It can be best described as progressive metal and a musical having a ...
937085
I have been waiting years for this album to come out and it has lived up to every expectation I had based on the original demos I heard on their bandcamp page. It can be best described as progressive metal and a musical having a love child of creative musicianship and intertwined composition. It is currently at the top of my list for most unique metal album of the year.
681174
I just recorded this album to CD from a good quality piece of vinyl which I picked up for $1 at the Salvation Army.  The software I have to clean it up only found 57,000 scratches!

In the early '70s, concept albums were "hot."  Mr. Stewart's concept was to write a musical history of the 20th Century, writing a song for each decade, but he managed to touch more universal human themes.  The music is a cross between acoustic rock and progressive rock, relying on layered acoustic and Spanish guitars with some fairly complex cord structures rather than the synthesizer heavy fusion of rock and quasi-classical music used by most progressive bands.

The album is not the masterpiece some of the reviewers claim it is, but it contains two masterpieces, "Roads to Moscow," and "Nostradamus."  "Roads" tells the story of a Russian partisan hero who fought the Germans in WWII, only to be shipped off to Siberia because the Germans captured him for a day and released him while they were fleeing Russia.  Much of it is played on mandolins, which gives it a very Russian feel.  "Nostradamus" is a recitation of sorts of some of the great French seer's predictions.  These are great, accessible extended accoustic pieces.  "Terminal Eyes," a near masterpiece, is a suicide song, reminiscent of John Lennon's "I am the Walrus."  The rest of the songs are not on the same level, but are none the less enjoyable.
2707161
Angel Dust gives the listener something fairly unique to progressive/power/epic metal music in that you rarely hear guitars THIS heavy coupled with a piano as is the case on the opening track "Bleed" (keyboards and synth maybe but not a piano, though it may be the keyboards that are mimicking a piano sound)).  I mean, this is some heavy stuff--Iced Earth heavy--but the intertwining piano melody really throws you off.  And that is good!  As the album moves on, the keys take on a more traditional prog metal sound (think Awake-era Dream Theater) but it is still good.  The songwriting is very strong on Bleed and the keys never overshadow the rest of the band as happens all too often in progressive metal (no, I'm not saying Angel Dust is prog but they do have similarities to many prog bands).  Angel Dust's singer is good, though he is a bit rough.  Don't let this scare you off but he (AD's lead singer) kinda reminds me of Offspring's lead vocalist only not nearly as annoying.
Angel Dust, from what I understand, used to be a thrash metal band and sometimes you can still hear that side of them.  This is a good thing for it makes Bleed (and Angel Dust) all the more interesting and unique.
This album is for fans of Iced Earth, Savatage, Dream Theater & Superior.  I'm not saying that's what Angel Dust sounds like (though there are some similarities to all four aforementioned bands), I'm just saying that if you like those four bands, you'll probably like Angel Dust's Bleed.
Angel Dust walks in the gray area that seperates power metal from progressive metal and epic metal from thrash metal.  I don't know what to call 'em, but they're good.
4691085
When I first listened to the album, it sounded like one of those heavy metal bands where the singer is going crazy and isn't making real music. But after a couple of times listening through, certain songs are starting to grow on me and I enjoy the music on this album more. The standouts on this album include, "Rich" (love the riff that drives the song), "Date with the Night" (catchy beat, my style of music), "Maps" (alternative rock sound that could make this song a hit), and "Y Control" (cool background noise, rhythym makes you want to jump). I would reccommend this album to anyone who likes heavy-metal, punk rock, or garage revival music. The songs can sound very cool.
1942612
This is another solid release by Opeth, and they have a right to make any type of album they want. If you are looking for Ghost Reveries, Still Life, or Blackwater Park, then you should look elsewhere.  This is a throwback, 70s vibe progressive rock release in the vein of something you would expect from Steven Wilson or Motorpsycho.  It took me a long time to accept the growls in some of their best albums, and now I am used to them.  With that being said, I really love the three albums mentioned earlier and think they are brilliant.  The combination of extreme metal with the softer moments is very special.  This is not that type of a release since I do not hear any progressive metal, but there are a few heavier moments.  This may just be the softest Opeth album yet with Damnation and Heritage in the mix.  As a progressive rock fan, I have nothing bad to say about this release.  However, expectations are hard to overcome at times, and I would like to hear another album similiar to the heart of their catalog.  However, I still have to rate this as a brilliant progressive rock  release.  This is an excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.
1444742
As a previous reviewer said about his love for Blind Guardian, it suddenly hit me.  Well, first of all, Manticora is a Power/Progressive Metal band kind of in the same vein of Blind Guardian, Iced Earth, and their side-project, Demons & Wizards.  By that I mean, their music is very progressive in time, and melody changes.  And for that it's never boring.  Really, music wise, you could probably compare them to the Prog Metal band, Communic.  But as for how to make this band better is to get a better singer.  Now I know what he's trying to do, or at least this is what it sounds like to me, and that is sound a bit like Hansi Kursch from Blind Guardian and Demons & Wizards, but he's just not quite there.  So why not get Hansi, himself to do vocals for this otherwise great band?

But anyway, how is this album?  Awesome really.  Probably one of the best debut albums from any band of this genre I have ever heard.  Hell, probably any genre at that.  Every song is catchy with its different tempo, rhythm, melody changes and all.  The musicianship in this band is outstanding.  And to be honest, I have all of Manticora's album up through the Black Circus albums, and this album is the only one that I have thoroughly listened to.  With so many bands out there these days, I tend to buy up whole catalogs of new bands that I find, but never take the time to listen to everything I buy.  It ain't like the old days of a handful of bands and you'd have to wait years for a new record from them.  So alot of times, I notice that when I do take the time to listen to one of my many unlistened to album, I find a gem.  Manticora's albums are total gems.  Just takes a little getting used to the vocals.  But fortunately, the majority of the songs are instrumental....not fully instrumental, but the majority of the song is just plain guitar jamming.
2989663
Among the bands that spearheaded the progressive rock revival of the late nineties, The Flower Kings well be the most faithful to it's musical philosophy. Unlike the mellow, almost pop-like musings of Spock's Beard, or the heavy metal bombast of Dream Theater, The Flower King's music is complex, rich with sonic texture, and thoroughly progressive.
The first time I spun Stardust We Are in my cd player, I was captivated by the complex time signatures, the layers of sound, and the outstanding musicianship of the band members. Despite the seemingly large amount of material on this 2 disc set, there's plenty to enjoy and very little to overlook on this album. Standout tracks include "Just This Once," with it's pounding intro, the melodic "Church of Your Heart," and the title track, a grand epic and my personal favorite. But why pick favorites? From the first notes of "In the Eyes of the World," the music will grab you and run, and - I promise - you'll live the ride.
2715687
This is a pretty decent keyboard-driven album. It has the characteristics of prog rock, or even prog metal; there are many short melodic segments constructed from unconventional chord progression with odd-time signatures, but the absence of heavy guitar-bass&drum dominating rhythm sections prevents this album to be labeled as rock or metal. The general arrangement approach in the album is using a synth-driven lead over piano arpeggios supported by (presumably programmed) bass&drum. There are many instances of eerie/atmospheric melodies, and classical piano pieces supported by moderately arranged orchestral works. After hearing this album, one may appreciate the important contribution of Michael Pinnella to Symphony X more clearly.

The main shortcomings of this album, on the other hand, is the lack of "single leading" musical themes. Each song is made up of many short parts played one after another. It is as if Michael Pinnella is not sure of himself that a single melodic theme may support the whole song (except for Departing for Eternity, which lasts for about one and half minutes), though I believe some of the musical themes in the album are quite interesting, and these themes could have been more developed. Another problem with the album is the combination of the sound of the synthesizers with that of piano. I do not believe that equal contribution from both electronic and acoustic keyboards yields a satisfactory result, but a more heavily synthesized sound with occasional acoustic piano (or vice versa) could have been better.

Still, a good album and a promising solo career start from the keyboardist of the prog metal giants.
3716282
Recently discovered this novel band, hailing from Switzerland. They skirt the margins between neo-prog and progressive metal. Ticket To The Moon's music has a modern feel but with nice crunch and distortion on the guitars.  Keyboards play a prominent role with the band and have a spacey vibe that in a weird way remind of Pink Floyd and Eloy.  So there is this nice atmospheric thing going on that really precludes this band from being metal, but they also know how to come up with menacing riffs.

Imagine, if you can, a collusion of Paranoid-era Black Sabbath, Hogarth-era Marillion, Black Album-era Metallica and the current contemporary progressive-metal incarnation of Pendragon and you're starting to grasp where they are coming from. What they really bring to the table though, apart from great songwriting and peerless musicianship, is real excitement  you can never second-guess whats coming next  a quality sadly lacking in so much of todays music.

The album lurches from pastoral guitar swashes with the chorus pedal in full effect to soaring keys to anthemic, tooth-loosening riffs in the blink of an eye, yet without ever losing sight of the musics message. Judging by the bands publicity photographs they look very young and its great to see young musicians prepared to carry the torch of progressive rock to a new generation  especially when its this damn good. Their first album "Dilemma on Earth" is another winner. Do yourself a favor and give this guys a listen..
996356
Summary: Buy it if you like melodies form Journey and Rush but appreciate the musical edge of Dream Theater.  Don't buy it if you are looking for a progressive metal-fest.
Great tracks: Stay
Good tracks: New Age, Start it Over, Sometimes, Change
Fair tracks: Say Goodbye, The Night, Senorita Serenade
Bad tracks: You & Me.
The best aspects of the album are the arrangements and production.  In addition, the vocals are very strong and guitar work is impressive.  The vocal style is a little bit like the Fates Warning "Parallels" album if Steve Perry from the former Journey were to sing it.....and in this case it just fits perfectly with the music.  The separation of backing vocals into he right and left channel is a nice touch that makes the sound stage interesting.  The guitar work is not only impressive from a musical standpoint but never reaches the self-indulgent point that can make for a difficult listen.  The best track on the album is "Stay" and ranks among some of the better pieces of music I have ever heard in this genre.  In essence I would have given this album 5 stars but the track You & Me is weak and there are a couple of tracks with lyrics that are not quite up to par.
3216705
Divine was the 3rd album from symphonic metal proggers Symphony X and although they already had somewhat of a fan base this one propelled them to the top of heap.  The album contains all of the elements that came to define this band.  Bombastic progressive metal with fiery guitar and keyboard leads over a frantic rhythm section with Russell Allens Dio like vocals soaring over the top of it all.  The 20 minute title track is considered by many fans to be the bands finest individual work and indeed it is a standard bearing prog epic that can hold up to anything bands like Dream Theater have done.  Symphony X would go on to do better albums in my opinion (V remains my favorite), but this was a solid effort of a band coming into their own in the late 90s.
4962720
This is a different style of black metal. Clemens Wijers from Carach Angren even stated that this is Horror Metal. And that's what it is; the entire album is a story, told from beginning to end in 9 songs that continue one after the other.

It's a story of Hansel and Gretel told in a modern time.

The compositions are beautiful, each piece of music enhancing the story and driving it forward.  The drums and guitars are flawless and the lyrics are simple but well versed and engaging. The old con I have with lyrics is that at times, they are a bit too wordy. Sometimes Seregor tries to say too much in a short time. But this only a slight complaint.

I love Carach Angren and this album.
2327419
This is not like most metal you're used to.  On their Facebook page, Ides of Gemini say that their genre is "Slavic."  That makes sense, and it reminds me of perhaps something like the classical composer Bartok who studied thousands of gypsy folk tunes from the Slavic regions of Europe and then used them as inspiration for his classical works (string quartets, etc.).  Ides is a three piece band, guitar, bass, drums, and they make use of very sparse riffs and structures.  The drummer (Kelly Johnston) doesn't even have a hi-hat on the kit, for example.  This is pretty minimalist stuff, but it is part of the haunting and beautiful effect.  The guitar riffs (by Jason Bennett) are simple and are punctuated by mostly tom-tom and bass patterns on the drums, which are then overlayed with bass and with melodic vocals (both provided by Sera Timms) that glide freely over the top.  The overall effect is hypnotic and trans-like, haunting, and otherworldly, which all fits nicely into the "doom" genre.  This one will take some getting used to if your ears are tuned to more "normal" metal.  There is rarely, if ever, a true back-beat on the snare drum, for example.  There are no ripping guitar solos.  There is no pounding double bass drum.  There are no sing-along anthem choruses.  It could almost be thought of as gypsy church metal or something, because it has a sort of cavernous and almost sacred feel to it - like something mysterious is going on and you're not really supposed to understand it.  This will surely confuse a lot of people, but if you're adventurous and want some diversity in your collection, add this one.  I find myself drawn to it from time to time, as it is perhaps more "mood" music, and the songs do definitely grow on you.  All performances (the musicianship) are perfectly good, and the CD liner notes do provide full lyrics.  Production is perfectly good - clear and present.
3136744
Mixing elements of 80's heavy metal, classical, metalcore, deathcore and even medieval/progressive undertones, "Becoming The Archetype" has crafted one of the finest metal albums I've ever heard. The lyrics are wonderful and deal with Biblical issues and themes (refreshing and motivating in a sea of downer metal bands) and the concept of the album (while seemingly abstract) is wholly thought provoking and interesting.

If you like death metal vocals (a.k.a. Ryan Clark) with a metalcore twist (August Burns Red) with a dash of gothic fantasy metal and a whole lot of progressive goodness... You will adore this album.
863715
In short, with some excellent songwriting and some truly magnificent vocals Advent of the Sun draw you into their high powered sound and refuse to spit you out, instead holding you as a prisoner to their power metal inspired brand of prog. A journey that you will not soon forget!

-Two Guys Review Metal

If you're looking for a progressive metal band that doesn't show off too damn much with techwankery, then look no further here.  Fans of Dream Theater will like it, and any one that wishes to peer into uncharted territory would like it as well.

-Witching Metal

Overall, all the aspects of this band are sounding strong, and their sense of song writing is extremely well developed for a debut release. And of course, the talent of these prog musicians is definitely showcased in a way that demands your attention and also delivers an enjoyable listening experience. I give the debut an 85% for it's strengths, and can safely say their next release will score even higher and perhaps flesh out their respective talents more and build upon an already fantastic foundation.

-Masters of Metal
1216837
To me, and i think most people would agree with me, is that they're progressive metal, with a splash a thrash metal. They sound like a lesser sophisticated Symphony X, and they're 99% always heavy. The keyboadist is really good. The guiatrist is probably the most underated guitarist out there.very melodic and heavy. fans of in flames, arch enemy, dream theater and symphony x or any one who likes awesome virtuosity should pick this one up.
890549
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, a concept-album is one of my favourite Maiden albums of all-time. Compared to earlier Maiden albums, this album sounds more progressive. The album mainly sounds progressive because the band uses guitar and bass synths. I still think that Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son is one of the best-produced Maiden albums. Especially the guitars have a fuller sound compared to later albums. The fuller guitars and the use of synths and keyboards make the album more bombastic than other Maiden albums.

The album starts out with "Moonchild". The song begins with an acoustic intro, with some soft vocal lines. After that the song really begins. "Moonchild" is a rather fast song and you immediately notice the use a synths. "Infinite Dreams" is one of the more interesting songs. It starts out slow, but halfway the tempo will be shifted up a few gears. The vibe of the song totally changes from moody to aggressive. "Infinite Dreams" is definitely one of the best songs on the album. "Can I Play With Madness" is a good, short and catchy song, but it still is the least interesting song on the album. "The Evil That Men Do" is also a catchy song, but much better than "Can I Play With Madness". The song starts with a superb melodic lead and the whole song remains melodic. Iron Maiden still plays the song live.

One of the most underrated songs from Iron Maiden has got to be the title track. The song almost lasts ten minutes, starts very slow and bombastic. The middle part mostly consists of atmospheric keys and the song ends with a spectacular guitar duel. Especially the guitar harmony at the end of the song is brilliant. "The Prophecy" starts with an impressive guitar-sound. It is one of the biggest guitars-sounds Maiden has ever recorded. On this song vocalist Bruce Dickinson uses some interesting raw vocals besides his normal vocals. It sounds like he is singing a duet with himself. The song ends with a cool acoustic guitar outro. "The Clairvoyant" has got an excellent bass-intro. During the intro the guitars come in with a harmony and then the song is on its way. Great song. "Only The Good Die Young" is one of the least known Maiden songs, but it is still a great song to end the album. The song has some cool atmospheric key layers. The song ends just as the album started, with acoustic guitars and soft vocals.

Seventh Son of A Seventh Son still is one of the best Metal albums ever.