth, We're turning around, Vicious ritual, Getting used to it all, Falling down again, We're waiting for, The decrees of providence." The melody is ultra-infectious and the heavy guitars augment the dark overtones. Soon the lead break takes over and it is superbly executed by Grudzinski. There is no mistaking the massive sound on the keyboards, violently hammered by Lapaj. The song settles into bassline and echoing keyboards, changing feel and allowing the music to breathe. Duda is gentler on part two; "I just want to feel your sigh on my neck, Want to feel your breath, Feel your need to stay, You don't know my name, Don't know my face, Only thoughts I share in my secret place, Secret exhibition, Cure for loneliness, I've ground to a halt, There's no turning back, You know there are things I just can't forget, You've helped me so much, To learn to be detached." The second lead break is spacious and soars with sustained held high pitched notes. Part three, Vicious Ritual, is an instrumental to finish this magnificent track. The music becomes spacey and whispers are heard with footsteps effects. The result is a creepy but compelling sound. As the bass joins in cadence with the whispers, guitars grind out a crushing distorted chord structure. A King Crimson polyphonic rhythm dominates, and some more vocal intonations "you will never suffer." The last lead break is the final drawcard and caps off an absolutely brilliant track.

'Artificial Smile' follows with a fast heavy tempo and some sensuous synths over a melodic hook. The vocals are still clear though much faster, and he occasionally uses a raspy tone to emphasise the anger in the words; "I hate you cos they love you, I'm so happy when they left you, this is my life! Sell me your mind!" This may be one of the heaviest Riverside songs but has still the strong organic symphonic nuances and equable lead guitar.

'I Turned You Down' drips with an endearing bassline and peaceful guitar violining. The spacey textures are the sort of music that would permeate the next album. Very ambient verses follow; "I turned you down so hastily, and it's tearing me apart, in my heart of hearts I'm screaming, in my heart of hearts I cry and it's cold, you're so cold." The lead guitar swells are beautiful over the synths. A heavier riff threatens to break through before a lead break overwhelms the serenity, and it is a darker atmosphere that supervenes.

Following this is 'Reality Dream III' with nice reverberated harmonics in the intro until a bass rhythm fades up. The tempo locks in and becomes an unusual time sig. The instrumental makes a pleasant break and one can just become immersed in the music. There is a heavy metal riff that pounds and chugs along and then a heavy handed piano is heard. The guitars join this new time change and then the Hammond returns like an old friend.

'Dance With the Shadow' is the second epic of the album starting with a low drone and gentle vocals. The Gilmour-esque guitar is prevalent and then an extremely heavy guitar changes it and it is more like Dream Theater with Petrucci riffs. The synthesis of psych space prog and metal is a key feature. The middle section settles into a calmer tunnel I'm standing on the edge about to fall, in the middle of the point o no return, trying to forget those days I failed to act, I can almost see the light, feel its warmth, and as the moment I was waiting or so long, I carry all before me now the die is cast, with open arms I'm standing out against my past." At 10 minutes in the sound builds up and a cataclysmic explosion of Hammond and metal dramatically clash and the riffs intensify till it ends. Incredible breathtaking music.

The final track 'Before' is a slow calm after the storm. It builds to a forceful flurry of riffs and then it is all over, and you long to play the whole album again.

The only conclusion that can be drawn after being treated to this extraordinary music is that this is a masterpiece from Riverside. Everything works perfectly to create some absolutely incredible music; the vocals, bass, guitars, keys and drums are an amalgamation that showcases all that is great about prog rock. Strong melodies, intricate complex time sigs, compelling lyrics and amazing musicianship. This, along with "Anno Domine High Definition", is one album that towers over all the rest.

AtomicCrimsonRush Complex time sigs, science fiction concept and crunching metal riffs - Voi Vod!.

Voi Vod have a style, a sound, a concept all of their own and albums such as this cemented their reputation as progenitors of technical metal. From the outset this album signifies a new approach in metal. The metal distortion of Piggy's raw crunching guitar is still as prevalent as their War and Pain years, that I used to thrash in the 80s, but this is a more mature sound with plenty for the non metal fan. The complexity of time sig changes is astonishing, and Piggy is a revelation on the vocals. Snake sounds great on vocals without all that roaring that he used to do. Experiment begins this and demonstrates Voi Vod are turning a corner as one of the more innovative metal bands of the late 80s.

Tribal Convictions has to be one of the best Voi Vod tracks with menacing intro, syncopated rhythms in the vein of Sepultura, and back breaking blasts of metal distortion. The slow sustained chords are typical of early Voi Vod but the dissonant guitar riffs are certainly out of the box. There are science fiction nuances in the effects and overall structure. It becomes a maelstrom of speed metal at one point and ends with an ominous performance from Snake.

Technocratic Manipulators begins with machinated guitar riffs, and a fast tempo that threatens to remain consistent until it breaks into shattered fragments with a time shift on the line "Is it the same message, For the preconceived children? Let me know, before I go", followed by awesome riffing and lead breaks. Snake sings, "Death of their liberty, Feeds the supremacy." Then we return back to the fast riff and it ends suddenly after a flurry of sporadic riffing.

Macrosolutions to Megaproblems has a jazzy little intro and then a driving riff. It completely changes after a minute and a half into one of Piggy's best riffs. The choppy defragmented time sig is difficult to pin down and it keeps the interest. The lead break is killer on this track and there is even a punk inspired vocal section. Finally the sig shifts again at the end, "you'd better shake up your mind," Snake warns, and then an elongated factory sound rumbles to the next track.

Brain Scan is one of the highlights of the album that features another dynamic riff, low chanting monotone vocals, and some excellent effects. At 1:30 it launches into a quirky riff that chops and changes in complex patterns. The time sig changes constantly and it ends with high speed double kick drumming and finally returns to the main riff.

Psychic Vacuum crunches out very dark riffs and Piggy sounds great on this. The metal is loud and brutal, and is perhaps more straightforward in structure.

Cosmic Drama chugs along with a galloping riff that keeps breaking time sig making the ear strain to latch onto a beat. This features robotic vocals in places and some activist lyrics; "too many reasons, too much oppression, there is no freedom, no satisfaction, I want some action."

Batman is a cool variation on the original with heavy loud guitars and Snake screaming "Batman!" and seems an odd but fitting way to close the album, one of Voi Vod's best without a doubt.

AtomicCrimsonRush Detached technical metal with some shining moments.

Another very technical prog album from Voi Vod, "Nothingface" follows along the same lines as the previous release "Dimension Hatross", science fiction concepts, odd time sigs that change constantly and very heavy riffs. Snake's vocals are easy to listen to, no growling at all, and lots of innovative styles. The sterile lyrics and sheer detachment the band conveys on this will alienate some and, in my opinion, hinders it from being up to the standard of the previous release.

It begins with The Unknown Knows, a low droning sound is heard that builds into spacey industial noise, then Piggy's distorted mega riffs and howling lead screams out. The riff that follows is a fast tempo fractured ametrical pattern. It sounds the same as "Dimension Hatross" album but delightfully so as that was a terrific release. It doesn't take long until the odd time shifts begin; at 3:44 a broken signature pummels the order into glorious chaos. The bass pounds deep and resonates with excellent pulsating drums.

Astronomy Domine is one of the best Pink Floyd covers, Voi Vod also did other Pink Floyd songs but nothing comes close to this. The harmony in the verse is similar to early Floyd. I love the way Piggy plays the metal riffs to this classic instead of the "oooooohs". The lead break is astounding, as good as I have heard on this song. It also has that "Ummagumma" quiet section, and is very spacey and must be the heaviest version ever. Quite simply this track is a masterpiece.

Missing Sequences has a strong rhythm and features a booming bass solo and some innovative guitar work. Snake sings some excellent melodies on this track, and definitely it is a great performance from Piggy who keeps perfect timing with the percussion in very complex technical patterns.

X ray Mirror lyrics make sense "Tunnel seems so long, Touching the bottom, A slim reflexion, Punctured my vision, I didn't notice, Beside the last door, Standing on nothing, There was a mirror." The time sigs are in constant flux, competing with odd drumming and bassline shapes.

Inner Combustion is a great song with powerful lyrics; "All am I, I am all, Fluorescent light, Pellucid mineral, Essential dogma, Excludes the logical, Immobile centre, One, two, three for nothing, Projection ponder, Under a raven's wing, Catalyst fusion, Inner combustion." Piggy's metal riffing is second to none and he is simply at his best here, especially the grinding lead break. Snake's vocals remind me of Hawkwind at times.

Pre-ignition is a faster song with some inventive signatures and weird lyrics; "Grinding round, The hydraulic wheel, Extraction, The ultimate greed, Now hidden from view, Surveying stable shifts, A feeble groove, Unintentional split." It's not a love song. The industrial sounds add to the overall concept of decayed social damage by pipes and factories that pollute the skies in an apocalyptic future dystopia.

Sub-Effect has some awesome riffing that slices and dices any sense of consistent timing; perhaps it is consistent in that it has chaotic punctuations consistently. It has a terrific middle section with chiming guitar, especially the section where Snake sings "Please no Too late for S.O.S. Mute island, fish-eye view, Circling the border line, No resource, no rescue, I'm stranded, I'm otherwise."

There are lots of moments to savour for metal heads and prog fans alike but this album did not impact me as much as "Dimension Hatross" previously. Perhaps it was too similar, or too mechanised; either way it did not surprise me and did not feature as many highlights. Nevertheless, "Nothingface" is a solid Voi Vod album and worthwhile seeking out, if only, for nothing else, the Astronomy Domine masterpiece.

AtomicCrimsonRush This 3 CD package is a great concert experience that I will return to often. Everything works - from the excellent sound quality to the crystal clear picture. The stage itself is massive and there are incredible lighting effects, lasers and fire effects. The 3 split screens at times show each band member, and sometimes a visual effect to enhance the track being played. There are weird Rush-ian gimmicks, namely the 3 huge ovens full of rotating chickens that glow ominous red throughout the night. There is no reference to these except Lee says at the end of CD1 that they are no longer spring chickens so they need to take a break. At one point a weird chef appears to turn the chickens over. Similar in fact to the washing machines with rotating clothes in the 'Live in Rio' show. Other subtler things are on stage such as flanks of flowers around microphones, plastic dinosaurs around Lifeson's stacks and the piece de resistance is the miniature Stonehenge rock on Lee's keyboards - a nod in Spinal Tap's direction for sure. We see crowd shots and Lee takes home movies of them screaming Hello Canada - in fact we see many versions of him doing this from other shows. Peart is featured with a sizzling drum solo that is well above what normally occurs in solos. He uses gamelon style blocks and sound effect drums to enhance the solo and his kit rotates to add depth. I love when the jazz band kicks in and he plays full blown jazz metrical patterns - there is a standing ovation after this.

There are no lengthy lead solo sections where Lifeson plays by himself but there is a nice acoustic piece following the drum solo. Lifeson effortlessly plays all the songs with precision and finesse. Surely one of the greatest guitarists in the world.

Lee's vocals are excellent and as clear as ever. His bass pounds on every track. I noted its all mostly hard rock on this live show. The band play old favourites that every Rush fan adores such as 'Spirit of Radio' and 'Tom Sawyer' but they focus on 'Snakes and Arrows' album, virtually playing every song. This could have been problematic but I find these live versions even better than the studio versions. I was never a huge fan of S&A but this live concert really brings something special to these tracks. I like the film clips that break up the songs such as South Park's Cartman singing Tom Sawyer and the weird clips of babies in prams and a game of snakes and ladders.

The bonus features are fun, such as watching the clips without the band shots and the making of the clips which show Rush at their kookiest. Some of the extra live tracks are great too so overall this is a must see for any Rush fan. I recommend this as well as 'Live IN Rio' which are completely different experiences. This is not as good as 'Rio' due to the set list, but it is still a fantastic DVD package.

AtomicCrimsonRush “Rush In Rio” is undoubtedly one of the best live records in the extensive Rush catalogue. Unlike some of the other live albums, this one features a lively crowd that insist on singing every line of every song and their enthusiasm is infectious. It always brings a warm feeling to hear them singing all the notes, even in the instrumentals. The album is of course available on DVD and this is definitely one of the best DVDs of the power trio along with “Snakes and Arrows Live”.

There is almost 3 solid hours of Rush here with A1 quality sound production and near perfect renditions of all their classics. Usually I watch this concert on DVD and the overall experience is a visual and aural feast. Listening to the tracks without the pretty pictures is naturally a totally new experience. Certain tracks jump out as highlights including Tom Sawyer, Freewill and Driven. 2112 is painfully edited down to a mere 6:52, but its still nice to hear it here. CD 3 is undoubtedly the best of the three featuring quintessential classics such as Limelight, the incomparable La villa strangiato that clocks 10 minutes, The spirit of radio, By-Tor and the snow dog, Cygnus X-1, a 13 minute epic, and my favourite Rush treasure Working man.

The packaging is excellent as usual and the overall mixing is perfection although at times the crowd are overbearing as loud and enthusiastic as a Rio crowd can be.

There are 2 unusual additions of board bootleg bonuses Between Sun & Moon, live from the Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona, on September 27, 2002, and it culminates with Vital Signs recorded at Colisée Pepsi, Quebec City, PQ, on October 19, 2002. This concert is a lengthy but triumphant Rush paradise. The performances are faultless and it is full of energy and power from start to finish. Pick up the DVD at all costs which is even better!

AtomicCrimsonRush The spirit of Rush captured live before an enthusiastic crowd.

“Rush In Rio” is undoubtedly one of the best live records in the extensive Rush catalogue. Unlike some of the other live DVD concerts, this one features a lively crowd that insist on singing every line of every song and their enthusiasm is infectious. It always brings a warm feeling to hear them singing all the notes, even in the instrumentals. This is definitely one of the best DVDs of the power trio along with “Snakes and Arrows Live”.

There are some brilliant moments to savour as a visual and oral experience. Lee, Lifeson and Peart are at their best, Lee is especially terrific on vocals, when his voice was powerful and dynamic. There are about 160 minutes of quintessential Rush favourites. Highlights abound such as Tom Sawyer, YYZ, where the crowd holler out every note and bounce like a football crowd, The Pass, Freewill, Closer to the Heart and a wonderful version of Natural Science, a track that drew me to the “Permanent Waves” album. There are incredible performances of One Little Victory, Leave That Thing Alone, Resist, and a 7 minute edited version of 2112. At least it is here but I rather the version on "All The World's A Stage"/

The last part of the concert is my favourite as it features indispensable classics such as Limelight, La Villa Strangiato, The Spirit of Radio, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, and a tacked on tiny version of Cygnus X-1. My favourite is Working Man, and it is given a wonderful treatment in Rio.

There are some unusual additions on DVD 2 with the most compelling documentary I have seen in years. The fly on the wall treatment of seeing what goes on behind the scenes is fascinating and worth the price of admission alone.

This concert is a lengthy but triumphant Rush paradise. The performances are faultless and it is full of energy and power from start to finish. Pick up this masterful DVD at all costs!

AtomicCrimsonRush Rush's first live album is a definitive record of all that is great about the power trio. It features stunning performances of Bastille Day, Anthem, Fly By Night / In The Mood and Something For Nothing, among others. The band perform some of their earlier material and for this reason it is worth getting hold of this album in particular to hear the best versions of tracks from the debut album. It also boasts a full blown prog fest epic in the form of 2112, running for almost 16 minutes. A version of Working Man merged with Finding My Way is a gem and also the unbeatable Bytor and the Snow Dog, featuring killer guitar solo. The concert is not long, at least what has been recorded here and on DVD, but it is still a shining treasure of the classic live Rush, with each member at their best, Geddy's vocals reach those high octave notes with ease, Peart is full of energy, and Lifeson's guitar work is sensational. There are many other live Rush albums, the best being the 3 CD "Different Stages" but this is still a terrific taste of the prog legends in full flight.

AtomicCrimsonRush Best debut by a metal band in history. You be the judge. with brilliant riffing and amazing vocals one can never be disappointed.

Runnin' With the Devil has to be one of the all time greatest rockers and Eddie is incredible throughout.

Eruption is the lead solo that changed metal forever. The high speed hammer ons and pull offs along with trilling fast picking are legendary and ripped off by all metal lead guitarists. A timeless masterpiece.

You Really Got Me is better than the original with dangerous vocal technique and scorching lead work.

The brilliant riffs never stop; Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love is a killer track, and Jamie's Cryin' is infamous.

Atomic Punk is one of the heaviest with scratchy guitars and wild drumming. One of the greatest B sides too with the single You really Got me.

An amazing metal feast that launched the metal icons of the 70s and 80s. Many careers were made and cemented indelibly in the industry with this one album; it is a rare thing, and genuine lightning in a bottle.

AtomicCrimsonRush I owned this on vinyl and did not play it that much as I was disappointed with the content after hearing the excellent "Rising" album among others. The vocals are thin and whispy with high register but nowhere near the power and passion of Ronnie James Dio. Blackmore is here in presence only, but his shredding style is rather flat and absent. 'Bring on the Night' is okay for a soft metal type song, with a good lead break and sing along anthemic chorus.

'Power' is not too bad with nice shimmering Hammond and jumpy guitar riff. It really is a commercial rock sound though.

I always liked the killer opener 'Death Alley Driver' but apart from that this one left me 'Stone Cold'.

A real waste from a legendary band. Mention has to be made too of that awful cover art which just looks ridiculous.

AtomicCrimsonRush Rainbow rising over 70s metal.

One of the great Rainbow albums with fantastic musicianship throughout. Dio is in wonderful form along with the incredible drumming of Cozy Powell and the definitive fret melting lead work of Blackmore. He is fantastic on songs such as 'Tarot Woman' and 'Stargazer'. He uses a slide on the mid tempo 'Run With the Wolf' to great effect.

There are so many highlights including the brilliant 'Starstruck' with great classic lyrics such as "it used to be a game now I can't repeat my name at all, She seems to believe that I never can refuse her call, She wants a souvenir, To everyone it's clear, She's hooked, one look She wants a photograph, And everybody laughs But not me, 'cause I see She's creeping like a hungry cat, Seen it before and I know it can mean that the ladie's starstruck..."

'Stargazer' is a symphonic classic including a terrific drum intro and killer riff, awesome lead break and a melody that stays with you; "We built a tower of stone, With our flesh and bone, Just to see him fly Don't know why, Now where do we go".

Another treasure is the rocking fast paced 'A Light in the Black', "I'm coming home...", with amazing synth solo, and there is so much more on this album. This is one to buy if you see it, especially on vinyl with that iconic cover.

AtomicCrimsonRush Techno death that 'may have an unforeseen effect'!

Seriously! What the heck is going on with this industrial repetitive noise? It sounds like Rammstein meets Rage Against the Machine but far, far worse. This may be the 'St Anger' of death metal.

I used to be a fan and considered 'Alters of Madness' a death metal classic when I was into that extreme style and along comes the latest Morbid Angel and of course I had to indulge after hearing the controversy surrounding it which has become a phenomenon in itself. Listening to tracks such as 'Too Extreme'; made me actually laugh which is a rare thing when listening to MA. I laughed because of the ludicrous music, the drum machines and awful singing, and I can understand how fans are going to react. 'Ten More Dead' is a shocking juvenile song with grade 6 school lyrics and uninspired riffing.

'Existo Vulgore' is okay with massive guitar speed riffing but ruined by silly lyrics and throaty phlegm spitting and laughing. If I was a fan still, wanting some death metal and put this on I would be demanding my money back from the dealer, and telling him to place the album in the alternative section next to Slipknot and Marilyn Manson. Vincent even tends to channel Manson on 'Radikult' right down to the whispered chants and rapping, with axe chops of distorted industrial guitar. Hey, it's actually quite a cool track, though it's not going to help the band's reputation after fans have waited 8 years for some death and speed extreme metal; you won't find it here.

There is very little to recommend it apart from about 3 tracks that are old school death and speed though they are rare. 'Blades of Baal' is a brutal breakneck speed thrasher that really shines among the dullness. It still lacks the ferocity of past MA but this is a killer track. But it is counter balnced by trash such as 'Profundis Mea Culpa' with ludicrous chanting and absolutely appalling musicianship. Vincent's screechy vocals are okay but those "ohwoowah... ohwoowah,, oooohhhh" invocations are beyond a joke.

What I cannot understand is how the producers of this album and the band could not see the glaring obvious conclusion that this album is going to alienate old fans and perhaps kill their reputation permanently. I have seen the slogan RIP Morbid Angel and I can understand why fans feel that way. The hyper speed blastbeats and brutality of such tracks as 'Blades' would appease any fan of course. But delicious tech-death tracks such as 'Destructos Vs The earth/ Attack' are a real laugh a minute and destroy any credibility.

It is impossible not to be cynical about music with lyrics such as "attack imminent, it matters not what counter measure you employ, destroy man, we're marching, destructors marching on..." It gets worse too with some bizarre lead riffs that are just processed and repeated through effects mixers.

I like Rammstein but this copy of their style just does not work for death metal. Admittedly, after a while the style on display is so out of the box here that it becomes entertaining, but for all the wrong reasons. I became quite impressed at how awful the tracks are, a real feat in itself. It is a spellbinding album because it really could not be any bad for Morbid Angel, and it likely to become a cult over the years as 'St Anger' is. Morbid Angel are on another planet here and it is an unpleasant experience.

So you have been warned. Definitely listen to this before purchase. And then skip it and buy a decent metal album. The 'Destructos' track actually ends with the ironic statement, "This impact is so terrifying that it may have an unforeseen effect." Aint it the truth!

AtomicCrimsonRush After three killer speed and thrash metal abums there was perhaps only one path for Deliverance to follow, and that was to tone everything down and slow the pace and use a cleaner vocal style. The result is a very mixed album with some great moments and a heap of very dull metal. It was the most disappointing album of the early 90s for me as i was so looking forward to more brilliant shredding and fast tempo mayhem; instead this was just plodding along with only a few bright sparks to save it. the title track is definitely a highlight but the vocals are low and nothing like what Deliverance fans were used to.

By the time we get to 'Words to the. . . .' all hope is abandoned as it is such a poppy silly thing that sounds atrocious.

'From Once Was' is cringeworthy with terrible vocals, too low and out of tune, but the metal is doomy and laced with distorted guitar.

'Horrendous Disk' is one that may sum up the album. The disappinting 'Ramming Speed' is a very slow dull track that has no speed at all ironically, and not enough power to knock the fluff off a peanut.

'Entombed' is definitely a heavier track and it ends with the best track on the album which is actually a reworked classic from the thrash days, 'Weapons of our Warfare'.

It was a new direction for the band and they never returned to the speed metal sound and of course it eventually killed their success as they were so good at the fast metal.

AtomicCrimsonRush Here is a metal album in the same vein as the type of metal you may expect from Symphony X. Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder certainly is as good as he was with that legendary band and his voice never falters from loud high register to a gentler cadence on the softer songs. The metal is driven hard by the dextrous lead guitar work of Nick Van Dyk. He also provides keyboards where it is needed. He is joined by the rhythm of guitarist Bernie Versailles. The final piece of the band is provided by the rhythm machine of Chris Quirarte on drums and Sean Andrews on bass.

The first thing one may notice from the outset is that the riffs have a proclivity to sound like Metallica, at one point the early Metallica sound is protuberant on the first songs on the album. The voice is always sparkling and resilient, every lyric is audible, and Alder injects passion and power into his performance. The lead breaks are a part of the overall sound and they are handled deftly by the fret melting work of Van Dyk. Certain lead solos are absolutely brilliant, with speed sweep picking, pitchy squeals and fast hammer ons, especially notable on 'Dreams From The Pit', 'Noonday Devil' and 'Departure of the Pale Horse' (the best song on the album).

The vocal work is astonishing at times, the high falsetto comes into play often and is never overbearing, rather part of the passionate thematic content, such as on 'Perfect' or 'Begin Again'. There is a type of concept on the album revolving around Biblical references such as the fall of the devil and temptation in the garden, and of course at the end Revelation is referenced in the awesome mini epic 'Departure of the Pale Horse'. The album seems to become more progressive in style the further into it especially with the ethereal intro to 'Noonday Devil' and the time sig structure of 'Let It Rain'.

The quieter songs are always an excellent balance to all the shredding. The guitars are downtuned to emit the classic galloping riff style often heard in 80s metal. The band have an approach to their music that is at times dark in content, (especially on the section where whispered voices tell the protagonist that they are alone in the dark and prayer is useless), but the sound is not offensive, due to easy listening vocals, and neither ground breaking in terms of innovation. The album will appeal to listeners with a penchant for Symphony X or Dream Theater, and that is perhaps my highest recommendation.

AtomicCrimsonRush Uriah Heep's 'Demons And Wizards' is a hard rocking melodic excursion into fantasy and whimsical landscapes of castles inhabited by wizards.

The Roger Dean cover spells out the concept from the outset but as far as actual prog material, this album does not deliver. Having stated that fact it is still great melodic rock and highly memorable and one of the best of the Heep. It deserves 4 stars on a metal site.

It begins with 'The Wizard' which begins with a melancholy acoustic three chord structure sand then the distorted guitars and organ take over. A great track with iconic lyrics and remains a live favourite to this day.

'Traveller in Time' is essential Heep and a definitive highlight. The killer riff is classic Sabbath, Purple or Zeppelin; in other words classic rock. There is a delicious keyboard solo over scorching guitar riffs and the lyrics are downright fanciful but somehow appropriate.

'Easy Living' is the legendary single that always appears on compilations as quintessential Heep. It just motorvates at a quick tempo and drives headlong with grinding organ and guitar riffs. Absolutely wonderful and the first track I had heard from the band. I am sure many people would have only heard either this or 'Free Me' as they are the most recognisable singles. Every Heep fan knows this track and it is great to sing along to.

'Poet's Justice' is perhaps a lowlight and is quite forgettable though it does feature a great walking bassline and organ riff.

'Circle of Hands' is a more progressive song than the previous tracks with irregular beats and a great organ driven sustained motif. It is a strong track and one of the longest with a credible lead break that takes the song in a new direction.

'Rainbow Demon' is definitely one of the better tracks with a slow paced hard driving guitar and organ riff and a catchy chorus. I always found this to be a strong track and a perfect side two opener.

The next two tracks are rather forgettable but they are sandwiched with the wonderful closing track, 'The Spell'. This track has become a concert closer too in a medley with 'The Wizard' to good effect.

Overall this album is a great rocking delight for the Heep fan. The band would do better with albums to follow but this is still full of highlights. Very 'eavy and not very 'umble, it is still an album that is bombastic enough to confirm the hype surrounding it.

AtomicCrimsonRush Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet

The first Heep that I owned, Sweet Freedom, was bagged at a fair selling second hand junk. I saw this in one of the bins and snapped it up, not knowing much about this band except for their brilliant tracks Gypsy, Free Me and Easy Livin'. I did not know what to expect but I did not expect such a sugar coated melodic radio friendly sound on this album. It took me a few listens to get into the music, and now having scored other great Heep I have come to the conclusion that this is one of their most inept recordings.

It is difficult to find a decent rock track, as it is all played at a low volume and even crooned in places ooo-ooh ooo-ooh stealin' when I shoulda been buyin' So we have ascertained that this is one of the softest Heeps but is it any good?

It has great moments - Stealin IS memorable and great to sing to. So is Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeet Freeeeeeeeeeeeeddddoooooooooommmm.... Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet It works for me and I saw a DVD that showed how much the crowd loved these little classics.

However the rest of the album is forgettable and not very heavy. It is perhaps one of the safest and as a result mediocre releases of the band. Side One is definitely the best because I cannot even recall how any of Side 2 tracks go.

There is some great guitar work on the album and the vocals are top notch as ever. The thing that lets it down is the song content itself - the band seem so wrapped up in themes of dreaming of a better life, or being free or trying to find meaning - yet some band members had suicided by the end of the decade. This release actually leaves me cold as I know how great Heep can be with such master works as Demons and Wizards. THAT is a great release, not this Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeet Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet attempt at rock.

2 stars for the aforementioned songs.

AtomicCrimsonRush This Uriah Heep compilation is one that I return to often when I just want to indulge in the best moments of their rather extensive back catalogue. It has all the legendary songs that have made them firm favourites in my collection. Admittedly there are a few albums unrepresented but sincerely i do not miss them, especially some of their more recent non progressive material.

This 2 CD collection is an ideal starting point with those uninitiated and features just about every decent track from their early classics. Gypsy gets the ball rolling in style, with the hammering staccato Hammond and guitar that are trademarks of the band. This is followed by more early material such as the wonderful Bird Of Prey, The Park and Lady In Black. Quintessential treasures such as Look At Yourself, July Morning and The Wizard had to be here and it is a pleasure to hear the melodic heavy style that is generated by the band. Traveller In Time is another gem and of course the massive fast tempo single Easy Livin' that completes every compilation of the band.

Disc 2 begins with the manically impressive Rainbow Demon, followed by more from "Demons and Wizards", their greatest album. Paradise / The Spell continue fro this album and then we are treated to some blockbusters from "The Magician's Birthday", Sunrise, Blind Eye and the complete 10 minute epic The Magician's Birthday. Also Sweet Lorraine and Rain come from this awesome album. As the compilation continues chronologically it moves to the less impressive "Sweet Freedom" featuring the two best songs here Stealin' and Sweet Freedom, both of which have become live staples over the years. Then the more recent material completes the compilation, Wonderworld, The Easy Road and Return To Fantasy among the best.

Overall this package is a well produced delight for the newcomer to the group or just for those who want to listen to the best of this era without having to trawl through several albums. There's no harm in a compilation if it is compiled thoughtfully and with the best of the band, and this one, with endorsement from the band, and a nice poster with some footnotes from Dave Byron, is a terrific listening experience capturing all that is great about the mighty Uriah Heep.

AtomicCrimsonRush Perhaps one of the proggiest Uriah Heep releases "The Magicians Birthday" is a fantastic collection of songs that often find their way onto compilations of the group. There are no dull moments and most of these tracks tell a story that is compelling and surreal. 'Sunrise', 'Spider Woman' and 'Blind Eye' start this off with huge blues riffs and heavy distorted hammering riffs. Hensley's Hammond is an impactful force on each track giving a decidedly eerie effect.

'Echoes In The Dark' begins with a downright chilling intro with ethereal organ and dark riffs. It turns into a song full of very powerful riffs and atmospheres.

'Rain' is one of the quieter Heep Songs and it works okay as a break between all the mayhem. It became a popular entry in live performances as did 'Sweet Lorraine'. The album really gets into prog territory with the incredible 'Tales', but the piece de resistence is undoubtedly the 10 minute 'The Magician's Birthday'. This veritable icing on the cake features lengthy solos, tons of Hammond and guitar fills, along with isolated drums and even a kazoo for good measure. The quirky birthday tunes embedded are fun and of course the band were never taking them seriously... that came later.

Overall this album comes recommended for heavy prog fans and it is undoubtedly one of Uriah Heep's finest achievements.

AtomicCrimsonRush 'Eavy but not so 'Umble.

David Byron is a fantastic presence on this debut from massive Uriah Heep legends. One has to admire the sheer ferocity of the music with stabbing staccato blasts from Ken Hensley's organ and Mick Box's soaring lead guitar finesse. The rhythm machine of Paul Newton's bass and Ollie Olsson's percussion completed the sound. This is the album that unleashed the awesome power of the Heep.

It begins brilliantly with the crunching chords of Gypsy, a song I could never tire of. The way this hammers along with a blitzkrieg or grinding keyboards is a delight. Byron's vibrato compete beautifully with the distorted guitars and there is an amazing instrumental break. This is one to get hold of.

Next is Walking In Your Shadow with some heavy riffing from Box followed by acoustic beauty on Come Away Melinda. Lucy Blues is a heavy bluesy piece and Dreammare returns to the heavy prog vibe. Perhaps the proggiest moments are found on the very weird Wake Up (Set Your Sights), but this certainly is not the best that Heep could produce. That was yet to come but as a debut for a new band, this was an album full of stellar tracks and worth seeking out.

AtomicCrimsonRush One of the finest efforts from Morse, full of progressive elements that would satiate the pallete of any proghead (like myself).

It begins with the blistering 29 minute epic The Door which is broken into many parts like a multi movement suite in classical music. This is an incredible sophistocated piece of prog that thunders at times with awesome guitar riffs and at other times there is a solitude of acoustic and mellotron beauty. Portnoy on drums is at his best as usual, but it is Morse's vocal performance that gives this a majestic quality outside the realm of the type of material he was doing with Transatlantic or for that matter Spock's Beard. His heart and soul is poured out on this CD in 76 minutes of musical virtuosity par excellence.

The Conclusion is a mini epic running for about 17 minutes. It is a worthy addition to the Morse catalogue with complicated tempo changes and metrical patterns that range from Adante to Presto time signatures - 4/4 standard to complex couplets or triplets in 9/8 and beyond.

Heaven in my Heart is a beautiful ballad in true Morse style with emotional depth about his pure faith in God. Listen to that heavenly guitar for a great example of accomplished musicianship.

It ends with the wonderful 16 minute The Conclusion. What else? The concept of theological church history is strong but never overbearing towards the music as a whole. I appreciate how Morse has not sold out his prog roots even though his music has changed direction from the SB years. In fact the material on this album is some of the heaviest Morse has performed - including crunching guitar riffs and a very dark tone overall.

This is definitely an Excellent addition to any music collection.

AtomicCrimsonRush A fair judgement of this album... avoid if you do not like death metal growls and noise.

This is the album I checked out immediately after being blown away by Damnation. After having my ears caressed by the haunting progressive tones of Akerfeldt and co, imagine my disdain when confronted with this ear bleeding assault. Akerfeldt sounds like he has been swallowing gravel for breakfast, and there is way too much death metal growls, it never stops. Now, this might be fine for those out there who still think this is the way to present metal. in that case, try Morbid Angel or Sepultura.

Opeth are capable of great beauty and a balance of some death metal mixed with quieter moments works brilliantly. It has been done on subsequent albums BlackWater Park, and Ghost Reveries and Still Life and the latest and greatest Heritage is all the better for omitting the vomiting caustic vocals all together. The problem I have with this album is that I cannot stand an overabundance of death metal growls and therefore can never rate this album on a personal level more than 2 stars. However it has merit if you are into that style but count me out. For Absent Friends and A Fair Judgement are quieter moments but it is still not enough to enthrall me.

This is the worst Opeth album I have ever been inundated with. The songs are ridiculously long and boring with forgettable riffs and huge chunks of kanoodling for the sake of it, almost fillers of fillers. Wreath clocks 11:10; Deliverance 13:36 and By The Pain I See In Others almost 14 minutes, but nothing really happens in these tracks, just one repetitive riff after another and a bunch of screaming juvenile nonsense. Long songs need some diversity and I had trouble getting into any of this. There are a few shining moments but they are ruined with the abysmal growling and headache inducing distortion. Opeth are capable of brilliance but they are totally in the dark with this morbid mess.

AtomicCrimsonRush "Big gig today, people, big gig".

Okay, I finally got around to seeing Opeth live at Royal Albert Hall with a bunch of fans, and as usual with Opeth, as far as I am concerned, it is a real hit and miss affair. Parts of the concert send me into bliss with gorgeous guitars and vocals and amazing dextrous lead guitar with choppy riffs, and parts make me search for the skip button. Okay let's get past the first point of concern for me; the concert is perhaps designed for the younger target audience who prefer death metal growls over actual singing. To be honest there is a heck of a lot of gravel voice vocals on this, more than I expected or wished, as I have 4 albums and there are definitely large chunks without growling on albums; though not so here. Unfortunately, this live performance really focuses on the heavier side of Opeth with only the occasional let up in speed and growling. When Akerfeldt sings clean vocals it is mesmirising so I wish he'd shut the dang death growls up as it is really not that impressive. The band play all of Blackwater Park but I would have preferred Still Life.

Another point about the DVD is that the crowd are rather a subdued lot. Their preferred colour is black and mostly guys are present with a smattering of females. The crowd stand still, not much bouncing and moshing as they are there to listen I guess, not have a full body thrash work out. They are definitely into the music and enjoying it, but it is not a mosh session, which shows how different Opeth are in comparison to death metal bands that incite a virtual riot when playing live. The crowd are head banging and raising the horns as you expect. You can hear then yell out stuff during the pauses between tracks, at times quite amusing too.

Yet another point to make about this live DVD is it really is a no frills concert, a bit of smoke and some cool lighting, occasional strobes and an ominous glowing logo with the large screen showing pictures of forests and water, and album covers, to generate a part of the atmosphere, with nice swirling lights cascading across the transfixed crowd. The band pretty much stand in the one place and thrash one track after another, and head bang during the instrumentals. They don't speak much at all at first. At one point Akerfeldt pretends he is going to say something and then stops and just plays; quite a humorous touch. At the end of 'April Ethereal', Akerfeldt begins to open up, he does mention that the band have gone through changes; "a few people have been (pause) fired (laughter) and we have a new lineup". He then intros the guys that are new to rapturous applause. Then he mentions how he used to write when he was too poor to afford a demo and recording equipment. He just wrote things like the Morbid Angel riff 4 times, freaked out bridge and the Bathory section. Ironically I referenced those two bands on my review for Still Life ("The growling reminded me of the black metal I used to listen to with the likes of Bathory or Morbid Angel.") so I wasn't far off the mark as Opeth definitely are influenced by this extreme metal sound. Akerfeldt mentions that Still Life is their most complicated album and then proceeds to play the awesome 'The Moor' from this.

From the beautiful acoustic guitar, it leads to the familiar distorted riffs that blast in without remorse. Akerfeldt's growls are brutal and soul chilling. There is a clean vocal chorus and it is so refreshing. I longed for more of this. At 6 minutes in the riffing stops and we have an acoustic interlude, a moment of respite. The Damnation style clean vocals chime in and they are so good, like a different band. I was drawn into the music at this point. At the end of 'The Moor' Akerfeldt asks "was it good?" which is funny as obviously the response would be a massive roar. He tells the tale of how Steven Wilson emailed him once. The crowd roars at hearing that name mentioned in their presence. He goes onto say that "we hooked up, had dinner, kissed, and I asked him to produce the next record which was gonna be Blackwater Park." But Steve was also involved in Deliverance "making it more sick and evil and twisted" he continues, and he says they should play something nice as they are in such a nice environment "but we want to be bad." I kind of like these moments as it shows the humour of the band and their personalities come through.

Another point about this section of the concert during 'The Wreath', is that Akerfeldt snaps a string and does a very fast guitar switch. His hand signal to the roadie is interesting as he just stops playing but keeps growling away. The roadie just hands him a new guitar and plugs it in as Akerfeldt screams "cover me with sweat" and he just hooks it over his shoulder and starts playing it as if nothing happened. Well worth checking that out. Axe's drumming should be commended too as it is fantastic, though many might miss the style of Lopez of course. I liked his cymbals with holes in them. 'The Wreath' is a thrashy fast thing that has the cookie monster vocals, (I know, I stole that phrase from a reviewer here but that's what it is) and I prefer Oscar the Grouch vocals myself. 'The Wreath' comes from my least favourite Opeth album but was tolerable due to the amazing chord changes and structure.

In the pause between the songs, a girl yells out that she loves Akerfeldt, and he replies "how you doin'?" as he seems quite shy and nervous which is better than being obnoxious of course. The girl has leaped over the barricade and as she is escorted off by guards everyone applauds. Akerfeldt says it's a long show for a metal singer but luckily he still has a bit of voice. At this stage I was hoping that meant he would sing some quieter stuff. He does the beautiful 'Hope Leaves' from Damnation and of course it is a highlight for my ears. I love that album and every song on it is compelling; in fact that is how I came to know Opeth so it is personally one of my favourite moments of the show. The purple and blue lights with sparkling logo give the stage an ethereal appearance.

Then next is a moment of brilliance from Ghost Reveries, 'Harlequin Forest'. I must admit the concert was improving for me as the band moved onto the more progressive sound. The concert ends with Watershed's 'The Lotus Eater', which is of course is excellent as always. Akerfeldt mentions the leaving of Peter and Martin and intros the new members again. Axe has dyed his hair just for this concert, he says. This track is a masterful progressive thing with amazing time changes and innovation throughout. This time Fred breaks a string, or has a technical goof, and stuffs up his solo and it is quite humorous how he plays silently while the roadie tries to rig up a new guitar. Akerfeldt and the others watch with amusement as Fred is hooked up. The crowd quietly clap observing with interest. When Fred begins to play again there is a roar and the whole thing is an unforgettable moment. The band could easily have edited this out but kudos for keeping it in as it provides some entertaining and interesting footage. I believe in the interview mention is made of how a camera man stepped on a pedal and screwed up the sound, and these moments are what make this concert so compelling, as it is a raw concert DVD with all the mistakes unedited but left for us to talk about. There were some conversations about this section with the guys I watched with. It actually provided more intelligent conversations than the rest of the DVD which were basically phrases like, "awesome, unbelievable, shredder, what's he on about, Axe is better, I miss Lopez, and, shut those bloody growls up." At the end the band have a photo opportunity with lots of Opeth addicts and after a bow it is over with a standing ovation.

The special features are generally similar to Pain of Salvation, and Dream Theatre DVDs, in that they show a lot of behind the scenes stuff, tour footage, some interviews, fans spouting off "I am dead serious when I say Mikael Akerfeldt is the reincarnation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart", and a few outtakes from songs. They sign CDs and apparel, take photos of fans and talk at the fans meet and greet, one says "best day ever" and another is shivering with excitement. The sound check was intriguing, done in front of some chosen fans. I like the comment when they are heading down the stairwell to the stage and we hear someone say "It's Spinal Tap." We see a bit of the clean up afterwards, meeting fans back stage who are terminally polite and grateful and Fredrik turns to the camera and says, "you are nothing without your fans never forget that", and there are roadies loading the trucks while the band have a quiet drink with friends. In the truck Fred talks about the mistakes but said they were part of it all after months of build up and the tension they felt. We see Opeth hanging round bars and visiting a Deli with an eccentric owner, and we see them in the trucks getting drunker and funnier.These moments were highlights for me and held more interest than the actual concert.

Overall, this is a great concert for Opeth addicts of course, there are quieter moments but you have to search for them, but it delivers the heavier side of the band with brutal aggression. That is the target audience and it definitely is an extreme sound, and the Opeth fans sitting with me are obviously under the impression that it is a flawless DVD. Seeing past the fan boyism it really is not a masterpiece at all but certainly an excellent live record of the very special event. Personally I look forward to them touring Heritage as that would be worth seeing.

AtomicCrimsonRush Transition to greatness.

I was inspired to check this one out after having seen Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD so indulged in more Opeth, almost hoping that the brutal growling vocals would be used sparingly. The opening track did it for me. Beautiful acoustic Mikeal's wonderful clean voice and a guest from gorgeous vocal from angelic Nathalie Lorichs. The lyrics are filled with passion and pain; "Yes I can, see you, Running through the fields of sorrow, When you get out of here, When you leave me behind, You'll find that the years passed us by." A fantastic start.

'Heir Apparent' is a killer thrashing dark thing with tons of black metal influences and caustic brutal vocals. The riffs are even Morbid Angel meets Sepultura sound alikes. This is perhaps as heavy as Opeth get referencing their earlier material. It settles into synth flute and acoustic but only for a moment and then more riffing from newcomer Fredrik and speed double kick drumming from Axe who also does a great job on his first Opeth album.

'The Lotus Eater' is a great track I first heard on the Albert Hall DVD. I liked it better there but this is still full of innovation. The transition from clean to growling vocals is okay with me, and the lyrics are inventive; "All years caring for a liar, Benefit road is winding higher, You're a moth too close to the fire." The creepy interlude of synth is fantastic as are the lead breaks. The psychedelic passage of music is estranged but with a wonderful time sig culminating in the final moments and some of Akerfeldt's best singing. The end is talking to some girl about nonsense but it is effective.

'Burden' is an acoustic dreamy piece with some gorgeous vocals and atmospherics. The lyrics are somber and melancholy; "Some will ask goodbye, A broken line but underlined, There's an ocean of sorrow in you." Per's keyboard solo is fantastic. The song features a specific out of tune guitar outro that is rather chilling. It would be a pain doing that downtuning effect in concert as the guitar would be useless for the next number.

'Porcelain Heart' is another of the light and dark tracks, with quiet verses at the start and reeking of sadness and despair. The riff is okay, but the real drawcard is the sarcastic or cynical lyrics and Akerfeldt's vocal technique on sections such as; "I see roads beneath my feet, Lead me through wastelands of deceit, Rest your head now, don't you cry, Don't ever ask the reason why". The fade in of lead work and blasts of distortion are an effective augmentation.

'Hessian Peel' is a strange one with some interesting moments, even beginning with the weird note that doesn't belong there. The lyrics are melancholy expressions; "Will the children cry, When their mother dies, And in the autumn of their lives, Will they feel the same?" the reversed lyrics that follow are actually "My sweet satan I see you" and before one gets on their hobby horse about this backmasking, the whole thing was a joke reference to the backmasked words of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to heaven' that is now legendary ("here's to my sweet satan, no other made a path for it makes me sad who's power is satan"). I don't know how I acquire all this information. Anyway the song here is rather well structured with a heavier guitar sound in the middle, and growls at the end that explode suddenly and make me reach for the volume switch.

'Hex Omega' ends it all with an organ driven track. This is a rather pedestrian track without a lot of innovative moments. It has nice vocals for most of it singing about the demons we lock inside over the years become harmful to our sanity. The riffs are good but I prefer other tracks, though I love Per's majestic keyboards and his gentle piano.

So overall this album is a transitional album breaking in the new members but has nothing masterful on it unlike other Opeth albums to follow. It is what it is, a good album with average to good songs. If you are used to master works of the band you may be disappointed. At least I can say it is not as bad as the mess of Deliverance, but sits in between 3 or 4 stars for me. I will stick with 3 stars as I know the band are capable of so much better.

AtomicCrimsonRush Opeth's third best album!

Wow, this thing is getting 5 star reviews and gushing praise from the respected prog community so I suppose I better check it out. With a renewed interest in the band, after some horrible albums, I was pleased to revisit Opeth with such a progressive album. So here are my reactions to the tracks. Okay, let's see, 'Ghost of Perdition': very dark lyrics and brutal death vocals. The cleaner vocals are well sung as always, especially "Dedicated hunter, Waits to pull us under, Rose up to its call In his arms she'd fall, Mother light received, And a faithfull servant's free". Very strong riffs that are rhythmically akin to Tool. Very heavy guitars and growls balanced with gentler vocals and acoustics. A genuine Beauty and the beast, and I love the innovative structure and killer riffing.

'The Baying of the Hounds': the gravelly vocals sound like Morbid Angel, I actually remembered parts of Sacrificial Rites which I haven't heard for about 10 years. The cleaner sections are awesome. The riff is a bit boring at first, same as other Opeth songs. Great lead break with twin guitar solos from Mikael and Fredrik. Per's chiming keyboards are a great embellishment, and Steven Wilson style vocals set off the atmosphere admirably; "Drown in the deep mire, With past desires, Beneath the mire, Drown desire now with you." Powerful song

'Beneath the Mire': continues the theme of previous lyrics. It is basically an album about the ghosts that rise after death or some such twaddle. I was never into Opeth's themes but the music more than makes up for any atheistic tendencies. Once again this begins with brutal vocals and then we have the cleaner style eventually. This seems to be a trademark of Opeths, moving from one style to another suddenly. The piano is very nice on this with gentle guitar. The actual structure is again inventive and progressive. I was expecting more brutal vocals but most of this is actually the opposite. More death metal vocals do return though. The guitar playing is incredibly complex. One of the best tracks on the album.

'Atonement': the East Indian melodies and guitars are striking. The vocals are processed through a voice vocoder that makes them sound psychedelic and phased similar to Sabbath's Planet Caravan or Beatles Blue Jay Way. I love this song and rank it among the finest the band have produced to this point. This is more like the latest Heritage's feel than anything else on the album.

'Reverie / Harlequin Forest': this is another track I heard first on the live Albert Hall DVD. It is a great track with very solid vocals from Mikael; "A trail of sickness, leading to me, If I am haunted then you will see." The melody is excellent with inspired manic drumming from Axe and complex time changes. The acoustic section is terrific, and the section at 5 minutes including wonderful melodic vocals and a divine twin guitar solo.

'Hours of Wealth': an ambient intro with Per shining bright. Gentle vocals are so peaceful here, with a sweet melody and soulful reflective lyrics; "Looking through my window, I seem to recognize, All the people passing by, But I am alone, And far from home, And nobody knows me."

'The Grand Conjuration': an unforgettable haunting melody and certainly dark brutal chorus. Great shredding lead break and crunching rhythm metrical patterns. I heard this first on the metal TV show with a bleak clip with a man tortured by a maniac and a girl disappearing down the toilet bowl. The album version is better, twice as long, more complex, and with extra lyrics.

'Isolation Years': a paean to lost love as the protagonist discovers a suicide note; "There's a sense of longing in me, As I read Rosemary's letter, Her writing's honest, Can't forget the years she's lost." The quiet atmosphere is bleak but still wreaks of beauty thanks to the pretty acoustics and sentimental melody.

There is something haunting about this album; it balances the brutality with beauty as all good Opeth albums do. This album is up there with Still Life and Damnation for my tastes. Now that I have heard all of their progressive albums I rank it as Opeth's third best (1. Heritage, 2. Damnation, 3. Ghost Reveries) - 4 stars.

AtomicCrimsonRush This is the way to listen to Rush!

The best Rush live album is a 3 CD feast of all that is great about the power trio. The CDs are all over an hour of pure proto metal and feature a wide variety of tracks from most of the classic albums. It works as a kind of live greatest Rush tracks as this features the legendary songs that have made them so popular.

There have been other live albums of course, namely 1976 All the World's a Stage, 1981 Exit... Stage Left, and 1989 A Show of Hands but those albums are more or less promotional tools when the band were touring respective albums. Nine years later they have released this penultimate live experience and unlike previous live albums this one features a much greater range of tracks spannign all their albums. The live tracks featured are taken from classic Rush as well as the more recent at the time 1994 Counterparts and 1997 Test for Echo tours. CD 3 is a terrific nostalgic romp through the classic material performed during 1978 A Farewell to Kings tour.

There are no complaints if you are into high quality proto metal or prog. Highlights include: on CD 1 - Nobody's Hero (5:00); Closer To The Heart (5:13); 2112: (21:29) the full vesion! On Cd 2 Test For Echo (6:15); Freewill (5:36); Leave that thing alone (4:46); Natural science (8:06) - the first time I had heard this leading me to buy the actual album. On CD 3 Bastille Day (5:00); By-Tor and the snow dog (5:05); Xanadu (12:17); Farewell to kings (6:07); Cygnus X-1 (10:23); Anthem (4:39).

With all those highlights and more this is an irresistible album for the Rush addict. I rate it as high as possible as it the absolute best live record for the band thus far.

AtomicCrimsonRush Don't rush out to buy this one!

A very routine album has Rush going by the numbers with poor production values and badly mixed sounds. The guitars are repetitive and commercial sounding. The drums sound like Peart is banging the pots and pans in his kitchen. Lee sounds bored and his bass is nothing special here. Apart from one or two shining lights "Roll the Bones" fades into obscurity and is perhaps as bad as "Presto", though this is perhaps their worst album. Unlike the disappointing "Presto", "Roll the Bones" does have a few excellent tracks.

Dreamline is a great rocker with some innovative guitar work and is well structured. Bravado sounds good overall, and has a nice litle riff driving it. Roll The Bones is perhaps the best song on the album with a cool memorable lyric; "why are we here, because we're here, roll the bones..." or better still, "why does it happen, because it happens, roll the bones..." It has a groovy hook and sounds great live. The film clip promo was rather fun and it showed that the band could still enjoy their music, even if they shed their prog traits during this era.

Where's My Thing (Part IV of the "Gangster Of Boats Trilogy") is the first instrumental for years from the power trio, and it genuinely stands out as a highlight with the band letting loose and doing what they do best, rocking the roof off. After this we are inundated with mediocrity fillers such as the dismal The Big Wheel, Heresy and Ghost Of A Chance. Neurotica is better with a moderate tempo and some melodic hooks, and the album ends on the rather traditional You Bet Your Life, that is forgettable but sounds good while it plays.

The problem with the album is the lack of passion, the band sound tired and the songs for the most part are ruined by poor production, as though they were not using a sound engineer at all. It is so badly mixed that it would do well to re release this album as a remaster with remixes of the original masters. It certainly would not hurt because honestly this album is a slog to get through with only the aforementioned tracks to recommend it to anyone but the diehard Rush collector.

AtomicCrimsonRush A fair promotional tool for the brand new Metallica band that nobody had yet heard of. I remember hearing these songs thrashed on the metal radio show and I was not really convinced that the EP would be worth purchasing till I heard the awesome Creeping Death, one of their greatest compositions. The Blitzkrieg and Am I Evil cover versions are better than the original although Diamond Head were clear influences. The EP ended up in bargain bins, but it was nice taster of all that is great about the legendary Metallica.

The fake live versions of Seek & Destroy and Phantom Lord are more humourous than anything due to that crowd noise taken from some other band's concert. I guess the band were attempting to sound like they were popular but they were still very much an underground act doing the circuits of pubs and small venues. All that would change when the album Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets was released, and after that they were unstoppable and became a household name.

AtomicCrimsonRush Here is an album that really is a lot of fun to listen to as it features Metallica paying homage to their influences leading to metal stardom. Most metalheads will instantly recognise thes songs, most are classics, and Metallica give each track a sincere bash, somtimes even improving on the original . Highlights include Sabbra Cadabra - (Black Sabbath 1973), Mercyful Fate - (Mercyful Fate 1982), Astronomy - (Blue Öyster Cult 1974) and Helpless - (Diamond Head 1980). Actually the various Diamond Head tributes on offer are all excellent. Other standouts are Crash Course in Brain Surgery - (Budgie 1971), Breadfan - (Budgie 1973), Stone Cold Crazy - (Queen 1974), and Overkill - (Motörhead 1979). The album epitomises the roots of what became Metallica. The loving tributes are deftly played and Hetfield is in fine voice throughout. Not everything suits my tastes but there is enough here that makes it a worthwhile album to indulge in.

AtomicCrimsonRush Arabian sounds blended in with powerful metal riffs create a mesmirising journey.

Occasionally one hears an album that surprises for its sheer innovation. Myrath's "Tales of the Sands" was an immediate love affair for this reviewer. The music is absolutely stunning in it's originality and sleek powerful arrangements. There are truckloads of distorted metal riffs to divulge in, but the real drawcard is the way the band integrate Arabian/Tunisian melodies and instruments into the mix creating a sound that is unique and compelling. Right from the start on Under Siege, there is no mistaking the fact the band are staying close and true to the style of their country, and not only is this commendable, it is refreshing as this makes the band stand out among the plethora of other metal acts rising up. The female vocals are present on some tracks and overall the vocals are well performed, clean and powerfully delivered. The music is very listenable and quite complex utilising killer riffs and crunching time sig shapes using full blown metal blasts. There are fast tempo sections, blazing guitars, hammering drums and frenetic keyboards all balanced with strong melodic metal.

Braving the Seas is a fine example of the style of the band. The time sig shifts are terrific and the pace varies throughout. Zaher Zorgatti is an excellent vocalist, perhaps as good as any metal vocalist I have heard over recent years. He sings in English making this very accessible yet the style remains as oriental as anything you will hear from Tunisia. There is an Arabian feel throughout the album and this is noticeable especially on Merciless Times. The melody is infectious, particularly the fractured guitar riffs and wonderful keyboards by Elyes Bouchoucha that sound like Arabian violins.

On the title track Tales of the Sands the Tunisian flair is even more prominent and the massive bassline by Anis Jouini is powerful. The female vocals soar across all the metal rhythms, and it actually captures a Middle Eastern atmosphere. The keyboards match the distorted riffs and there is a divine lead break with some fret melting speed work from Malek Ben Arbia. It ends with an acoustic outro culminating in an amazing track that I could listen to numerous times and never tire of.

Oriental violin sounds begin Sour Sigh that are joined by devastating riffs and the accomplished vocals of Zaher Zorgatti. It builds in an intense chorus and some heart pounding rhythms. The riff at 3:38 is mesmirising and the lead break is sensational, serving to lift the track to another level. It reminds me of Dream Theater or Symphony X at times; dynamic metal with incredible vocals.

Dawn Within is a heavier track at first that settles into a moderate feel in the verses. There are fast paced passages balanced with melodic metal. At 2:03 minutes in it locks into a choppy riff and then is followed by the insane lead work of Malek Ben Arbia. The drum patterns of Saif Ouhibi are intense and expertly performed.

Wide Shut is one of my favourite tracks with strong Arabian keyboard violin sounds and guitar riffing. The complex time shifts on this are quite astounding. I recommend this track to all those who want to try the band for themselves. It encompasses all that makes this album great and unique. The lead break is dynamite with high squeals and frenetic speed, and there is a fabulous keyboard motif that the guitars riff along with. It even has a quiet section that showcases the gentler vocal expertise of Zorgatti.

Requiem for a Goodbye follows another dynamic synth line and Metallica like riffing, and a crunching hammer of guitar chords leading to a melodic chorus. The double kick drumming of Ouhibi are relentless. I particularly like the way the keyboard violins balance off all the distortion. Once again the lead break is scorching, super fast speed picking and sweeps, traded off with keyboard flourishes, similar to how Dream Theater take turns in the lengthy instrumental breaks. The whole thing soon settles down into a minimalist piano but it is temporary as the heavy guitars soon drive the track to its conclusion.

Beyond the Stars is another of the more Arabian sounding tracks with a violin sounding break towards the end and some warbling Arab style vocals throughout. It is a powerful mix and certainly is a part of this distinctive sound, blending perfectly and without pretentiousness. It is one of the reasons I rate this album so highly; it is unlike anything I have heard in prog metal and the band are so damned good at their craft it is amazing.

Time to Grow concludes the album with a forceful melody driven track that features a fast keyboard motif and lengthy instrumental lead break. This track sounds least Arabian but is short and the power metal riffs make a satisfying conclusion. The bonus track that is available is Apostrophe for a Legend, and it is not too bad though not as good as other tracks, sounding more AOR, though I like the melody.

In conclusion, I gained an enormous amount of enjoyment from this album, in particular the standout tracks are the title track, Under Siege, Braving the Seas, Sour Sigh, Wide Shut, Beyond the Stars and Requiem for a Goodbye. Overall the album can be recommended to Dream Theater, Symphony X, Kamelot or Riverside addicts. It is hard to find fault with it, as it just delivers from track to track; all killer and no filler. Metal heads will love this as will the prog fanatic into a heavier sound. It is certainly one of the most refreshing unique prog metal albums of recent times. I am going the full 5 stars for this; I was completely mesmirised from beginning to end.

AtomicCrimsonRush The best was yet to come, but this is where it all started.

Every band has a beginning. Every band has a debut album. Every band has a launching point. This is it and here's one to skip. Although I have all the Dream Theater albums and play them often, I rarely return to this lacklustre effort. Not that it's interminably bad, it's just not that good. What it lacks in lyrical talent it gains in musical ideas, I mean the music is incredible as you come to expect from Dream Theater. The guitars soar and there are massive lead breaks to savour. However the lyrics are rather poor, and the vocals are not up to what would become the Dream Theater standard of excellence. Dominici just doesn't cut it. it is a more mainstream album in terms of musical substance, it feels more like latter Queensryche than metal out of the box.

Well folks, there are highlight as always. Ytse Jam is an awesome treasure that has become a fan favourite for good reason. The Killing Hand is an 8 minute prog romp with huge keyboard flourishes and amazing guitar riffing. Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung of course were the mainstayers of the group but the missing ingredients are Labrie's towering vocals and the keyboard genius of Rudess. Dominici is horrid on vocals and ruins the album. Labrie totally lifted the band into the stratosphere when he joined.

Look at that appalling album cover! I usually love Dream Theater album covers but this artwork is self indulgent to the max; a bronzed man awaiting a DT brand, oh please! Thank heavens the band eventually were more inspired to create works of genius through Hipgnosis such as the iconic imagery of Octavarium.

I am aghast that respected proggers have given this 4 and 5 star ratings. Come on, not everything Dream Theater touches is pure gold, they were just getting started and this cannot possibly hold up to the brilliance of their later albums. The production quality alone is shockingly below par, and listening to Dominici attempt those high vocal passages is akin to having nails driven into your skull. Okay, nostalgically it has its place coming out in 1989 when metal was a driving force. But it was not a standout album for that year, and passed by unnoticed until Dream Theater actually became popular, and then it was a backlog item for the curious Dream Theater fan. Admittedly, Only a Matter of Time really resonates with me and is a favourite, but I am no fan of this album, and can barely wrench 2 stars out for this.

AtomicCrimsonRush My first introduction to this incredible band began right here.

A friend said you have to hear this and I had no idea what to expect. When I heard that choppy off sync riff of 6:00 I was hooked immediately; "6:00 on a Christmas morning, 6:00 on a Christmas morning". The amazing dexterity of the group, the skills of Petrucci, Portnoy and LaBrie are unsurpassed. I knew this was a super group and of course they are still churning out one excellent album after another. Back in 1994 Awake was flooring the critics, they were hailing Dream Theater as master musicians, and they have improved since then. Rudess replacing Moore was one way, although Moore is an accomplished keyboardist on this album. Myung is a fantastic bassist and shines on Awake. Best songs are 6:00 which begins with Portnoy's drums and a crunching memorable riff. I love the chorus with LaBrie powering out an amazing performance; "Melody walks through the door and Memory flies out the window, nobody knows what they want til they finally let it all go".

Caught in a Web is truly a masterful track that sounds awesome here. LaBrie is fantastic on vocals, his high register is faultless. Moore is a virtuoso on this too, and since I have heard Rudess on this and both sound amazing in the solo section.

Erotomania is an instrumental that is tight, taut and terrific. Lots of fast paced lead work makes this one of the great showpieces of the album.

Voices is one of the all time greatest DT tracks with a strange time sig and massive lead break. It became a fan favourite live for good reason. LaBrie is powerful and retains a complex melody blending perfectly with the instruments.

The Mirror is another of the highlights with monster riffing guitars and keyboards to accompany. This one should have been played live more often, but it is great to return to on this album.

Lifting Shadows Off a Dream features very melodic verses and once again Moore is able to fly into a wonderful keyboard solo.

Scarred is awesome due to Myung's contribution along with Portnoy. They are an indelible rhythm machine. It builds into a full blown metal passage, and detours into many time sig changes.

Space-Dye Vest is a classic DT song and the last time Moore would play on an album before being replaced. There is a melancholy feel as though saying farewell to a friend. The spacey atmospherics are wondrous and it is a perfect way to end an excellent prog metal album.

So overall I was blown away by Awake and of course ended up getting hold of everything the band would produce. I can comfortably award this 4 stars as it is one of the best DT albums and one of the best of 1994.

AtomicCrimsonRush This Dream Theater album did not really blow me away as much as Awake, Images and Words, Scenes From A Memory, or Octavarium to follow but it was still an enjoyable listen. There are songs on offer here that have become classics in the DT catalogue. New Millenium is one of the best with a fantastic instrumental overture and infectious hook. Peruvian Skies is one of the greatest DT songs and a fan favourite live with a strong melody sounding something like Rush or Budgie at times. It builds up to a heavier feel as the song progresses. Petrucci is great on the lead break as always. Burning My Soul is a heavy track sounding like vintage Led Zeppelin meets Metallica. The riffing is killer and LaBrie really powers this out. Lines in the Sand features beautiful keyboard work of Sherinian. Trial of Tears is lengthy and there is a well executed acoustic passage from Petrucci. The song is emotively performed and thoughtfully structured.

Unfortunately there are some lowlights that mar a stronger rating for the album. Hollow Years is very commercial sounding and quite dull. The acoustics are okay but it is so radio friendly that it is quite out of place here. Having said this it has been improved on some live CDs. Take Away My Pain is a slow ballad focusing on farewelling Petrucci's late father, however it is dull and floats along on a boring melody that does not sit right with me at all. It is a real fish out of water on this album which is unfortunate given the emotional subject matter. You Not Me is quite appalling with saccharine sweet lyrics and annoying melody. Just Let Me Breathe is a snorefest that does not do anything for me to be honest. The other songs not mentioned here are okay but once again not up to the high standard of DT songs previous or to come.

In conclusion the album is certainly full of solid moments but it is by no means a masterpiece. It is perhaps one of the weaker DT albums for all the aforementioned reasons but it still warrants 3 stars for the few highlights.

AtomicCrimsonRush The reinvention of Progressive Metal.

Did Images and Words begin prog metal? 1992 seems like an eternity away now but in its time this album was absolutely the pinnacle of what became prog metal. So many bands owe their existence to this album. It is little wonder why crowds get excited when LaBrie shouts "we are going to do one from Images and Words!" The real master tracks are obvious as they are the ones played live often and they are the ones that every DT fan loves. One of those tracks is the brilliant Pull Me Under. Infectious riffing and melodic cohesiveness makes this one of the all time greatest prog metal songs.

Another one of the classics is undoubtedly Metropolis - Pt. I "The Miracle And The Sleeper". This may be in the top 10 best DT songs, as it features an epic majesty made possible with layers of Moore's keyboards over Myung's relentless bass and Portnoy's sporadic drumming. The time sigs are off kilter and deranged at times. Amidst the chaos LaBrie shines on vocals. If that does not grab you the lead guitar fret work is impeccable from Petrucci.

Under A Glass Moon is a definitive DT track appearing in many concerts. The guitar solos are phenomenal and there are quite a few. The riffing is incredible too making this a bonafide classic. The lead breaks are indispensable and ingrained in metal history.

Learning To Live is quintessential DT with virtuoso solos and musicianship. LaBrie is on fire and you have to love the time sig and bassline. LaBrie's voice is powerful throughout the album, higher than recent years of course because his voice was undamaged by age.

Of course there are other tracks and they are all very good, some may call them masterpieces. The point is, this album is a vital component in the resurgence of prog rock. Prog was dying in the 80s, and barely surviving in the 90s, but Dream Theater created the music they wanted to hear despite the avalanche of rap and other so called musical styles trying to drown out the voice of prog for ever. Images and Words is all killer and no filler the way an album should be. It may not be as genius as Ocatavarium or in the same vein as Scenes From A Memory to come, but this is an important album that cemented prog metal as the new giants of the industry. After this album there was no looking back - the gods of prog metal had been awakened.

AtomicCrimsonRush The most metallic and least progressive album of the Dream Theater machine.

This album really divides fans and for good reason. The keyboards are really pulled back to the background and Rudess all but disappears. The focus is on shredding crunching distorted guitars, and man, does it destroy! Petrucci blazes on every track and slaughters all other instruments. The usually amazing Myung is a whisper on bass, and Portnoy drums heavier in order to keep up with the blitzkrieg of metal. LaBrie does his best James Hetfield imitation and kind of pulls it off, without using a death growl. We would have to wait for Black Clouds and Silver Linings to hear that from Portnoy. All in all I guess this one pleased metal fans and alienated the prog fans. It is a genuine fish out of water for the band and goes down in history as being the darkest heaviest DT studio recording. The songs were apparently written in two weeks and some of them sound like it. As usual there are highlights and they are quite apparent when you hear this a few times. The all seeing eye on the front cover stares us down as if to suggest we are watching for your reaction. Unfortunately at the time the reaction was not all that favourable with many DT fans being disappointed that the DT magic had been replaced by an onslaught of aggression layered Slayeresque brutalised riffs. The highlights are well documented but my opinion is there are at least 4 standouts worth mentioning.

As I Am is undoubtedly the one track that most DT fans adore. It has a strong melody and powerful riff that locks into your skull. The lead work of Petrucci is dynamic and overall this one really kicks along well and works great as a live number.

Endless Sacrifice is great and Rudess resurfaces with some scintillating keyboard work. It is written for Petrucci's wife and as a power ballad works on many levels; emotionally and has virtuoso musicianship. LaBrie sounds better than the Dalek distortion used at the beginning of this album.

Honor Thy Father is a dark excursion into some angry territory; a hatesong from Portnoy. It sounds something like what Tool or Gary Numan might produce lyrically. There are some strange narrations hidden within, perhaps from an old film but I have no idea which. A real curiosity but one of the highlights.

Stream Of Consciousness is definitely the most progressive track on the album. It deatures virtuoso musicianship and some of the most skillful guitar work from Petrucci.

Other songs have moments but are not up to the standard of usual DT classics. I do not mind the closer In The Name Of God, particularly due to the subject matter of religious zealots murderous intention, perhaps another 9/11 tribute in the vein of "Octavarium"'s Sacrificed Sons.

Overall this much maligned album has its merits but it is definitely the heaviest metal. Like a rollercoaster there are twists and turns in the lengthy songs but they are not as progressive as one may think, rather simply long soloing to make up each song. For all these reasons a fair rating is 3 stars, because DT are capable of so much more and they deliver this in albums to follow.

AtomicCrimsonRush A stunning tribute to the 70s.

No death metal growls! Okay, now we have got that out of the way we can commence (I loathe the over abundance of death growls in metal). Allow me to get personal for a moment. I love this album for the same reason I loved 'Damnation'. Akerfeldt has a great voice and he uses it well on this album, and the band are inventive virtuoso musicians and they are incredible on this release. I discovered Opeth on 'Damnation' and adored every part of it. I was completely dismayed after this that 'Deliverance', my next Opeth album, was infested with death metal growling. I had discarded that style years ago, it simply is not for me. I don't mind that others like it, I used to also, but I can't stand it now. So I decided that Opeth was not for me. Opeth get rave reviews such as the incredibly diverse Watershed and Ghost Reveries that I had to dip my toes in again and I was actually quite pleased with what I heard, thinking perhaps Opeth is for me, I just have to skip the tracks that don't appeal. Not ideal I know but they are excellent musos and deserve recognition. Anyway, I read the reviews for the new album and all of them said the same thing ' no death metal vocals. Okay, here we go. I had no idea I was going to encounter a throwback to the 70s! Here are the tracks.

1. Heritage and 2. The Devil's Orchard - After a quiet melancholy piano intro accompanied by bassist Martin Mendez.

Track 2 seamlessly begins with the gorgeous Hammond sound of the 70s. Then we are treated to a King Crimson guitar polyrhythm ' The Black Sabbath dark lyrics and atmosphere is unmistakeable.

3 I Feel the Dark - An acoustic intro, a steady beat, inspired singing, spacey effects, time sig changes, lots of beautiful flute.

4 Slither - A heavier sound but still no metal distortion. More classic Sabbath guitar and keyboards, awesome riffs, a Hammond organ shimmering, an excellent lead break and some minimalist acoustic.

5 Nepenthe - Begins with soft acoustics, and weird jazz improvised drums, very slow pace and key pads. Akerfeldt is great with clean vocals sounding like like Camel. There are Psych prog embellishments, and reflective lyrics; 'in my darkest hour, yes, trust me with the light'. A King Crimson style guitar riff locks in, with soaring lead guitar, then more jazz drums. This is a real oddity, but quite entrancing, then a screaming killer lead solo breaks in, but suddenly drops out for an ambient passage of keys and guitar with those brush drums. Vocals return, singing, 'She would haunt my dreams,' and after a verse it's over. Opeth are a new animal here, and I love it. It's not prog metal, its eclectic mixed with jazz fusion.

6 Haxprocess - This incredible track features some very strange time sig that almost feels improvised, and thee is a very strong dark atmosphere. Akerfeldt is extremely quiet, and sounds like the early 70s. Ambient effects of acoustic and dark sustained key pads create a bleak feeling of despair. Finally a rhythmic guitar begins and some Gothic lyrics with surreal imagery focussing on 'one eternal winter' and 'one forgotten season, secrets in the mire, moon is riding high, save your children, drenched in poverty, tracks in the snow,' The guitar solo is completely devoid of any rhythm, and all other instruments drop out. There is beauty in the playing, and I am in awe of how much this sounds like Latimer or Hackett. The sound of children's playful voices is heard and later a haunting piano in the distance. The atmosphere is uninviting but very Opeth.

7 Famine - This is a long song at over 8 minutes beginning with a Jethro Tull flute, strange crying effects, a low drone and then African tom tom drums. Sad vocals and lyrics sing slowly over a lonely piano, 'I can't see your face and I can't breathe your air, so I wonder why I get caught inside when I hear your name.' Immediately a Fripp like guitar chimes in, and then blasts of drums and a massive Hammond crashing on the chords, sheer prog bliss. Akerfeldt's voice rises in pitch and it is a stand out moment on this album. The musicianship is unrepentant of the 70s sound, it seems it is designed to pay tribute to those classic 70s prog bands. The lyrics are even as weird as the 70s psych prog, 'Into the fire of my youth comes the devil again, when you feel your way, feel your way'. The song gets surreal and detours into new time sig territory, with very sporadic metrical patterns and crazy freakout Hammond and flute. There is a dissonant jazz feel and a bizarre riff that is impossible to pin down at first but it settles into an ethereal warbling flute over acoustic flourishes. The music draws me in as Akerfeldt sings with longing and pain, 'I would die, my heart was empty, come a ghost in perpetual void and neglect our reasons why'. Cue an echo and Ian Anderson must have channelled his presence as that is his flute. The droning organ caps off one of the best Opeth tracks, certainly the most experimental. The sepulchral laughing voice at the end is downright creepy and preternatural. How could you not be mesmirised by all this high strangeness? Opeth are going out on a limb and just taking too many risks but it actually works. Check this track out as it typifies the new Opeth approach.

8 The Lines in My Hand - This one returns to good old classic rock with cool riffs and spacey psych synthesizer. Akerfeldt sounds great on vocals and the verse is repeated over and over speaking about 'dying in the wake'. The acoustic breaks are well executed and there are so many various time changes and instrumental breaks to indulge in. The song changes mid way through with a kind of Camel style, as Akerfeldt sings 'the writing's on the wall'. I loved this track, and perhaps this would be the one to check out along with Famine to find out whether this album is really for you.

9 Folklore - Guitarist Fredrik Akesson presents a wonderful clean guitar for an intro, but it sounds great and the riff is missing a beat or two which is unsettling to the ears but very progressive for that reason. The vocals sound like the effect on Sabbath's Planet Caravan processed through an effects vocoder, very 70s, 'Hey you, will you, be true, when you can.' The shimmering Hammond waits around the corner and blasts now and then like an old friend. I like the melody that is consistently out of sync, if that makes sense. I like the part with the lyrics, 'lost control, call your name, left me home, pouring rain, in the sea, of guilt and shame, we just stay'. The music even feels uplifting for a change, and the guitar solo is excellent old classic rock style. It fades away like an old 70s vinyl album.

10 Marrow of the earth - The last one may be one of the highlights in terms of beautiful guitar playing for Opeth. It is a dominant acoustic feel throughout, and very mellow vibes are created so well, the finger work is excellent.

So now we have two Opeths - the heavy death metal Opeth such as on 'Deliverance', 'Still Life' and 'Ghost Reveries', and we have the other Opeth that is full blown progressive such as on 'Damnation' and now 'Heritage'. You will perhaps be a fan of one or the other, but not both so this will be a test for Opeth's fanbase and how they will incorporate these tracks with the likes of those on 'Ghost Reveries' is beyond me, but they will. There were always quiet proggy moments on Opeth albums but this is their most progressive album I would suggest. It actually goes to great lengths to be as progressive as eclectic and symphonic bands of the 70s and even reminds me of Pain of Salvation and Riverside and of course Porcupine Tree, as Steven Wilson helmed the mixing again. This will no doubt alienate the huge fan base, but Opeth were never going to remain in one genre, they never have and that is why they are so endearing. I for one am pleased with this new approach and hope they stick to it as they do it so well. This is my favourite Opeth album hands down, and I am an Opeth convert if they continue on this path.