OPPOSITION

Persephone's Dream 2001 album is "Opposition" sounding very different to the next three albums to follow which are all masterpieces of Heavy Symphonic Prog to my ears. This release has the endearing vocals of Karin Nicely, a confident performer who is easy on the ears. Bevel opens the album with a heavy guitar riff and and some nice sound effects of water lapping. It is a rocker with some catchy melodies.

Kindred Soil is a quieter approach with beautiful guitar reverb from Rowen Poole, and a steady tempo from percussionist Ed Wiancko and John Tallent, who appears on other albums. There is a spoken section which is rather interesting. The bassist is Chris Siegle, wonderful on these albums, appearing often, and keyboardist is Kim Finney.

Puppetmaster is next, driven by a heavy riff, and Karin's forceful vocals sounding similar to Toyah, who I adore. Listen to Marionette, The Packt or anything from "Anthem" and it is a similar style. A cool lead break and marching snare take over til the verse returns "where are you going? Ruled by your ego."

Endymion caresses your ears as it zooms in and out of your drums with synth pulses. Then lovely singing and guitar delay add to a haunting atmosphere. I love that bass against the soundscape of synths and dreamy guitar as Karin sings "Endymion, Can you give her the keys to her slumber, Endymion the silent sleeper, forever lost in the night." The spaciness and ambiance is powerful on this track. Karin is outstanding with a passionate performance I am beginning to enjoy more and more as the album progresses. Her outro of operatic intonations is towering.

Hyperspace Minefield, an Ayreon like title, opens with pounding drums and bass, joined by Karin and the guitars ringing out. Rowen's guitar work is excellent with chord progressions that complement the musicscape.

Other notable tracks include 10th Moon, with Pink Floyd style intro, moving into a steady rock beat with soft guitars, and spacey synths. The vocals are gentle and augmented by inventive musicianship with some fantastic percussion. The cadence gets heavier and progressive towards the end.

Agent of Chaos has a sparkly synth chime intro like a music box and then synths similar to Jean Michel Jarre pulsating. The bass is low and ominous as more prominent synths and guitars caress the atmosphere. Karin enters with intense vocals about the havoc surrounding a protagonist, "confusion sets in on unknowing mind, he laughs to himself".

There is also the mystical Far Side of Eden, opening with floating flute sounds and very pretty guitars, and the innovative Stormchaser, with its Deep Purple like title. This track stands out with its wind effects and guitar delay intro. It builds into distortion and Karin crying out to the heavens, "Can't you see I don't want to be lost and alone in the violence, I want to sail into the wind". An ambient atmosphere follows with synth pads and multi tracked harmonies. Thunder rolls across the sky and the music becomes heavier, lifting into a choppy rhythm and then descending into synths drones and the storm clouds open in the end.

We segue into Serene Sea to close the album, a steady rhythm motorvating along as Karin sings sweetly about the power of nature.

This album is not as masterful as the next three albums but it is still an excellent journey into the world of Persephone's Dream. There are some wonderful tracks and Karin is a fabulous vocalist. "Opposition" is yet another reason that Persephone's Dream are a worthy band to check out at your earliest opportunity.