PEPPER'S GHOST

You have another example here of an Arena album that is borderline between neo progressive, progressive metal and sophisticated hard rock. Indeed, the guitar riffs are razor and aggressive enough to be considered metal, while the presence of some ear candy modern keyboards tend to classify the album into the neo prog subgenre. The lead vocals really sound arena rock of the 80's. I find Pepper's Ghost a bit less progressive and more straightforward than the Arena's previous albums; despite the compositions still remain relatively catchy, fresh and interesting, we feel a certain dilution of the compositions, especially on tracks like "Bedlam Fayre" and "Eyes of Lara Moon"; even the epic "Opera fanatica" could more explore the territories of progressive music. The short sentimental "in your face" solo on "Eyes of Lara Moon" is VERY pleasant to hear. The best moment of the album is the sustained progressive second part of "Purgatory Road", between 4:00 and the end, containing catchy airs, memorable rhythms and NASA voices. I must admit "Shattered Room" has quite interesting progressive moments. The only "bad" thing I found is the particularly annoying modified marginal voice on "Bedlam Fayre".