Between Nothingness & Eternity

"This fifth album for the underground Norwegian Prog / Power Metal kings starts with a short Flamenco guitar and compass handclap pattern intro named “Esperanto”, luckily DIVIDED MULTITUDE will quickly manage to change everything soon with a real Metal riff and a double kick onslaught, they set the power to maximum heaviness mixed with sheer elegance, indeed since then the remaining 10 tracks on the album are pretty sharp with furious drums and almost Thrashy rhythmic guitars but moderated with ultra-catchy vocals in the real Scandinavian method. I like to think of them about as an heaviest version of CIRCUS MAXIMUS (“What I See”), applicant of a few hyper challenging Melodic motifs with a stunning Schizophrenic vocal rendition, indeed Mr. Sindre Antonsen alternates brilliantly between "testo-tenroic" multi layered singing like Jekyll & Hyde, in the great PRETTY MAIDS & Ronnie Atkins tradition with a two-faced styled that switch from velvet to sandpaper in the same sentence.Of course all the players are ultra-competent, Christer Harøy (PS: his other band with his brother Rayner called TEODOR TUFF is also warmly recommended by yours truly) is a solid guitar player but stay quite discrete leaving much room to another essential strong element in their sound: the fantastic yet subtle Eskild Kløften, who provides some fine effective performance in multipl(a)ying synthetic ambient waves & Progressive Rock keyboards.In this genre the songwriting should be uselessly complicated, well it’s not exactly the case with “Feed On Your Misery”, but don’t get me wrong please, there is plenty of weird or cerebral moments as some strange structures mixed with passionate and luxurious arrangements quite rich in complexity with an average over six minutes in length without never sounding hermetic or rigid.The smartest cuts like the title track “Feed On Your Misery”, the delicious “Crimson Sunset” or the dark “Vicious By Heart” are also pretty much influenced by early QUEENSRYCHE or CRIMSON GLORY with some modernized vocals taken from the inherent omnipresent obvious reference while speaking about Prog Metal singer, the soulful, the one, the only: Sir Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X / ADRENALINE MOB) himself (“Scars”).Finally, the best comparison could have been PAGAN’S MIND meets ANUBIS GATE meets CONCEPTION. I already said it, I will say it again: “Feed On Your Misery” by DIVIDED MULTITUDE, that’s Scandinavian Melodic Prog at its Best." - Metal Temple

Once again we turn to Norway for a fresh take on an old sound. With amps turned way up, Anti-Depressive Delivery blend classic progressive rock with modern raw aggression. Mellotron, organ and synth clash with frantic guitar leads underscoring this young band's appreciation for prog and metal Gods past and present. Think Anekdoten mixed with Pain Of Salvation and Somnambulist.The prog world may never be the same...

Its been quite a long time since we've heard from Magic Pie.  They went through lots of trials and tribulations getting this album finished but now its finally arrived.  If you are not familiar with this band here's the deal: Magic Pie are a Norwegian band with a retro 70s sound.  The music is a bit of a high wire act balancing the neo-prog sounds of The Flower Kings with the heavier elements of classic Uriah Heep.  They also seem to be the darlings of Rosfest having played there multiple times."It's hard to believe it's been 10 years since these proggers from Norway released their promising debut "Motions of Desire". At that time, their music struck me as an enthusiastic combination of classic prog and classic hard rock. (Think Deep Purple for the hard rock side of that equation.) At their best, they offered memorable passages and pieces that sounded like they very well could have been long lost recordings from many years ago. At their worst, they sometimes fell short of filling the big shoes of the legendary bands whose music they strove to emulate. That's actually not bad for a debut album from a new prog band. I found much to like and looked forward to hearing from them again in the future.Checking back in on them a decade later, I must say that I am very impressed with how they have developed and matured. No longer do I get the feeling that certain sections of songs are direct homages to any particular band from any one particular decade of prog's illustrious history. Their influences, while still very present and valid, are now more varied, including a greater percentage of modern reference points. More importantly, their influences are just that--merely influences rather than templates or even primary reference points.The sound quality on "King for a Day" is superb thanks in large part to the enlistment of sonic genius Rich Mouser (whose resume includes similar work for prominent contemporaries like Spock's Beard, Transatlantic and Dream Theater).Keyboardist Erling Hananger is an excellent addition to Magic Pie's recipe. His keyboard parts are expressive, dynamic and integral to the music. When appropriate, his leads seamlessly blend, harmonize, and work synergistically with electric guitar.The lyrics have a melodramatic and somewhat tragic flair this time around, but this is prog so you should be accustomed to the musical ride including a few tragic tales from time to time by now, right?OK ' so it's time for the "magic" question... A decade after their debut album, how has my impression of Magic Pie changed?On "King for a Day", I now hear a band which has found "its own voice", one that resonates confidently in the space somewhere between classic arena rock of yesteryear (on prog-steroids of course) and modern melodic prog of the 21st Century (like Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings). Add a few dashes of modern prog-metal to taste and you, my friend, have baked up a very nice confection indeed... MAGIC PIE!If you love modern prog anthems with big harmonies and 'sing along' choruses, give "King for a Day" a listen! I'm glad I did!" - ProgArchives

"Brazilian death metal upstarts Sepultura took an incredible creative leap forward with their second full-length album, 1987's Schizophrenia. Although it was recorded not too long after their primitive, black metal-dominated debut efforts -- 1985's Bestial Devastation EP and 1986's Morbid Visions LP -- Schizophrenia introduced an entirely new sound fusing thrash and death metal, and all of it supported by much improved songwriting, musicianship, and the first truly professional-sounding production job of the band's short career. Constant touring, rehearsal, and the addition of lead guitarist Andreas Kisser (his classical guitar training and memorable solos made an immediate impact) were all key to this stunning transformation, but the heightened level of proficiency at hand is such that it almost seems miraculous at times. With their precise, lightning-quick staccato riffing and multiple, distinct, but interlocking sections, the album's opening triplet of "From the Past Comes the Storm" (preceded by a Psycho-inspired intro theme), "To the Wall," and "Escape from the Void" proved simply devastating to the ears. And yet the seven-minute instrumental "Inquisition Symphony" (later covered by Finnish cello virtuosos Apocalyptica) was arguably even more breathtaking in its diversity, brilliantly showcasing the band's incredible, new-found combination of melody and aggression while adding some tasteful synth touches, to boot. Additional head-banging standouts like "Screams Behind the Shadows" and a re-recorded version of early fan favorite "Troops of Doom" bookend a few less distinctive offerings on side two -- those being token thrashers "Septic Schizo" and "R.I.P. (Rest in Pain)," plus the acoustic interlude "The Abyss," but only a trifling of momentum is lost, nevertheless. All of which helped make Schizophrenia the first Sepultura release to make serious waves with international critics and fans, while setting the stage for the group's imminent breakthrough release, Beneath the Remains." - Allmusic Guide

"Some four years ago Borealis released their Fall From Grace, and my conclusion was simple. They presented adequate, yet typical, melodic European power metal just misplaced in Canada. To the present, it seems things may have changed, even improved, for the band for their third album, Purgatory.Yet, I'm not sure I want to get ahead of myself here. One spin and you hear echoes of previous material: riff heavy and intense, speedy power metal. As Mets manager Yogi Berra once said, "It's deja vu all over again." Actually, for my money, you could boil this album down to two things: blistering power metal and lots of epic guitar solos. Now, you say: "Dude, I love that shit!" Okay. Stop reading and go buy the album.But there's more. The keyboards seem more present, even adding a large portion symphonic orchestration to add to Borealis' naturally bombastic sound. Take note of My Peace, for example. Also, and not knowing who the principal guitarist is, Matt Marinelli or Mike Briguglio, the guitar lines are phenomenal. Forget the twin bombastic riffs, the leads are killer: soaring to the wow factor. Additionally, the arrangements are more dynamic; the progressive metal has gotten a bump here over the last album. Yet, this is not a hyper-technical leap. It's more changes in tempo and breakdowns. You'll catch some of this within Place Of Darkness or Welcome To Eternity. The latter also a good example, in the second half, of Borealis adding some thrash metal to overwhelm you.The wild card in this mixture is vocalist Matt Marinelli. I would like to say he can sing, and I think he can. But he's so often totally overwhelmed by the music to be nearly underwater. He's seems always striving and straining to stay ahead or, to continue the metaphor, stay above the music. Then you find out he has a generally pleasing voice and presence when you listen to Darkest Sin or Rest My Child, the two quietest songs here. I would imagine when you hear Borealis live, you'll have a Pink Floyd moment, from The Wall, when observing Marinelli: "Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying." Nevertheless, Purgatory is definitely an advancement for Borealis, a fine album of more ambitious progressive power metal than past efforts. Recommended." - Dangerdog.com

"The second, along awaited album from the italian multi-talented band is finally out! And "it's not so far" (in italian language "Non è poi così lontano" is a Perigeo work) from the expected!During the preceding months the band has given to fans information about their hard work in studio, but nothing let us know what would be their new musical orientation, though they were noticing it would be different from the debut one!Now we know at last! Though it's not so far from the first one, with a similar melancholic ansiogenic mood and the same powerful expressivity, there's a great melodic research and this gives easy pleasure to the listener, notwithstanding the harmonic and structural complexity. Let me tell you, this is only from talented and inspired musicians: the others entangle themselves in boring and uselessly complex structures.The opening track 'Wait For Me' starts with a powerful intro in Echolyn - Änglagård style, but it suddenly changes in a melancholic mood when Calandriello starts his beautiful singing.It's very difficult to find out what are the more representative tracks since the whole work is very high level. Surely the opener 'Wait For Me' has its big impact, as 'I Feel Like Snowing', the crimsonian 'Pleasure of Drowning', the dramatic 'Open Window' and the intense 'Not Now', this last sometimes recently performed LIVE. The whole work is enriched with musical and sound effect refinements which often bring pleasing surprise to the listener. For a NOT lazy listener this is a pleasure.. hasn't it?Calandriello, in my opinion, reaches his highest in intensity and melodic inspiration, the sound effects and the registers of Botta's keyboards are charming and refined, Zago's guitar work, in counterpoints, accompaniment or solo, has always the right tune and visionary intensity, Malacrida's refined drumming is a powerful support for Cassani's complex bass patterns.King Crimson is reborn in Italy? Not so true! Though the crimsonian inspiration is alive and well, as painful moods, ostinatos, harmonic and structural constructions, NAGS are actually the melodic counterbalance of another italian band where Zago and Botta are involved: Yügen.Sadly in the last days NAGS announced that Zago will not take part to the project anymore. We all hope that Gian Marco Trevisan, the one who will take his heavy inheritance, will be able to grant to the band the same visionary and technical support in future compositions.The last track 'Farewell' is Botta's special gift to Zago." - ProgArchives