ROOMS OF ANGUISH

Trying to summarize a power of omens disc is like trying to climb a mountain. it can be done with great effort and looked back upon with sheer joy. for those unfamilar with the band, power of omens is a highly complex prog metal band that employ a very unique style in terms of chops, ambiance, and just plain old feel. i've heard them described from everything as technical and cold to complex and dynamic. what seperates them from the pack for me is that they "punch" instead of "crunch."

fans of "eyes of the oracle" can sleep better at night as they have continued that style and sound, yet have taken it to another level in terms of melody and atmosphere. in fact, i was a bit stunned at the level of keys employed throughout the disc in both atmosphere and soloing. from the opening notes of "within these words" you will be taken back at how they play off the guitar leads. to further the atmospheric point, the band employs a bombastic feel in their orchestrations. while other prog bands tend to use the beautiful and serene sounds of early composers, poo hit you in the gut with the grandiose themes of wagner. for those unfamilar with the classics, think of the soundtrack to "conan the barbarian." power metal bands should take lessons from then on how to write an intro, especially in the chorus department. the male and female counter melodies (is that a real term?) simply play up the feel to the hilt.

their stylisitic differences from generic prog metal continue to amaze me after repeated listens. there are not many other bands that can blend authentic acoustic flamenco guiar spots seemlessly with a rythm section that does its damnedest to make your head spin.

that leads me to the drumming. alex can stand toe to toe with *anybody* in metal. i don't care if your last name is portnoy or zonder. he rolls so many different beats/tones that i simply cannot keep up. his style is simply "over the top" and i truly believe that it leads to the defintie split on embracing the band. some folks simply cannot take the heat so to speak.

david's guitar playing has continued to evolve to the point that he now has a signature sound that i have yet to hear from any other band. he does not play to the rythm being laid down, but "co-exists" with it in my view. if you can ignore everything around him (and that is hard as fuck to do), then you can truly appreciate the chops he is using. i get as giddy as a school girl when the acoustic bits start as nobody, and i mean nobody, does it as well as he does in our circles. furthermore, his solos tend to bleed instead of shred. that is *exactly* what this style of music needs as it keeps the melody with the insanity.

their new bassist (chris herring) more than holds his own throughout the disc. to me the job of a good bassist is to hold everything together. he does that and more as his grooves cut through some crazy leads at times.

chris salina's vocals have not changed a bit. whether he likes it or not, he is tate jr. his upper register does have a slightly different tone than geoff, but when he drops down to mid and low range, you can forget it. he is the tate's twin from 10 years ago. he also uses the same spoken word and tonal inflections during the chorus work as well. it is simply breathtaking.

it would be too much for me to attempt to do a song by song break down. i could not do the disc justice. however, i have to mention three things:

1. the first two minutes of "as winter falls" strike a chill that i cannot shake. it is a despairingly beautiful intro with acoustics, keys, and salinas being godly.

2. the 20 minute cut, "in the end," is going to take me months to figure out.

3. "only a dream" is the most beautiful ballad i have heard this year.

folks, this is 76 minutes of prog metal heaven. do not miss this one.