5/5 STARS - This album is definetly my favourite Pink Floyd album, and from my point of view very overlooked.

This album is quite similar to Wish You Were Here, keeping within a 5 song range. But in other ways it's the complete antithesis of Wish You Were Here, with Wish You Were Here having 2 long songs at the start and end, with 3 shorter songs in the middle, while Animals has 2 short songs at the start and end, and 3 long songs in the middle.

This album also has quite an angry sound to it that i think was Roger's answer to punk. The only problems was that Roger and punks both had the same attitude (anarchistic and spitting on peoples faces and all that), but unlike Punk, Roger and Floyd made amazing pieces of music.

The album has quite a symbolic concept, revolving around 3 animals, dogs, pigs and sheep. Basically, sheep want to be dogs, dogs want to be pigs and pigs just want to be lazy all their life. Basically, most of us are dogs, trying to achieve our own dreams, but we all end up old and dead anyway. Quite morbid, but gingerly true.

1. Pigs On The Wing 1 - The start and the end basically. Sums up the album when you hear the whole thing, then listen to part 2 at the end.

2. Dogs - In my opinion, the most underlooked Pink Floyd song ever.This song has it all, it's lengthy, doesn't get boring, the close melodies that give you a sense of unergency. How can you not love it. The lyrics are also very true and really do make you ponder. The instrumental passages are amazing and some of Dave's best guitar work are heard here.

3. Pigs (3 Different Ones) - A song about fat lazy people. Quite angry and sarcastic. I love the line "you think you're a laugh, but you're really a cry." Poetic genius. There are also some offensive obscenities in this song, so children beware.

4. Sheep - When the Bible meets karate. Amazing philosophical lyrics, with colourful language and some great colloquisms (the bugger's eyes). The instrumental work is amazing and the effects of Roger's vocals are amazing, make him seem more God like (if that's possible). The end section is also incredibly memorable and amazing.

5. Pigs On The Wing - The end. Basically

CONCLUSION: Their best album. Buy it now, or else you will never know the true genius of Pink Floyd.

by arcane-beautiful


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2/5 STARS - I had this compilation in the early 90´s, a time when it was nearly impossible to get the original Roxy Music original Cds in Brazil. And I must say I was never satisfied with it. You see, every one of RM´s LPs were a kind of work of art. Roxy was never a singles band and each album meant it was to be seen as a whole, a complete efford, not just a mere bunch of tracks put together.. Even if The Early years is composed exclusively of songs from their first three albums (i.e. their best), something is always missing when I hear it.

It is like cutting pieces from a painting and puting together the chosen ones into a new frame, got it? It might sound ok for the casual listener and still he won´t see (or hear) the real, complete thing. Even if the new version of this compilation has some extra songs than the one I once had, the only reason to have it is that it now includes the original non LP song Pyjamarama. And i don´t think that is reason enough to buy this CD.

Roxy Music was an extremely important band, and their first works were quite revolutionary, groundbreaking and influential. But to understand this you´ll have to listen to the full albums. Each one of their first CDs are essential to any prog music colletion. That´s why I can´t rate The Early Years higher, even if the tracklist is of great quality.

Incomplete.

by Tarcisio Moura


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3/5 STARS - Okay, here is Camel review #4 as I work my way through their large collection. Breathless seems to be a real splitter among Camel fans. Some seem to hate it and give a saving grace for only 1 song. I am not in that camp. THis may not be the best Camel ever did, but it has it's charms. "Breathless"- I like this song! It has a real Alan Parsons feel to it (kinda like The Single Factor), and I enjoy it's beat and lyrics. "Echoes" is pure classic Camel and deserves 5 stars. I always look forward to the part where the singing kicks in; a terrific segue! The next 2 songs are the lowlite for me on Breathless, especially "Down on the Farm". It's seems to have a Caravan flavor, but it just plain annoys me. I think it is just too simple and childish. " Summer Lightning" is disco Camel! Iskip it on the CD and get to the last 2 tunes, which I find satisfying, although "THe Sleeper" comes close to "Echoes", it falls a bit short. "Rainbows End", the final track is a good, solid Camel soft song. A great conclusion to a good, if spotty album. 3 1/2 stars (3 stars) overall. This CD is one song removed from being a 4. Cut Summer Lightning" and replace it with a better track, and it would have been there.

by mohaveman


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1/5 STARS - Well, I may as well start my Oldfield review selections at the bottom. And this is as "bottom" as you can get. This is pure 80's overdone pop with some dance disco? thrown in. Did Phil Collins produce this? ANy sense of musicianship or prog seems to have been sucked out of Mike with this release. I suppose it would get thrown in with his more pop efforts such as Islands. If there is a silver lining it might be Adrian Belew on "Holy" and I do like the voice of the female lead singers, Mike has always had great haunting singers on his tunes. However, these things just don't outweigh the negative. If you like Abba or poppy Alan Parsons you may like this, but maybe not! If I am required to put stars on this can I give a negative 5? Well, I suppose not. It would have to be a zero with a bonus point thrown in for Belew. So 1 star. Thank god for Ommadawn, 5 Miles Out, and Tubular Bells! I still respect Mike for all the great work he has done, and I can forgive him this mediocrity.

by mohaveman


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4/5 STARS - After being literally blown away by the ambitious and highly enjoyable Streets I needed to hear more from Savatage! Edge Of Thorns felt like an obvious choice since it was the follow-up album and the last one with Criss Oliva who passed away due to a drunk driver accident later that year.

I noticed early on that the music on this album didn't feel like a linear follow-up to its predecessor. Gone were those lyrical themes, memorable rusty vocals and the piano driven ballads. This had a lot to do with Jon Oliva's semi-departure from the band. I guess the previous tour made him loose interest in Savatage and he started branching out to new possibilities. This didn't mean that he wasn't present during the recording sessions since many of his trademarked compositional hooks are still present and he does play piano/keyboards on some tracks. Still this time the music is definitely much more guitar driven and in a way there is a slight set-back to the style of Gutter Ballet.

Although this album wasn't as impressive and personal as their previous effort I still found it quite enjoyable. The opening title-track is a magnificent power-ballad which results in the most memorable composition that the album has to offer. I personally consider All That I Bleed slightly superior in the ballad department since it has a much stronger build-up, still both of them deserve the highest marks in my book. Many of the other compositions tend to be much more guitar-driven which does work most of the time, although the band goes slightly overboard with Skraggy's Tomb and Damien which sometimes make me cringe due to their over-the-top nature.

Overall Edge Of Thorns still manages to keep the Savatage spirit going strong and it would have been interesting to see how this sound would have evolved on later releases. Unfortunately this was not to be and once Jon Oliva came back he brought the conceptual lyrics and symphonic music elements back with him. At the end of the day Edge Of Thorns is an interesting follow-up album to the landmark that is Streets and therefore it's bound to be overshadowed by its predecessor. Somehow this release still manages to bring something new to the style which makes it quite memorable.

***** star songs: Edge Of Thorns (5:55) He Carves His Stone (4:10) All That I Bleed (4:40)

**** star songs: Lights Out (3:10) Labyrinths (Instrumental) (1:30) Follow Me (5:11) Exit Music (Instrumental) (3:09) Degrees Of Sanity (4:36) Conversation Piece (4:10) Miles Away (5:06) Sleep (3:52)

*** star songs: Skraggy's Tomb (4:23) Damien (3:54)

by Rune2000


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3/5 STARS - Not much for a single but a lot for an Extra bonus CD.

If you like Dream Theater and if you already heard this song, you might want to have this "Single" promo disc. For a single to promote DT is a total failure. A song that doesn't have a drum performance (just a program drum pattern) and nothing really in the routes of the original DT stuff. The song is great, touching and mellow but it's not Dream Theater, and shows that they really can compose a regular song without being crazy and fill it with acrobatic solos and stuff. Even worse, we have here an edited version, so we don't have the vocal introduction of Teresa Thomasson, who have a magical voice and is in the original version.

Then we have an alternate take of the complete song, with a difference in the guitar effect, a strange and soft delay change the texture of the guitar, as well as a sax solo. Basically the same song, but the additions are interesting for any who already love this song.

We have an early live version of HOME, which is nothing special because of Labrie really screwing up the theme, but it's an average decent version. The Japanese import included a bonus track, HOME in an edit version. This one in particular is quite different. They changed the order of some patterns as well as cutting out all, I mean "All!" the instrumental section, so we found a 5 minutes song from the original 14+. It's the same version we found in the Greatest Hit double CD, so, it's unnecessary to buy the import, but it's a nice complement to this promotional.

For what this albums shines with it's own light is the last song, a live medley called properly "WHEN IMAGES & WORDS UNITE", that it a mix of different parts of their most classical repertory: UNDER A GLASS MOON, PULL ME UNDER, TAKE THE TIME with their first album pieces of ONLY A MATTER OF TIME and A FORTUNE IN LIES. A great 16 minutes track that worth to check it out.

3 stars is fair to this good but not essential CD. But for fans it's a most have. But sure they already knew it.

by jampa17


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4/5 STARS - As a life long fan of the great guitarist, this highly anticipated release was very much looked forward to by these "experienced" ears. Jimi's step-sister, Janie, who now heads Experience Hendrix has marketed and exploited Jimi's legacy in a less than honorable way with this release, in my opinion. Touted as over 60 minutes of complete and unreleased studio recordings is far from the truth. Yes, these are all studio recordings, but only a few are actually complete, such as the unreleased track from Axis: Bold As Love, Mr. Bad Luck, which isn't a new song at all, just an earlier version of Look Over Yonder. Most of the tracks are raw studio re-workings of early songs, and/or studio versions of jams or tunes that were played in concert, such as Sunshine Of Your Love. It's obvious that these studio sessions are mostly live in the studio jams, and many are edited and fade out at the end, which usually indicates that the whole jam fell apart before the end. Don't get me wrong though, as these tracks will still give you an exciting listen, especially when Jimi kicks in with his always powerful, stellar, and otherworldly lead guitar. It seems that Experience Hendrix is now deperate to find and make more money from Jimi's legacy, and are now digging at the bottom of the barrel to find more Jimi gems. Really there's nothing new here. All of the tracks are songs and tunes that you've heard in one form or another on either official releases or bootleg recordings. If Jimi was around, this release would have never happened. Jimi was, besides being the God gifted guitarist that he was, a master arranger too, and ALL of the tracks would have been perfected with overdubs, and the end result would have certainly been a much more sophisticted product. than we have here. Plus, I doubt if Jimi would have released these particular tracks together on one album. But of course, getting any unreleased Jimi is better than nothing. The only real problem I have is in the way Experience Hendrix is marketing this release. My expectaions were a bit bruised, but I should have know better. But for any fan of the master guitarist, this release is certainly worth getting. My rating: 4 stars.

by Dennis


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5/5 STARS - Oh, how I hated this record...

I can vividly remember the first time I listened to Amarok. I don't think I've ever been so irritated and disappointed by a record, before or since. I enjoyed the finale, but all of the disjointed themes and intentionally aggravating sounds (speaker-shattering orchestral hits, Margaret Thatcher, random carpentry, etc) littered throughout the otherwise perfect melodies left me feeling like I'd run a marathon uphill during an ice storm, with the neighborhood kids laughing and pelting me with ice balls the entire time. Every brilliant melody was immediately discarded and replaced by unrelated melodies at a frantic rate. It was incomprehensible gibberish. What themes there were came and went with psychotic abandon, handicapped by confusion. I threw the album in a drawer in disgust and forgot about it for about two years.

Eventually I got around to listening to it again (feeling like I hadn't gotten my money's worth), and found myself thinking that it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered. I'd put it on again every couple of months when I needed something vastly different from all of that 'regular' (sane) music.

Over time I came to realize that the problems are not in the music. This composition is as perfectly flawless as music can ever be, the very embodiment of an idea. Mike knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote this album and he did a smashing job. All of the changing melodies and aggravating bits are in there specifically for the purpose of boxing your ears any time you might get comfortable. Right at the moment when you'd be getting chills on one of Mike's other albums, this one will blast you or aggravate you or just plain run off in an unrelated direction in an intentional attempt to ruin your listening experience.

Ordinarily Mike takes a lot of care crafting music that flows to an apotheosis of some kind - I tend to think of it rather like a master craftsman creating an intricate and gorgeous stained glass window. Had Mike done that here it would have still been one of his best works. Instead, he takes a gleefully sadistic tact and smashes this creation with a sledgehammer every time it begins to come together. The end result is that you've got to piece it together for yourself after repeated listening. For some, it may come together right away, for others, never.

This creates an incredibly frustrating musical experience for people expecting music that follows the normal rules, in any genre or format. I've only just recently been finding new artists that are learning and doing what Mike did here two decades ago - Kayo Dot and Mars Volta being two examples of similarly challenging artists that I also rather enjoy. The bits in Amarok that once pissed me off are now the highlights of the record. I wouldn't have thought it possible to go from hating a record to loving it, but here I am.

This record taught me how to listen to music in a new, and I think, better way. After this I've had no trouble at getting into genres and styles of music that I once found bland or distasteful. No other record, or artist, has done anything like that for me before, so I find I have to give this album the highest possible marks.

I wouldn't call it my favorite - that's not the point of the album. For me it's been more of a doorway into experiencing other kinds of music. It also gives me my own gleefully sadistic thrill to inflict this album upon unwary listeners for the first time. It's wickedly satisfying to see their faces while bopping along to the first movement - right when the orchestra hits kick in. It also stands out for uniqueness. I've never heard anything remotely like this album in the thousands of records I've listened to.

One friend of mine who has also come to enjoy this record described it as "the most user-unfriendly listening experience I've ever had." I think that's an apt summation. I've come to learn that the finest musical compositions rarely sound good on the first listen. The masterpiece reveals itself when the listener is ready. Thank you, Amarok, for teaching me that lesson.

by EvilNight


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5/5 STARS - When I first started listening to this CD I was iffy on the vocals. I decide to stick with it and I am glad I did. When the second song A Grave Inversed came up, I was shock to hear the sax in a extreme metal album but it was so well done it blended nicely with the track. I completed the album and after my first listen I gave it 4 stars. Then I re listened to the CD again and it just clicked.

Each track in this CD is just great. It has a very mature sound and each track feels like it was given the highest attention. The inclusion of the sax gives an almost dark side of the moon sound in a few areas. Overall this is a fantastic album and highly worth a listen.

by sirfragalot86


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5/5 STARS - I saw Fläsket Brinner a few weeks ago at a small club in Gothenburg. The concert reminded me how good they are (and were) as an improvising unit. The box "Swedish Radio Broadcast" is were anyone not familiar with this combo should start. The first disc represent the first line- up with Sten Bergman and is packed with loose and glorious stuff.

The following two discs represent a line up consisting the core group of Dahlen, Bruun, Bergsten and Dahlbäck together with the jazz piano player Bobo Stensson and the famous Bo Hansson. A good part of the repertoire is taken from Hanssons solo albums, but played with much more guts. A fantastic combination of great composition skills and fine improvisations!

The last disc represent a later line up from the mid 70's, still with Dahlen, Bergsten and Bruun at the helm. This time the music is more structured and in some ways more symphonic (by Fläsket standards anyway). But do not get fooled, this is still highly intresting music and the beat from the ace drummer Bosse Skoglund is tight but at the same time loose!

Fläsket Brinner only released two LP:s during the 70's and this is why this box is so welcomed. If you like to invest your hard earned cash in some Swedish prog, let this one be your choice. You won't regret it!

by Dr Pripp


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4/5 STARS - Lenny White recorded his solo debut still being a RTF drummer. But the music there isn't too much connected with RTF works. Yes, it is jazz fusion, but more similar to Herbie Hancock albums from early 70-s.

Lenny White is not a second Billy Cobham, but he is very competent and has great funk feeling. So, the album opener is funky fusion composition. But even if some funk is presented in more places there on the album, very important are both keyboards and guitars ( on few compositions). Spacey synthesizers (not in a manner of many electronic space bands, but very dreamy, atmospheric, heavily influenced by Hancock Mwandishi trilogy sound) build bigger part of album's music. Only final composition is filled with Al Di Meola - Larry Coryell guitars duet (beside keyboards).

Possibly not so deep experimental as Hancock's Trilogy, album sound is more accessible melting light funky rhythms with very innovative (for jazz fusion of mid 70-s) synth's airy constructions."Venusian Summer Suite" and "Prince Of The Sea" are both excellent examples of funky synth fusion from that time.

One of greatest Lenny's recordings, and really one of valuable fusion works from 70-s. Recommended to all jazz fusion fans. Lenny White's solo works has limited popularity, but this album could be a good entrance into his discography.

by snobb


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1/5 STARS - This is not a good disc. The singing is poor (and thankfully, somewhat buried in the mix), the guitar sound is awful (think cheesy 80's pop sound that comes out of a GK solid-state amp), the guitar playing is limp and ineffectual, and the mix is uneven, with some keyboard parts way up in your face at seemingly inappropriate times. It almost sounds like this disc was not mastered by someone who knows their stuff.

I wanted to like "Down and Out...", and forced myself to listen 5-6 times before writing this brief review. Maybe most of the PA reviews here are from die-hard The Tangent fans. Not recommended.

by waredee


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3/5 STARS - After his last performance with ELP (the disappointing "In the hot seat") and a good solo album ("Emerson plays Emerson"), Mr Keith Emerson has come back here with his interesting duo, featuring M. Bonilla once again...well this latter vocalist is a good singer and it seems He's perfectly fitted into the AOR style! Well talking about the first suite- entitled "The House Of Ocean Born Mary"- it's not certainly equal to "Pirates" from "Works- vol 1" and sometimes is enriched by means of some interesting epic numbers, being the best tune here... the other songs are uneven and sometimes quite stupid (listen -for example- to his "honky-tonk" piano style within "Gametime"); instead "Falling Down" is a commercial song, which is not inspiring and quite disappointing too; and moreover the other two tracks, such as "Malambo from Estancia Suite" taken from a composition by Alberto Ginastera and the final tune "The Parting " are not mixed in a good manner, even though this latter song is useful to conclude the album by means of an intelligent and quite powerful ballad at the piano; and otherwise the performance by Emerson is always elegant in the album, all along its length, despite of a few stupid moments.

At the end his work here is not as good as the best albums by ELP, but you can find some interesting breaks-through inside, also thanks to the remarkable performance at the guitar by Bonilla...make your own choice, as usual!!

by lor68


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5/5 STARS - This was the album of the 70's that divided fans of Tangerine Dream. A change in the line-up of the band, with Peter Baumann being replaced by Steve Jolliffe certainly changed the tone for this album. What he brought to the band was vocals!! I hear the Tangerine Dream purists shreak with horror. How could this brilliant electronic band bring in vocals! I personally love it, my favourite TD album ever.

The album starts with Bent Cold Sidewalk. Vocals, synthezisers, clarinet and flute are all in there. Starting with Jolliffe's vocals and some underlying synth I find it very accomplished. Then comes in the clarinet/flute section, ending with more vocals.

Next comes Rising Runner... a shorter track also with vocals that are maybe not as good as Bent Cold Sidewalk but the synth is still as good as ever.

The final track is Madrigal Meridian. This is entirely instrumental and one of the best tracks they have ever made. The beat is faster than many of the earlier TD albums. There are many subtle changes in sound that means it does not become repetitive (a problem many tracks that are 20 minutes long suffer from).

Overall an excellent album. You should give it a try. Even if you are not keen on the vocals, the music itself is up to the same brilliant standard that TD had set themselves with their previous albums.

by Bent Cold Sidewalk


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4/5 STARS - It is a fan-only dark secret that Rush really do take parts of other popular music styles and frankenstein them into their own.

The anger that fans directed toward this wonderful three-piece, yelling "The Police!!!" during the Grace Under Pressure days, must have had an effect.

After the very nice and tidy "Hold Your Fire" and the equally inoffensive "Presto", the trio thought back to the things that their fans wanted, rather than the charts.

"Roll The Bones" was an admirable attempt, it must be said.

But "Counterparts" is probably where they started getting it right. It's an excellent listen. Like "Caress Of Steel" before it, this album doesn't get much love amongst the fickle fans.

"Dog Years" is pure Rush, the best non-single for many, many years.

And as a gay man, I cringe every time I listen to "Nobody's Hero", but the sentiment is there...so...

by cronker


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4/5 STARS - This album was released when I was 12 years old, not that far from the youthful reflective territory that Peart's lyrics are aiming for.

As a lifetime Rush fan, I discovered this album long after my personal break-through "Power Windows". All of the few Australian Rush fans, at that time, pointed me firstly toward "Moving Pictures", as you would. It's an amazing achievement in an album. Then I heard the stories about "Signals" being the problematic follow up album, with too much synth coming in, and Alex Lifeson being unhappy about his guitar mix, and it's disappointing reception by fans and la la la.

Sorry, but over time, I have found myself kindly disagreeing.

"Signals' is a point of change for a band that has been working their craft for ten years by this stage. After their biggest selling album to date, and followed up by an enormously successful double live set, the band chose to take their music into a new and challenging area, not only for the fans, but for themselves too.

Although Rush had been moving toward shorter and more adept songs for the past two albums, "Signals" was the first time that we saw them incorporate a holistic theme into one album, something that would become a trademark of their 80's and 90's work.

"Signals" is all about youth - having it, wondering about it, losing it, being special with it, and questioning it. As always, Peart layers his lyrics to the point that it takes the listener some time to really get the emotion.

It's not my favourite Rush album, but it comes close. Try listening to it when driving in the country on a rainy day, and you will see what I mean.

love cronks

by cronker


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4/5 STARS - I was quite surprised when I heard this album recently. I though One Small Voice was released in the mid 90´s or later and the band was one of those so called melodic power metal groups of that era. The high pitched vocals, the epic keyboards, the fine melodies (with some obvious AOR influences) were typical of the style. But they did it all many years before, in a time you either had thrash metal bands (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth) or hard rock/glam outfits (Guns ´N Roses, Motley Crüe, Bon Jovi). Along with few others, they were quite ahead of their time and it may explain why this CD didn´t make it. A real pity.

This CD is a collection of fine power metal tunes much in the vein of Queensryche and Fates Warning´s best stuff. Steve Benito even had a vocal style very similar of that of Queensryche´s legendary Geoff Tate, which is a good thing, since the music is quite demanding in that field. Even if the songs themselves are not that much progressive, they were nevertheless quite inventive and innovative for the period. Even the apparently disastrous choice to cover such classic tune like Paul Simon´s The Sound Of Silence is successful here, giving the all too familiar radio sample a powerful arrangement that is respectful to the original melody and message. All 11 tracks are of the same quality and there are absolutely no fillers. Production is ok for 1989.

If you´re into melodic power metal with lots of personality you should not miss this CD. Rating: four strong stars.

by Tarcisio Moura


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5/5 STARS - I've been mentally preparing this review for quite some time now because it feels like I owe it to this album.

Streets was my introduction to Savatage and what a marvelous start it was. I remember that I had a tough time during my high school years and this was basically one of the few real highlights at the time that kept me going strong. The album tells a story which could be understood for the Rock Opera-part of the album's title and it's really one of the most ambitious recordings ever conceived by any rock band. Of course the original ambition was even grander and I recall reading that Streets was originally written as a 2-CD album with many more compositions and story narrations added between the tracks. Whether or not I would have found the album as exciting is difficult to say but one of these narration sections still exists in the opening of Jesus Saves and I find that particular part very enjoyable. Unfortunately Savatage had many battles with their record company and this whole ordeal became a huge issue which finally resulted in a half way agreement between the two parties. Many of the songs that didn't make it on the final album were later re-written and featured on the band's later releases. The only one complete outtake that I know of that remains in its original demo version is the track Desiree and is a bonus track on The Wake of Magellan. It's an excellent power ballad on the same level as many of this album's peaks and shows just how much creativity they had during this period.

The conceptual theme of the album has still managed to maintain most of its essential elements although it has been cut to a single CD format. The overall message of this rock opera is all about keeping the faith, never giving up and most of all believing in oneself. It might seen simplistic and maybe even pretentious to anyone who seeks something deeper but it's that brutal honesty of the story that touched me and many others who consider Streets to be Savatage's finest hour!

Besides the whole conceptual aspect of this album there are quite a few memorable songwriting moments featured here as well. There is just not a single weak moment and it's clear that the band's transition from a straight forward Heavy Metal sound, that was still apparent on Gutter Ballet, was now complete. There are still a few heavier moments here but they don't have that raw energy and terrible recording quality. Instead all of the elements have now been fused properly with the individual performances.

I could easily do a track-by-track walk-through but at the end of the day what most of us remember the most from Streets are those breathtaking ballads. I'm not talking about one or two spectacular moments but instead a total of seven top-notch power ballads all on one single release. There is just no reason to release a best-of album since all you need is on this CD!

In my preparation for this review I was chocked to realize that I haven't actually heard this album in its entirety for at least two years and it was truly a blast revisiting it. I've really got carried away with this album for the last few days. I'm still listening to it even now while writing this review and it's my 5th time over the course of these past two days! Many of these compositions are so powerful and dramatic that I can't help but sing along to many of the songs. Let's just say that if a Karaoke version of Streets was ever released then I would be the first in line.

Although this albums limited prog rock credentials I have to give Savatage credit for branching out their Heavy Metal music in a direction that most bands would have considered suicidal for their career. After all, isn't being progressive all about taking risks by pushing the music forward and always being on the lookout of new possibilities? Well, that's at least how I see it and therefore award Streets the highest possible praise. It's an amazing roller-coaster ride that I recommend with all my heart!

***** star songs: Jesus Saves (5:13) A Little Too Far (3:25) St. Patrick's (4:17) Can You Hear Me Now (5:11) If I Go Away (5:17) Heal My Soul (2:35) Somewhere In Time (3:17) Believe (5:42)

**** star songs: Streets (6:50) Tonight He Grins Again (3:28) Strange Reality (4:56) You're Alive (1:51) Sammy And Tex (3:07) New York City Don't Mean Nothing (4:01) Ghost In The Ruins (5:32) Agony And Ecstasy (3:33)

by Rune2000


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2/5 STARS - An "exceptional" textbook of drone-stoner-psychedelic progressive rock.

Torment Of The Metals keeps the same basis as their debut shot Sharing The Sacred - where we can feel their suppressive, narcotic, infernal sound-shouts are in full bloom - and furthermore, has more glistening, more colourful soundscape in the three songs. As a result, this album can get more understandable I feel. One of the most important points is drumming, altering time after time, scene after scene ... especially in Wheel Of Anguish complex Oriental percussion sounds are impressive and splendid. They can strictly hold extreme psychedelia with Orientalism, as heard in Sharing The Sacred. Such a "visible" soundscape should be involved in the dark. Indeed, sure that listening to this whole album may make a listener on a downer more depressive, but on the contrary, may give him much rumblin' power ... an interesting album I wanna say.

Like their debut album for me, this Torment Of The Metals cannot be recommended to all psychedelic progressive rock freaks. Only for stoner freaks. Me too.

by DamoXt7942


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4/5 STARS - At times, Lyrics can make or break a concept album. I'll start with the last track, beautiful song, love it, but the lyrics......

There are also a couple of other songs, E=MC2...cringe. Then there are songs like "New Born Race"...cringe, just not to my taste. Then there's Liquid Eternity, I like it, the chorus is just repeated a bit too much.

Now other than those, for me, this is the discovery album for Ayreaon. I tried Human Equation and it just didn't click, I tried a couple of others too - I'll re-visit them.

Having a veritable who's who of vocalists providing their voices is a novelty, it makes things interesting. You can look at the list. I don't listen to all of them in their own bands, so some are a discovery. It's good to hear Jorn Lande singing prog again, his voice and delivery does have character. Hansi Kursch chimes in in a similar way. Daniel Gildenlow is developing his own style these days, but still impresses with his soaring high notes. I'm not sure who sings the quiet bit in Age of Shadows, but I like it. The female vocals are also beautiful, though I don't listen to Epica, etc.

Musically, we have some great one-off keyboard solos from Derek Sherinian and Tomas Bodin along with some great guitar solos from Arjen and some special guests. Drums provided Ed Warby shouldn't be downplayed either.

Age of Reason is a great catchy opener, apart from the 80's keyboards, before we move into a more Pink Floyd Welcome to the Machine sounding section. There's an industrial keyboard feel throughout the album, tempered by a folk feel in the other songs. Melodies jump out and catch your brain, with Beneath the Waves being one of the strongest in the middle of the album

Chop out those songs I listed above and proceed to the end and it really is a high quality progressive rock/metal album with a lot of variation to stretch your imagination and melodies to hum in your head.

In the end, this is an excellent addition to ANY prog rock music collection, despite a few cringes along the way.

by praj912


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