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World Of Grey
"After the passing of guitar player Marc Vooijs in 2014 The Aurora Project took a year off. They decided to continue as a five-piece band and in the booklet of the new album, Marc is honoured with a beautiful picture. World Of Grey is the fourth album by The Aurora Project and a concept album, which is in line with the 2013 album Selling The Aggression, dealing with topics of privacy in the internet era, anonymous, NSA, propaganda and so on.
When I played World Of Grey for the first time I was surprised by the new sound of The Aurora Project. The sound is now a bit more melodic progressive rock and just a notch less progressive metal. The Dream Theater influences are placed more in the background, and I hear a lot more Arena, Pendragon and Pink Floyd. They are still on the heavy side of progressive rock, but there is a lot more room for melodies on World Of Grey than on previous albums. I believe this will bring them in contact with new fans, yet I do not think the metal fans will lose interest, as there is still enough to enjoy in that respect.
The start of Expect Us, a direct reference to the activist group Anonymous, immediately shows the change in sound. On Warmongers the influences of Rush can be added to the list, with more room for the bass parts, and as in the first song, I hear the progressive keyboard layers I usually hear in the Arena and Pendragon sound.
Stone Eagle is a ballad with a bombastic start that then slowly pounds forward to a heavy ending. After these three songs I can easily say that The Aurora Project has made a huge step forward in their sound and also in their songwriting, as both are in balance on World Of Grey.
The centre part of the album, with Deadly Embrace and Media Puppets, is a bit more accessible, with *Saga being added to the list of influencing bands. Then with the title track, the technical progressive metal elements return. This is a more heavy and dramatic song, with a small return to the Dream Theater influences.
I thought the title track would be the biggest song on the album, but that honour goes to Circles In the Water. It is a return to the mellow sound of Stone Eagle, with a very Pink Floyd like feel to it. The relaxed song writing results in nicely stretched passages and a very natural feel. And then the band has saved the best for last. I really love Dronewars. Its powerful start, with orchestral sounds mixed in perfectly, helps to make it the best song on the album.
Overall, World Of Grey is a very good album that really surprised me. The sound is more melodic and I believe it will attract new fans to the band. Also they will certainly not lose any old fans, as they still keep true to their known sound. Woith World of Grey, think I have found my album of the year and I believe this will be so for many more people." - DPRP.net