Characterised by warm, smooth arrangements and mood enhancing keyboard parts Perspectives, album number three from Lord of Mushrooms, is a cohesive and sophisticated return from the cosmopolitan prog mettallers who number two Frenchman, two Italians and a Brazilian. Lord of Mushrooms have a long history, being founded by guitarist Laurent James and bassist Julien Negro in the late 90s, Perspectives being the somewhat belated follow-up to their self-titled album from 2002 and 7 Deadly Songs from 2005. This long gap between releases is reflected in that there have been changes in the ranks with the introduction of three new members, the most notable being that the band is now fronted by Gus Monsanto (ex Adagio). Effectively this is a very different proposition from the line-up that recorded the first two albums but with such an unusual and memorable name you can't really blame them for sticking with the moniker.
Perspectives follows the well worn concept format with the protagonist being followed on a journey of discovery and this is reflected in the suitably abstract cover art. Despite the narrative concept Lord of Mushrooms manage to avoid the obvious pitfalls and the music is focused on giving each song its own individuality with enough catchy hooks and melodies to provide broad appeal. There is good evidence of technical virtuosity, most notably in the creative flair of the riff heavy "Warm in the Wilderness" and "Raindrops on my Wings", eight minutes of varying themes with Laurent's guitars dovetailing nicely with the keyboard washes of Luca Mariotti. Monsanto's vocals are consistent throughout and this marks a welcome return from a band that will find many admirers within the prog community.
Track Listing
1. Imago
2. Warmth In The Wilderness
3. Grace (Dedicated To…)
4. Circles On The Water
5. The Missing Link
6. Red Queen's Race
7. Light And Thunder
8. Raindrops On My Wings
9. Nyx's Robe
10. Awaken
11. Falling (Bonus Track)
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