Shadow Gallery - Tyranny (1998)^{Release ID: 5031}

After two albums of messing around with different musical styles, Shadow Gallery put something together that actually focuses on jam factor.  The two minute intro lets you know what you're getting instantly with a heavily symphonic and energetic guitar solo.  What's also extremely apparent at the get-go (at least if you heard the first two SG albums) is that the problems involving production and beat factor are fixed, allowing the album to feel like a proper metal album.  Unfortunately, the style that they chose is a much more typical prog metal structure that you can get from Dream Theater, Ayreon, DGM and more.  So in their efforts to maintain a more palatable prog metal album, they probably chose not to be a unique band at that point.  That disappoints me.  At least their playing is at their abnsolute best.  The many melodies and solos featured here are always good old-fashion prog fun, but a couple of them are just wonderful.

The album follows a concept that's a little different from the sci-fi fantasy you'd expect from normal prog metal.  This time it's all about the politics.  This is about a weapons designer discovering a government conspiracy that takes him across the world with a woman who's fighting the same conspiracy as him.  The story continues on Room V.  It's a pretty well-told one with some reversals of themes from Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime.  I mean, it's not a perfect story and the ending's not amazing, but it gets you asking for a sequel.  The best thing about the story is easily the lyrics.  There's a lot of real poetry that goes into them.

Maybe Shadow Gallery went with a more generic approach to their sound, but they really did improve on their compositions.  I guess it's easy to see why this is an underground prog favorite / cult classic.  There's a good story here that hits closer to home for its realism, and a lot of rhythm to keep the album's sound going throughout the whole 70 minute runtime.  With this, I've come to the conclusion that SHadow Gallery are certainly not one of the best prog bands in the world, but they're a damn good one.

Concept albums.

The very words can send shivers down your spine. The most hardened of prog fanatics will shudder at the thought of another rock opera and the potential pretentious self-indulgence that awaits them.

Fear not, however, for this is Shadow Gallery, one of the finest progressive metal bands out there, and you can rest assured that this will be an engaging, story-driven affair full of excellent performances by all involved. It might seem a bit cheesy at times, but then, what concept album doesn't?

At 73 minutes in length, 'Tyranny' can feel a little long-winded at times, but the music is so damn good that sometimes it's worth the sacrifice. Telling the story of a man who discovers a plot involving his government selling weapons to the middle east, it's an interesting narrative that doesn't get too boring despite the albums duration. The playing is superb and incredibly tight, and Mike Baker's vocals are full of emotion and sincerity, easily one of the most versatile and talented singers I've ever heard.

There's one or two brief instances where the album does tend to lull momentarily, but otherwise this is a solid release with some exceptional tracks. 'War for Sale', 'Roads of Thunder', 'Hope for Us?' and 'Spoken Words' are all amazingly well-written pieces, and then there's 'Mystery', which, in my opinion, isn't just one of Shadow Gallery's best songs, but one of the genres, too.

Well-received by fans and critics alike, Shadow Gallery's 'Tyranny' is a true gem that belongs in the collection of every prog metal fan.