Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Arena - The Seventh Degree of Separation CD (album) cover

THE SEVENTH DEGREE OF SEPARATION

Arena

 

Neo-Prog

3.47 | 345 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

A Crimson Mellotron
Prog Reviewer
3 stars 'The Seventh Degree of Separation' is Arena's seventh studio release, and first one with then-new vocalist Paul Manzi, another exquisite vocalist brought in to complement the epic music composed by one of the most exciting contemporary British prog rock bands. After a string of excellent releases in the early 2000s, with Rob Sowden handling the singing duties, and after a 6-year silence, 'The Seventh Degree of Separation' sees the band returning slightly to form and taking their best shot at starting out the new decade on a high note. And one could say that in a way they did manage to do it!

Technical and melodic, this album is simply a collection of very good songs composed by one of the most seasoned collectives out there, also seeing Arena go back a bit to the album presentation format of their heyday when their releases featured a huge number of shorter and more straightforward songs, as opposed to what we are usually used to when we talk about a prog rock band. It is really pleasant to see them applying their darker sounds and sometimes ominous tone to compositions that have strong heavy metal leanings with elements of symphonic rock, experimental rock or electronic rock. Among the highlights on here, one could not omit the mighty opener 'The Great Escape', the really heavy 'Rapture', or the more lush soundscapes of 'One Last Au Revoir'; 'Echoes of the Fall' and 'Burning Down' are also among the songs that sound the most convincing.

This is no 'Contagion', nor it is 'The Visitor' - it is a fine album by a great band, nothing too special, nothing too shabby. Just a display of power, capabilities, and will to continue to be creative.

A Crimson Mellotron | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this ARENA review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.