ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH

The first thing that you have to take into account is the theatrical opera-rock nature of this work. Epic symphonic sounds and theatrical/dramatic vocals are not for everyone, me included in a sense. Also, despite having an album flow and lyrics telling a story, the sound is very diverse, changing genres between (and sometimes within) songs.

some reviews (not necessarily from this website) referred to the vocals as 'emo', but I believe they have more in common with mainstream alternative rock and 70s rock, with some touches of different styles. In short, the vocalist is very versatile and experiments with his voice a lot.

The rest of the band does not seem to have any virtuosos, but they know how to play their instruments well enough to support the strong songwriting ideas put forth.

This is one of those albums that start excellently, hold on high quality songs for a while, gets less interesting halfway only to end in a very high note. The album's first tracks are generally great, particularly the harmony-driven introductory track and the adrenaline-pumping, latin-influenced "In Cauda Venenum" which are fabulous. All these early tracks have very strong choruses, including the ones in "Tank" which redeem the cheesy orchestral riff in its intro. Another highlight is the ending of "The Poison Woman". However, the trio of "He Said He Had a Story", "A Beautiful Life" and "Go Get Your Gun" hurt my enjoyment of this album. Each song is worse than the previous, hitting its nadir on the embarrassing "Go Get Your Gun".

The album comes back as strong as ever with the "Son", "Father", "Life and Death" trio. All three of these songs have the vocals taking the spotlight and are probably the singer's best moment on the album, full of emotion and great melodies. The last song "Life and Death" carries a lot of emotion and nothing couldn't have finished the album on a stronger note. In fact, I find it the best song in "Act III: Life and Death".

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