Review by MartinDavey87 for Amaran's Plight - Voice in the Light (2007)

‘Voice in the Light’ is a 2007 concept album by progressive metal supergroup, Amaran’s Plight. Featuring renowned musicians such as vocalist D.C. Cooper (Royal Hunt), guitarist Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery) and drummer Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard), this ambitious release is a treat for fans of the genre, and for fans of the individuals involved. 

Stylistically, this sounds a lot like Shadow Gallery. Fans of the band will no doubt enjoy this, and it shows the heavy involvement of guitarist and songwriter Gary Wehrkamp. Clocking in at one hour and 19 minutes, and stretching the physical CD to its storage limits, I won’t deny that I find the story a bit muddy at times. Whether it’s due to the long-winded duration, or just a number of filler tracks causing me to lose interest, usually by the end of the album I’m left baffled by whatever the concept was supposed to be. 

Musically however, this is a very good release, with a number of particular stand-out moments. The musicianship is excellent (as you’d expect), with plenty of dazzling guitar and keyboard virtuosity, as well as fantastic vocal performances, and the album is full of both heavy and melodic tracks. Highlights include ‘Truth and Tragedy’, ‘Turning Point’, ‘Betrayed By Love’, ‘Coming of Age’, the beautiful ‘Reflections Part 1’, and in my opinion the highlight of the album, the energetic ‘Viper’. 

While I doubt this is likely to be anyone’s favourite album, especially as the duration can make it a bit of a slog at times, overall, ‘Voice in the Light’ is a very solid release, and a worthy addition to any progressive metal collection.