Reviews
2007-04-29
There's no denying Dol Ammad mastermind's Thanasis Lightbridge's epic scope, the group's second release is nothing short of mythological in scope, it's an impressive, virtuosic piece of work that though bearing some similarities to
Therion, still injects plenty of fresh ideas into the mix.
What is this all about? Basically it's a prog metal album, heavily reliant on Synthesizers and electronic variations, with the vocals being handled by a male and female choir. The only solo vocal here is handled by
Silent Force's DC Cooper, who does his usual fine job at it.
The opening "Thalassa Dominion" is a long segment divided into 4 parts, of which the second is my favorite, as it is the most aggressive bit; some truly staggering musicianship, tight guitar work, fine drumming courtesy of
Rhapsody's Alex Holzwarth, and the usual outstanding prog work by Thanasis himself. Some bits are heavy prog material, such as the third part of the saga, which has nothing metallic about it, but prog fans should salivate over this easily. "Solarwinds" is another cut which won me over easily, speed metal speed with some heavy riffs.
The album is quite staggering to listen to, and definitely futures some awe inspiring playing abilities, but I would still like to hear the band with a real vocalist in the middle, something like Therion started doing in their last two albums. In any case, you cannot be a prog metal fan and miss this.
Alon Miasnikov
