martindavey87 We all love concept albums, right? If there was one cliché that firmly embodies the essence of progressive music it's concept albums. Records which use narratives to link all the songs together, they often encapsulate the peak of an artist's creativity and on most occasions, the peak of their commercial and critical success. However, if rock operas can be seen as "prog 101", then we all know what to expect somewhere down the line... the sequel!

And that brings us to 'Room V' (that's "Room Five"), Shadow Gallery's sequel to the excellent 'Tyranny' album. I'm not going to deny, the story is a bit challenging to follow, and certainly not something I can summarize in a way that makes sense. It involves government conspiracies, biological weapons, and umm... lots of amazing music!

Anyone familiar with Shadow Gallery will know what to expect from this band, and for those of you who aren't... well, they're a progressive metal band... come on! Full of incredibly mind-blowing musicianship, heartfelt and sincere vocals, and plenty of catchy chorus's that'll have you humming along to every word, there's plenty of twists and turns in the plot that keep the music engaging throughout. There's also an abundance of interludes and rather unnecessary musical passages that make the album feel slightly cluttered at times, and extends the duration to a staggering 75 minutes.

However, the band compensate for the duration of the album with arguably some of their strongest work, with highlights including 'The Archer of Ben Salem', 'Vow', 'The Andromeda Strain', 'Comfort Me' and the title track, 'Room V'. Each one makes all the segues and interludes tolerable.

Proving why Shadow Gallery are one of the most underrated bands the genre has to offer, 'Room V' is an incredible album, and a worthy sequel to 'Tyranny'.

thellama73 I am not a fan of Prog metal at all. I picked this album up on a whim without knowing anything about it. After owning it for a while and giving it quite a few listens, I feel qualified to review it.

There is no doubt that this is a talented group of musicians, all technically excellent. Many of the songs are well written, with a balance between ballads and rockers, although a few too many of the former for my liking. The song writing is, on the whole, good. Some of the lyrics are pretty bad, but not so much that detracts overly from the music. The highlight of the album is The Archer of Ben Salam, which rocks harder than anything else on the record. My main complaint, as with many Neo-Prog and Prog metal bands is with the singer. While he can sing, his voice lacks character. Why should I care what this guy has to say? He sounds just like a million other singers out there. One of the hallmarks of Prog has always been distinctive singers like Geddy Lee, Jon Anderson, Peter Gabriel and Ian Anderson. Another problem that music of this sort often runs into is the lack of emotion. Despite (and partially because of) their technical prowess, they at times end up sounding like music machines, churning out Prog metal by rote. I used to really dislike this album, but now I am forced to concede that it is quite good, but certainly not essential.