A COSMIC TRAIL — II: Mistral (review)

A COSMIC TRAIL — II: Mistral album cover Album · 2013 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Kev Rowland
From the title it probably comes as no surprise to hear that this is the second album from this German instrumental prog act, following on from 2010’s ‘The Outer Planes’. Apparently that CD is now completely sold out, so if you want to hear their music you are going to have to plump for this one. The label characterises them as a progressive metal act, and although I can see why they are stating that, given that the guitars can riff and blast away at times, but for a large part of the album they are far more atmospheric and about the feel and emotion. They paint a fairly bleak soundscape, with little in the way of warmth, which is reflected in the black and white artwork to boot. Apparently they work to the mantra of producing music that is “widescreen cinema for your ears” and I get that, as this has a big sound it feels that it is out in the open landscapes as opposed to being constrained inside a tiny room.

Their music is obviously influenced by elements from rock, prog, metal, jazz, folk and soundtracks and they bring in twists and changes that create a distinctive atmosphere. However, there are times when one feels that they have slightly lost their sense of direction, and it isn’t as vibrant and compelling as it could have been. It is always interesting to hear a fully instrumental prog album, and while not essential it certainly contains enough elements and ideas to make it definitely worth seeking out. www.puresteel-records.com
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Tarantula Heart Sludge Metal
MELVINS
Buy this album from MMA partners
God Damned You To Hell Traditional Doom Metal
FRIENDS OF HELL
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Absence Melodic Death Metal
THE ABSENCE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Unextinct Technical Death Metal
HIDEOUS DIVINITY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Powerlords Power Metal
ELETTRA STORM
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Fallen Ashes - Wage War (Official Lyric Video)
FALLEN ASHES
Bosh66· 6 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Unreality (Single) 2024
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 6 days ago
EXISTENTIAL DEAD - Cold Hands
EXISTENTIAL DEAD
Bosh66· 6 days ago
IRON MONKEY - Misanthropizer (Official Music Video)
IRON MONKEY
Bosh66· 8 days ago
??? (Losing ART) - "????" (Official Music Video) [HD]
漂浮者樂團
Bosh66· 9 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed