A STEP BEYOND

"A Step Beyond" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US power/progressive metal act Mystic Force. The album was released through Rising Sun Records in 1995. This is the first album by the band, not featuring recordings from previous releases. Both "Shipwrecked with the Wicked (1990)" and "The Eternal Quest (1993)" featured recordings from different sessions.

The music on "A Step Beyond" takes a slightly more progressive direction than was the case with "The Eternal Quest (1993)", which had already taken on a more progressive direction compared to "Shipwrecked with the Wicked (1990)". Still the music is heavily rooted in eighties US power metal and the progressive part of the band´s sound is only occasionally dominant. Tracks like "The Conquest" and "The Innerchild" are examples of the progressive side of the band´s sound. Quite a few of the tracks are more heavy/semi thrashy/harder edged and direct in nature though. "Far Away" is probably the odd song out on the album. It´s a power ballad type track with a mainstream oriented chorus.

The musicianship is strong. Bobby Hicks is a skilled vocalist and the instrumental part of the music is also very well played. The sound production leaves a bit to be desired and the songwriting isn´t that memorable either though, so not everything on the album are top notch. I still think a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is deserved but I do prefer Mystic Force when they played a more "straight" US power metal style.