TALE OF A DARK FATE

Proficient instrumental prog that is not as well well engineered as one would hope--especially with the acclaim it's been receiving. The fact that this music is being marketed as "horror" "soundtrack" music is quite surprising to me as the songs are mostly very pretty, even calming. The tempos and time signatures are fairly laid back and straightforward and the the musical arrangements are quite simplistic and often feel too bare or sparsely populated. The beginning of "Phantasos" was the first time I felt any kind of eeriness or feelings of uneasiness, and even this gets nowhere near as heavy as, say, a KARDA ESTRA song from the Naughties. It is also my opinion that this music is really screaming out for lyrics--for its story to be told in more than saccharine symphonic prog music. The drums are recorded raw and untreated (no gating!)--which is nice--but something is off-feeling about them--as if the equipment is too loose or cheap. Still, the drumming is, for me, often a highlight (especially on "Phobetor," "Clotho," and "Lachesis").

Favorite tracks: 9. "Interlude II - Ananke" (3:48) (8.5/10); 3. "Phobetor" (3:18) (8.5/10); 7. "Clotho" (7:10) (though it runs a little long) (8.5/10); 5. "Phantasos" (5:51) (8.5/10); 8. "Lachesis" (4:09) (the second half) (8.5/10); 10. "Atropos" (5:36) (8/10), 2. "Morpheus" (6:15) (8/10); and; 11. "Postlude - Moros" (4:56) (held back by the computer-generated piano) (7.5/10).

3.5 stars; a good album from an artist whose progress and growth I will eagerly watch. Listening to this album I am reminded of the first BATTLESTATIONS album I heard back in 2011. Great ideas, great sounds, great potential, room to grow!