DOUBLE VISION

Review #88. It's almost 3 years since the release of The Unquiet Sky and Arena returned with a new album. Double Vision was released a few weeks ago, and as it seems, it is the best album the band recorded since Contagion (2003). In Double Vision, Arena re-discover their musical identity and present an album that totally worth its money. Personally speaking, I didn't like the two previous albums as much as their older ones, so I had no idea what to expect with this new one.

In my opinion, this album can be characterized as Arena's come back! With the heavy riffs of John Mitchell's guitar, the beautiful passages of Clive Nolan's keyboards, the nice melodic turns, the very good compositions and the excellent overall performance of the band, it is definitely a great album!

Double Vision includes 7 songs, all of them good ones, and has a total running time of almost an hour. It begins with Zhivago Wolf, a rather powerful song, (which I didn't like so much to be honest), but right after that, the rest of the album is a real treat for the ears and the soul. The album is closing in the best way possible, with the 22-minute-long epic The Legend of Elijah Shade, a really strong composition, which is going to be loved by every Progressive Rock fan, with its endless turns and changes.

Favorite songs (so far): The Mirror Lies, Scars, Red Eyes, Paradise of Thieves, The Legend of Elijah Shade.

This is a very serious piece of work and I recommend it to all the Progressive Rock and Neo Prog fans. Give this album a try and you won't regret it!

My Rating: 4.5 stars.