The second that I placed this CD in the changer I was reminded of the first Dream Theater album When Dream And Day Unite. Since I really enjoyed that piece of "forgotten metal (as not many Dream Theater fans choose to recognize it), I knew this would not be a bad listen. The band comes to us out of France, and I was surprised for that Country is not known for power or progressive metal as much as Finland or Sweden are. There are some very good hooks on this CD, and the fans of the genre will be happy that nothing is lost in the area of technical ability. Everyone in the group plays their instruments very well, and the singer has a truly passionate voice that is very similar to a younger Geoff Tate. Never a bad comparison.
Among the highlights of the CD are the opening track "The Masks Will Fall", and "All We Are" (not a remake of the popular Warlock track), and "Beyond The Golden Gates". The production is clean, but I felt as if the drums could have used a little bringing more to the front than they received. There are so many of those early Theater hooks, so I am thinking the group had them as a big influence. It seems as though Progressive Metal is overtaking itself sometimes. With stalwarts such as Sonata Arctica and company continuing to raise the banner, it is a little difficult to find much originality in every single track nowadays. The Lads from France do succeed in delivering a solid metal record nonetheless.
The lineup for the CD is as follows: Sebastien Vibert (keyboards), Nicholas Jean Pierre (Bass), Gerard Fois (Vocals, Acoustic Guitar), Christophe Offredi (Guitars), and Alexandre Stellini (Drums). I was not provided a lyric book, and am not sure the CD comes with one. However, the cover artwork of a triumphant Eagle character is quite impressive. I believe this is the "Morphoenix" that one of the tunes sings of. Take a visit to their website and download some samples, you might enjoy them if you are a fan of this genre.
Track List
1. The Masks Will Fall
2. Guardians
3. All We Are
4. New World
5. Real
6. Secret Place
7. Beyond (The Golden Gates)
8. Prelude (Death Is Not The End)
9. Back Into The Light (Renaissance)
10. Morphoenix
11. The Moon King
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