Nothing against their recent work with thrash titans Megadeth, but after a few quick listens to the latest from Eidolon, I'm wondering whether the Drover brothers would be better off concentrating all their efforts with this little progressive power metal project that now seems ready to really to take off in a big way. The band have released numerous albums over the years since their debut back in 1996, and each release has seen the band get more and more polished. Now with The Parallel Otherworld, all their hard work seems to have paid off, as the album just bristles with metal power. Joining Glen and Shawn Drover on the album is new singer Nils K. Rue, who many will recognize as the singer from Pagans Mind, and bassist AdrianRobichaud. Quite simply, that is a line-up that kills on all levels. Glen's guitar riffs are monstrous here, thick, technical, and just so impressive from a lead and rhythm standpoint that they drive each song to giant heights that you don't always see in the progressive metal genre. The rhythm section of Shawn and Adrian lock down plenty of intricate grooves, and the vocal prowess of Rue is the last piece to the puzzle that has taken this band over the hump.
The opening title track is an epic of crunchy yet symphonic progressive metal, with soaring vocals, lush keyboards, and an assortment of technical guitar passages. If you like bone-crunching metal with killer riffs that never let up, as well as high pitched histrionic vocals, look no further than "Arcturus #9" and "External Call", two songs that will instantly appeal to fans of Iced Earth, Fates Warning, and early Savatage. The progressive and atmospheric "Ghost World" sees Glen Drover offer not only plenty of power riffs but also some gentle clean strummed passages, and "Thousand Winters Old" is dark, menacing, and thunderous, with plenty of raging rhythms and brutal riffs.Speaking of riffs, Drover is all over the place on the complex metal insanity of "Spirit Sanctuary", which also sees Rue wailing with seemingly unstoppable energy, really capturing the upper register quite well. Other highlights include the full-speed-ahead pounder "Shadowanderer", and the excellent rendition of Mercyful Fate's "The Oath", with Rue doing a drop-dead King Diamond impression.
Sound like an all-around solid metal release? You betcha. Eidolon have put together a truly heavy album here with The Parallel Otherworld, and one that also has plenty to please the prog & power metal fans out there. With perhaps the most killer guitar sound going today and plenty of powerful vocals, Eidolon's latest is sure to turn heads and wind up as a favorite of many this year.
Track Listing
1. Parallel Otherworld
2. Arcturus #9
3. External Call
4. Ghost World
5. Thousand Winters Old
6. Spirit Sanctuary
7. Order of the White Light
8. Astral Flight
9. Shadowanderer (Ferdamannen)
10. Oath
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