WILDERUN

The first thing that surprised me was how they were much more oriented to folk. In the first music, we have a peaceful theme with an acoustic guitar that differs from what I expected. This harmonical theme soon was broken in the next song where growl comes and we have classic Opeth invading the record. I don't want to just keep saying in these reviews how they sound like something similar; they have their originality too. These come in elements like the folk style that I spoke about earlier, some songs have orchestral chorals too and in various parts, you have guitar solos that resemble more traditional progressive metal like Dream Theater or Riverside.

The instrumental is "OK" and the vocalist is average, his harmonic parts are nothing incredible and his growls are good. This band is not unoriginal but I find they very ordinary, in various parts we have long sections where the instrumental is very predictable, the band uses structures that those familiar with progressive metal will see what's coming next from miles away, this is a bad point especially because it removes the effect of surprise and did my interest in the album slowly fade away. These elements are even worsened by parts that are dragged for too long. I know long songs are common in progressive rock, but this album could really benefit from having shorter songs.

The last thing I should comment on is the production, are most parts it's ok except in moments where there is too much going on and the mix just become a little strange, without focus with the sounds just blending in strange ways, this bothers me because, for example, the growls that are good can never listen with total clarity.

This is album is not a disaster but is very average, it has some moments that could put a smile in the face of any prog rock fan, is sad that these moments are isolated in far places and to get to it is necessary to pass through sections that are so common that urge me to listen to their inspirations. If you are a fan of progressive metal and specially Opeth I still recommend you to listen to it, maybe I just being an annoying guy because there are pretty high ratings for this album, but for me, this is not an album that I will come back soon to listen. 2 Stars

What a fantastic piece of work this is. There are so many good moments of gentle and mellow progressing to (and often exploding into) moments of heart pounding, double-kick, wall-of-sound, mayhem. Strong composition and creativity pour through this album. It's clear that a lot of time and effort went into getting this just right. Just right.

Don't be afraid of references that you will read of death metal growls. They are tastefully and judiciously used to add contract to Barry's beautiful, smooth vocals. Fans of Opeth (mid and later) will likely enjoy this album. Speaking of Opeth, there are parts, particularly in WoolGatherer where I am reminded of moments in Storm Corrosion where Mikael and Steven Wilson were chasing some scary, Scott Walker vibe. There's also a haunting interlude reminiscent of those on Tool's FI.

This is a dark album. Dark is the dominant mood, but there are still many nice, acoustic or well-orchestrated parts to give some balance, and Barry's vocals have a nice, sound throughout. There's also Identifier, which rocks some fantastic quitar riffs and barely explores some slightly more upbeat, almost pop-rock themes. Well, not really, it's still melancholic as a whole and it mixes in completely anarchistic changes and metal. There's nothing wrong with that!

This album is a really enjoyable listen. It's full of surprises and very interesting. It's one that you can try to put on in the background, but you will find that it routinely demands your attention with it's twists and turns. When it isn't demanding your attention, you will find yourself moving along to the varied rhythms as it maintains a pull. Give it your full attention and enjoy it even more.

Don't miss out on the bonus tracks which include a good cover of Radiohead's, "Everything in Its Right Place". They are as good as the rest of the album.

I listened to this album three time's back to back last night and again today with a fresh set of ears. Yep. She's Epic. Well done!

Every time I talk about this record, I think it comes with a few too many buts and howevers. It's good - of course it is, but it's also the follow-up to one of my favourite albums of all time, and an album I would consider amongst the best to have ever graced the progressive metal genre. And like this as I do, that's hard to avoid. Especially when, for whatever baffling reason, this one seems to get all the attention.

Don't get me wrong, I love the attention, and I'm glad that Wilderun have started to gain the following they deserve - in fact it almost pains me to say that I don't really get this album because I so sorely want to, even only just to show support for a band who were amongst the best in the underground for so long. But this just misses out on so much of what Sleep at the Edge of the Earth had in terms of melody, heart and power. It still has the phenomenal arrangements, brilliant performances and passionate vocals, and it's far better produced, but that's not quite enough for me.

I should probably talk a bit about what I like here, since I have given this a decent score, and I don't like doing reviews where I mostly focus on the negatives in a positive review, but in all honesty everything good about this record can be found by reading my review of Sleep. These guys know how to write riffs, they know how to incorporate strange Radiohead-esque chord substitutions, they know how to be brutal and how to be soulful, and they do this all whilst operating in a genre that is known for being the cheesiest music alive.

I will commend them for leaving the folk metal behind though, as I think that's a smart piece of evolution - too often bands that begin cornered into a genre will remain there indefinitely, and after literally perfecting folk metal, why bother staying? This one takes symphonic metal for a spin and although the arrangements are detailed and ambitious, there is an element of artificiality to them that perhaps dampens their effect. I'd love to hear how this sounds with a real orchestra behind it.

But regardless of all my moaning, I'm glad that Wilderun exist and are making creative progressive metal. No one else in the history of this side of the genre has ever done music with this much heart, and I honestly never thought it was physically possible. This one hasn't got a feather on its predecessor, but who really cares? That one was a masterpiece, I'm not going to shoot them for missing the mark.

7.1 (6th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

The way I'll score songs will be: <5 min: /5, 5-10: /7, 10+: /10. I might change this to give epics more weight in the future, but for now this will do.

The Unimaginable Zero Summer kicks off the album and in 3 minutes builds all the way from dramatic poetry reading to a charging riff that keeps coming back throughout the album without ever getting old. This song absolutely kicks ass leading up to an incredible moment at 8:40 that you'll find yourself excited for every time you listen to the song. We're then remembered of the songs humble beginning themes. Throughout these parts the chorus gives every line so much depth which definitely elevates the piece. We have another build into the main theme, and then the listeners are allowed to breathe as the song begins to end peacefully. 9.5/10

We lead right right in O Resolution! which gives us right off the bat a climax reminiscent of the one the song before but in a different key with a deeper, darker texture. We're greated by deep viking-esque vocals that continue the dark theme until dispelled by the beautiful clean voice of Evan in one of his greatest vocal lines on the album. The juxtaposition of the light and dark on this song is part of what makes it so fantastic. 7/7

Sleeping Ambassadors of the Sun begins thunderously and descends into orchestral fluttering. Piano guides Evan's clean voice in another album highlight. Then the guitar enters with majestic growls before we get to revisit the melody with guitar leading Evan this time and its even better. The dynamics of this song continue to amaze as the band transitions so frequently, and never are the transitions awkward for the listener but seem so natural. 6/7

Scentless Core (Budding) is a slow build, from the theme of sleeping ambassadors leading into an epic climax like the two that have come before it but with dancing piano adding to the majesty this time. 5/5

The piano leads right into the melody of Far from Where Dreams Unfurl, the catchiest tune on the album and one where Evan's voice really shines yet again. This song really relies on the chorus is the most poppy out anything else on this album, although the breakdown at 2:10 takes the song in an unexpected direction and is a very nice moment with great vocals again. We have another build at the start of minute 4 that ends beautifully and the chorus really brings everything together here again. The guitar comes in at just the right time to give the noise direction. 5/7

Another peaceful interlude before the finale, Scentless Core (fading) starts with a great duet between piano and acoustic guitar. Evan replaces the piano before being joined by orchestral backing and shows his diversity. The eruption of the guitar here and the thunderous drums that accompany break the calm nicely. At 3:30 the chord progression shifts beautifully and is one of my favorite points in the album. 6.5/7

The Tyranny of Imagination starts off hitting hard, leading into a nice chunky riff. Growls and clean vocals trade off parts nicely, but while these parts are nice they aren't necessarily memorable. The breakdown here is fantastic, and the listener is engaged - things are definitely happening here! We're starting to get some resolution at 3:40 but a note of dissonance at the top register keeps us on our toes. We come back to the growling sections, but as the melody climbs we start to get some piano at 7:10 providing a beautiful moment. 8/10

When the Fire and the Rose Were One is a fantastic closer to the album. The piano leads yet another beautiful section of clean vocals that builds as instruments continue to add themselves to the fray. There's a moment where there is a nice call and response moment with the piano that just goes to show the detail of composition this album has throughout. At 3 minutes the guitar is all that is left as the build begins in earnest. The drums begin to pound and we have one of the more epic moments in music as the main theme is resurrected triumphantly. The chorus and orchestra keep the moment as the lead drops from that beautiful top register. 5:20 begins an incredible ostinato section that gets more piercing and epic as the instrumentation builds around it. The chorus again provides that extra depth that really brings everything home. This song is an epic culmination to a series of mountains and valleys that are each one somehow better than the last. 10/10

Definitely 5 stars for this masterpiece and my Album of the Year : 56/62