REMEDY LANE

After the acclaimed The Perfect Element Pt. 1, PoS decided to rest on their laurels and instead released this opus. Remedy Lane. The concept is , the similar to the one on One Hour By the Concrete Lake, which is introspection, but it's executed far better. Daniel fills every song with emotion and the rest of the band is more prominent than usual, but it's still Daniel's show. The story takes place over a few days in Hungary and travels through the range of human emotions.

The album is split into three chapters, with the protagonist revisiting his memories. The story is somewhat autobiographical. "A Trace of Blood" deals with the pain of a miscarriage. "This Heart of Mine (I Pledge)" is a love song, but it's followed by "Undertow," a dark piece revolving around the now-broken relationship. "Rope Ends" deals with attempted suicide. In the end, the painful memories create a sort of "Remedy Lane" that proves to be therapeutic.

Daniel's vocals have always been astounding, but he gives his best performance on this album. He captures the range of human emotions as well, maybe even better, than Arjen Lucassen would do on The Human Equation. The flaw here, as with all PoS albums, is that the rest of the band gets little time to shine. However, there are more instrumental bridges this time around. This album is essential to prog metal fans and to those who have an interest in metal but don't like Dream Theater. Buy now.

Grade: A