PASSION

'Passion' is the ninth studio album by British progressive rock/metal band Pendragon. After the expanding of a prog metal style on the previous release, Pendragon comes back with my favorite of their albums. I takes everything that was great about 'Pure' and expands upon it, still adding in heavier riffing.

The album opens up with the electronic drum beats of the title track, soon coming in with a heavy guitar blast. The music is surprisingly very different from 'Pure'. The songs are overall heavier and catchier, making it easier to get lost in the music. The song 'Feeding Frenzy' is a perfect example, having plenty of catchy hooks and an equally catchy chorus. There are some slower songs, like 'This Green and Pleasant Land', but unlike the previous album, I love this song. It's not a sappy ballad like the slow songs on 'Pure', It is slow and calm but also rocking at the same time. It has a beautiful catchy chorus, and it eventually starts rocking near the end. The other slow song, 'Your Black Heart', is a ballad unfortunately. It's pretty boring and drags on for too long, and a pretty disappointing finale to such an awesome album.

I said Barrett's vocals were good and fitting on the previous two albums, but he blows those albums out of the way with this album. His vocal performance went up ten-fold, bringing in some guttural screams. You'll feel like kicking ass when hearing Barrett screaming 'DROP MY BALLS' and 'WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE' in the title track. Barrett's screaming on my favorite song from the album, 'Skara Brae' is also very well performed, coming in at the perfect times.

Overall, I highly recommend this album to any fans of Progressive hard rock or metal. It would be flawless if it wasn't for the final track, but that doesn't take this album away from being a masterpiece to me. A nearly flawless album, that deserves more recognition. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

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