AWAKENING

I've been trying to give this album a fair chance for quite some time now but I honestly can't do it. The first thing that will strike you while listening to Stream Of Consciousness' debut album is the subpar sound production. It's really not much of a problem for fans of '70s, but that is really the least of this album's problems.

It all starts nicely with Overture, yes the drums sound like they've been recorded in someones basement, but that's probably because they were. It's not until the next composition, titled The Prophecy, that we realize the style that Stream Of Consciousness is going for and it ain't a pretty sight. Musically, this album is all over the place with arrangements raging from heavy doom metal to raw metal ballad piano-driven rock. Ultimately all the instrumental arrangements function as background for the over the top vocals by the three vocalists all trying to convey some type of a story.

I generally consider myself highly tolerant when it comes to vocals but this is definitely one of those few instances where I have to pull out the timeout card. The operatic style per se is not much of a problem, unfortunately the vocalists often sing duets and its here that it really falls apart. I find the vocal arrangements not only to be out of place with the music but also often out of tune with each other. It really sounds like the vocal tracks were recorded independently from one another without even trying to work off each other. In the end, it turns into an almost torturous experience for anyone listening.

It is not my intention to be a hater but I honestly can't see much of a value in this music. I really hope that Stream Of Consciousness will try to reinvent their formula because the current state of their music is not something I can recommend to even the hardcore fans of progressive metal.

**** star songs: Overture (2:26) Entr'acte (3:24)

*** star songs: The Prophecy (5:53) The Face Of Madness (8:51) At A Time Like This (3:30) In Memoriam (Soliloquy) (4:37) To Nothing (Soliloquy) (7:47) Epilogue (3:09)

** star songs: The Waking Dream (5:04) When Tomorrow Finds Us Gone (9:46)