Saxy S's Reviews

Persefone's Aathma was an album that I think I checked out from a random shuffle through some metal playlist on Spotify or something. And holy crap was I blown away.

I have always made it clear that in order for extreme metal to resonate with me that it has to go far beyond simply chugging riffs, blast beats and guttural vocals. There needs to be something tangible that I can take from it and make me want to return. Usually that is melodic songwriting. Well imagine my surprise when the final track is a twenty minute long epic that owes itself to Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and the recurring main theme throughout. And that persists through tracks such as "Living Waves", "Prison Skin" and "Stillness Is Timeless". I really enjoyed how the band were able to craft these tracks together around one or two very simple melodic ideas and transform them into as many ways as they possibly could. This is a truly mesmerizing album for fans of progressive metal who are looking for a gateway into the extreme.

Nu-metal is a subgenre that I have criticized quite extensively in the past and it is clear to see why. For starters, much of the appeal of this music is towards adolescent teenager who want to rage at their parents because they didn't receive their allowance money for the week. And it helped harbor in the next "Kyle" generation. You know the meme; the guy who just drank five tall cans of Monster Energy and punches holes into drywall. That's the image of nu-metal for me.

And for a while, Linkin Park fit into that mold as well. This L.A. based group had the DJ scratching as well as Mike Shinoda's rapping vocals. And they were etched together with some very sticky hooks from Chester Bennington as he flip-flopped between clean singing and harsh screams. The debut record Hybrid Theory is one of the highest selling heavy metal albums of all time, but it still felt very amateurish. Songs like "One Step Closer" and "Papercut" felt a lot like lyrics you might read in a thirteen year old private diary. Some hooks were fine, and the anger felt justified, but even today, it is not an album I want to visit more than I have to.

In 2003, the band decided to grow up and create what I still view as the best display of nu-metal that I have ever heard. This album felt like it came from a place of wanting and perhaps desperation. Is it catered to a younger, immature audience? Of course it is. But the stickiness of the melodies and the greater attention to maturity was promising, even if the growth ended up taking this group to questionable places and, unfortunately, led to this bands demise.

One thing that Linkin Park were impeccable at was creating mammoth hooks. Whether it be the titanic "Faint", or the more subdued "Somewhere I Belong" or "From The Inside", this record sticks with you. But where they managed to improve dramatically from Hybrid Theory to Meteora is the control. For one, the guitars sound much better during the album's more restrained moments, while still being able to pack a huge punch the way that they did on Hybrid Theory's most intense moments. Chester has a dynamic vocal range as his melodic singing during "Breaking The Habit" and especially "Numb" are far more controlled, before he enters into the heights of his vocal ranges during the choruses. And heck, even the DJ scratches and other synth effects don't feel as intrusive or bloated as the debut's most contentious moments. 

Lyrically, there isn't much to say. Linkin Park were still nu-metal and the occasional screams of Chester on "Lying From You" and "Faint" are just what a thirteen year old me would have wanted, as opposed to the constant barking of a Corey Taylor in Slipknot. But this album is far less angry and more introspective and almost existential. There are themes of resentment towards a partner on "From The Inside" and "Numb", while "Breaking the Habit" and "Easier to Run" see our protagonist in a very bad place. A character that desperately needs help from someone, even though they feel like no one is there to support them. It is quite haunting to think about these lyrics when the fate of Chester Bennington was created in large part because of these thoughts of alienation and loneliness. 

As I said off the top, nu-metal has a bad reputation and most of it is deserved. Linkin Park's biggest sin is that they became the prototypical next generation of nu-metal in the early 2000s, and their music was inescapable. I don't know how many others are going to feel the same way about Meteora as I do, and I am willing to accept that; it is a very timely piece after all. But this album is the apex of what nu-metal was. The rap-rock crossover was never stronger than this, going so far as to call on Jay-Z with the Encore tapes just a year later. This is a part of me that I will never be able to be rid of, and I'm glad it was this instead of something else.

John Arch is a treasure of heavy metal vocalists and should be protected at all costs. The fact that he can still belt these high notes with such precision at 60 is ridiculous. He and Rob Halford must be talking a lot.

As for the album itself, I really like this. This is the kind of modernization of 1980s Fates Warning that I never knew I wanted. Only one problem: Fates Warning are still making music this decade. And some of it is more advanced progressive metal than most of this album. I find that many of the songs run together after awhile. There isn't much in the way of dynamic contrast on this album, which is understandable considering Arch's powerful delivery. However, a moment of reprieve would have been appreciated. They tried with "Tethered", but as mentioned before, Arch's vocals are front and center and take a lot of focus away from the gorgeous instrumental.

If you're going into this album looking forward to a (for lack of a better term) straightforward, progressive metal experience, similar to that of The Spectre Within or Awaken the Guardian, then you've come to the right place. You'll love tracks such as "Wrath of the Universe" and "Never in Your Hands". And there is always a place for this; Fates Warning were one of the metal groups, along with Opeth, that helped introduce me to the heavier genres. And being able to hear 80s Fates Warning with a coat of 2010s paint is really cool.

But if your expecting something a little more... in depth, you might be left disappointed. With all of the different directions that progressive metal has gone in the last thirty years, you would think that Arch and Matheos would have implemented something new. Hell, Matheos still plays for Fates Warning, he could have brought some of that modern, progressive songwriting to this.

I realize that some of this criticism is based on a personal bias that I have towards the performers and could make this review come off as more negative than it should. Believe me, this album is a ton of fun and will please even the most diehard of fans.

Here is an album that I have been grossly anticipating since Guardians back in 2016. That album was one of the best albums to come out of that year, and would have been the best metal album of that year if it wasn’t for Trees of Eternity's Hour of the Nightingale. Guardians was a triumphant project by this Scottish band that brought together elements of atmospheric black metal and pagan folk to create something that was even more emotionally impactful than Panopticon’s Autumn Eternal from the year prior. And because Panopticon’s follow-up record from 2018 was hardly anything to cry home about (good but not great), I was in desperate need for some transcendental music. So was this path worth travelling?

Uh… yes. In fact, why are you reading this? Go listen to this album right now! Saor prove once again that when it comes to creating atmosphere that they are near the top of that list.

And in all honesty, I was a little hesitant going into this album seeing that there were only four tracks with a runtime of less than forty minutes. And the final track “Exile” was but an instrumental outro performed entirely by celesta. But as soon as that title track began playing I knew I was in for an absolute treat. The tremolo picking, the powerhouse workout being delivered behind the drum kit, the thundering bass, and how the flute and violin parts are mixed to perfection that nothing ever feels like its getting in the way of one another. This is easily one of the best individual tracks that Saor have ever made!

Which brings me to the other big selling point on this album: the dynamics. Too many times have I listened to metal albums of any kind that take the concept of dynamic contrast and throw it out the window in favour of more loud noises. But, much like Fen with their album Winter from two years ago, Saor uses slow, brooding dynamics that will have you begging for the tour de force of tremolo picking guitars and blast beat drumming. Take for example the second track “Monadh”. The slow clean guitars matched with the piano is pure perfection, all before the full band enters with a wall of sound that will absolutely throw you off guard the first time, but will make you tremble in fear every subsequent time.

And that brings us to “Bròn”. This is a great track that almost does away with dynamics entirely in favour of melodies and hooks. This is one of the closest examples of Saor making a track that could be deemed accessible. Yes the track does feel like it is a little padded at times, but with all of the different ideas going on, it keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering when they are going to change, and which theme the band is going to play next.

Now I am nitpicking here, but it isn’t perfect. Some of the ideas could have been implemented a little bit better. Such as the outro to “Monadh”. It starts off fantastic when the dynamics drop down to almost a whisper with acoustic guitar and drums, and the build up afterwards is good enough, I just feel like the band reaches there apex prematurley and the final two minutes of the track feel like they are treading water. And then there is the outro “Exile”, which is a great track on its own, but in the context of the album, I feel it would have served a better purpose as the introduction rather than the outro.

But those are minor problems with an album that is one of the first essentials of 2019. This album has all the makings of a modern day metal symphony. The tracks flow effortlessly between the different ideas and themes and make use of excellent dynamic swell. Swallow the Sun delivered great atmosphere in a death/doom approach with When A Shadow is Forced Into the Light earlier this year, but Saor surpassed that album in spades, delivering another transcendent album with Forgotten Paths. I’m inclined to say this album is a shade under what Guardians was because of its length, but don’t let that stray you from the path.

I knew within the first two tracks of my first playthrough in 2009 that Crack the Skye was something special; even further beyond what the band had already achieved throughout the decade. But it was track four: "The Czar" that confirmed it. Something about the way that track in particular begins softly and comforting, grows into a sludge metal bridge and then comes back down to a reprise of the opening theme with elements of the sludgy bridge was spectacular.

Mastodon went to work on this album and it shows with how precise it all is. Each track on the album is very unique from one another, but not in a way that makes each song sound like it was written for a different artist. It makes the connectivity of the whole thing very fluent; you can tell you're listening to a Mastodon record while also knowing exactly where you are. The leit motifs that Mastodon uses throughout are impressionable, but surprisingly get stuck in your head quickly. In contrast to other Mastodon album's, Crack the Skye is not as direct with its hook driven formula, but is just as effective. Songs like the single "Oblivion", as well as the excellent title track and "Divinations". Hell, even the extended "The Czar" and "The Last Baron" hold together remarkably well.

The album sounds brilliant. The mixing of the vocals have a psychedelic flare, so it is easy to get lost in them, especially during the long songs. But the melodies are so simple, direct and recurrent that I almost feel like getting lost in a trance. Bass work is phenomenal; the low end of "The Last Baron" and "Ghost of Karelia" give the mix a punch that so many modern metal bands lack. The guitar leads are, like the vocals, impressionist in nature, but just as effective, while the rhythm is chunky, groovy and is not relegated to backup bass duty. I think that Brann's drums are some of the best in Mastodon's discography. They are technical, but they never feel like they are oppressing the rest of the mix.

The impressionist value of the melodies is symbolic since most of the lyrics of this album are shrouded in secrecy (minus "The Czar"), and Mastodon is able to carry the emotional weight of transcendence through the darkest of times and make them stronger. What I love about the album is how it manages to be progressive without the use of technical wankery and shredding; instead using minimalist textures and writing to tell a story, while still incorporating techniques that Mastodon have been known for over the last ten years.

In comparison to other prog albums around the same time, many of which I do like (Colors, Ghost Reveries, Axioma Ethica Odini etc.), it is Crack the Skye that stands out above the rest. Mastodon provided us with an opus that cannot be understated how fresh it feels, even today. While Dream Theater were spending their 2000s releasing the same album ad nauseum every two years, Mastodon were reaching for the stars. One of the my favourite progressive metal albums and the album that solidified Mastodon as household names in metal during the 2010s, and rightfully so. 

I have begun to fall on hard times when it comes to talking about Dream Theater. Of course, Dream Theater was one of the first groups that introduced me to progressive metal during the early 2000s with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. But every subsequent album I found myself falling further away from them. And I think a part of that has to do with this group being the quintessential progressive metal band, the one that most people instantly think of when the genre is brought up. And while that does deserve a lot of respect, it means that the band hasn’t really innovated that much throughout their career.

On one hand, you have the band that has an incredible ability to make these intricate, thorough albums on a semi annual basis, which I completely respect. On the other hand, you have a group that, for a while, were able to do that by doing a paint by numbers approach to progressive metal. Honestly, by the time Mike Portnoy had left the group, I figured I was all but done with Dream Theater.

But then they brought me back in with their self titled record in 2013. An album that bucked the trend, going for lighter tones, but still melodically heavy and technicality as far as the eye could see. But they quickly turned me against them in 2016 with The Astonishing, an album that tried to recapture the charm of Metropolis Pt. 2, but fell flat. Imagine if Ayreon made Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns and you would have gotten The Astonishing.

Now in 2019 with Distance Over Time, Dream Theater look to be going back to their roots from the 1990s. And given the album cover being oddly reminiscent of a certain Hamlet scene, I was almost certain in my assumption. Was I right?

Well now, I’ve given this album multiple listens and I can honestly say that this album is the return to form that I was hoping for, only with a modern Dream Theater twist. One that combines songwriting elements from the early days, with some heavier tones previously heard on their 2000s output. And it’s a pretty solid record.

And the first thing we need to discuss is the albums structure. Because this isn’t a concept record. Gone are the numerous “noise interludes” that broke up any sort of flow that The Astonishing had. Instead, we just have nine tracks, picking and choosing from the pile of progressive tropes and specific Dream Theater techniques to make nine, seemingly unrelated tracks.

And the themes on these tracks are a mixed bag of topics, ranging from the pursuit of inner happiness on “Fall into the Light”, the major problems that we as humanity face and need to solve on “S2N”, and the equally strong closer “Pale Blue Dot”, which asks the question who out in the universe is watching out for us here on earth? Then there are the tracks that deal with relationships, such as the subservient partner on “Paralyzed” or the difficulties of re/building a relationship with a woman who has previously dealt with abuse, and “Out of Reach”, which shows someone who has fallen in love, but cannot show this affection for fear of anxiety. “Room 137”, which could have its own review specifically dissecting the track, but the short story is that of a physicist who was obsessed by that number. It’s a really interesting track, plus it’s the first DT song to be written by Mike Mangini, which to me, makes it feel more like a geek out moment for him, as well as a fan service moment to the fans.

If there is one track that feels out of place here, it’s easily “Barstool Warrior”, which takes two people in two unrelated scenarios and tells how they managed to find themselves in their unfavourable situations. The lyrics don’t say anything about these two people trying to get out, nor do they interact with each other. It just felt like the band had two similar ideas, put them together into one song, but never bothered to connect the two ideas together.

But now we get into the production and songwriting. And as I mentioned before, this album uses a lot of different ideas from Dream Theater’s past to make this album. And some of these sound really good. I like the heavier tendencies on “Untethered Angel” and “S2N”. “Fall into the Light” starts off with a heavy guitar/drum riff, before transforming into a sweet sounding piano interlude with a soulful solo from Petrucci. And the slower track “Out of Reach” is one of my favourites on the entire album, it starts off with just piano before bass and a guitar solo are added, followed by the percussion all leading up to the final chorus which sounds great.

Now one thing that I was not really a fan of were the djent influences on this album. Specifically on the final track “Pale Blue Dot”. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the almost Breaking Benjamin inspired “Paralyzed”. Also on “S2N” there is a brief moment where the band plays an Owen Wilson “wow” during the bridge. Fortunately it only happens once, and it doesn’t take away too much from the track itself, but it is definitely a cringe worthy moment.

So in conclusion, I know that Dream Theater may never be able to capture the magnificence of albums such as Images and Words, Metropolis Pt. 2, or Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, but this album is at least serviceable enough to long time Dream Theater fans like myself. It might not be the most groundbreaking Dream Theater project, but it does at least separate itself from much of the 2000s output, as well as The Astonishing. This album seems like a decent jumping on point for anyone who is interested in checking out progressive metal, so if you know anyone like that, this isn't a bad place to start.

When people think of progressive metal, one of the first names that most people think of is Dream Theater. And that should come as no surprise. During the 1990s when prog metal was becoming prominent, Dream Theater were at the front of the revolution. Countless numbers of imitators have tried to copy Dream Theater's sound over the years; most of which failed. And it also doesn't help matters that Dream Theater are still around today, making very similar music as well.

I mentioned previously in my review for the bands most recent album, Distance Over Time that I have had a very difficult relationship with this group. This is lead by the fact that, being the prototypical progressive metal band, it's very difficult to find any originality from them in the modern day. Certainly a respectable band, but hardly memorable.

So going back and listening to Images and Words gives me the opportunity to see where Dream Theater began and what's changed since their humble beginnings. And not much has changed since 1992; part of the reason why my relationship with Dream Theater has been so convoluted. 

That being said, I can still appreciate what this album was able to accomplish. It truly is a trend setter of the most obvious variety. And it would only set the benchmark for what would become the bands superior albums later on in the decade. This album paints its "images through words" and does a wonderful job of connecting these images from one track into the next. Whether that be the use of similar harmonic themes in the ensemble all throughout "Learning to Live" such as the opening riff from "Pull Me Under", the percussion patterns from "Metropolis - Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper", to outright copying the main theme from "Wait For Sleep" and using it as a coda on "Learning To Live". Or perhaps cross referencing other lyrics from previous tracks later on in the albums runtime.

The production on this album has aged like a fine wine. How the band is able to have each instrumental passage sound so crisp and precise; how each instrument is an important member of the collective whole. Even during Petrucci ridiculous solo passages, John Myung's bass lines never become swamped underneath the keyboard harmonies, or Mike Portnoy's percussion.

My least favourite part of the album comes from James LaBrie. I think he is a fantastic singer and one of the best pure vocalists in metal, period. But on this album, he sounds like he is just trying to get his feet wet. As a result, there are a couple of questionable passages where LaBrie's vocals are given a swath of pitch correction. These happen primarily during the extended highs on songs like "Take the Time" and "Learning to Live". The band would eventually iron out these issues on later records, but it was a stylistic decision made by the band at the time, so I do have to point it out.

By today's standards, Dream Theater's Images and Words is, by enlarge, an unoriginal progressive metal album that lacks any unique qualities compared to... everyone else in the genre! But for a time, it was game changing. The fact that you can still hear its influence in progressive metal today is a testament to its longevity. But what I like about this album the most is the planting of the seed. This album could have been good enough if it hadn't included "The Miracle and the Sleeper" with its long form composition and performance. But they did include it. And it formed the basis for what I consider to be Dream Theater's superior records, Scenes From A Memory and Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. Images and Words is the lesser of the three grand Dream Theater albums, but one still worth revisiting to see where Dream Theater, and progressive metal in general, got their start.