REMEDY LANE

I have read a lot of good things about this group so the expectation was already set. I was not disappointed. As with many progressive rock albums that I hear I wasn't too sure if I was going to like it after the first few tracks. As the album progressed my interest and curiosity were aroused recurrently. "Beginnings" is kind of strange, complete with some death growls that had me looking for the nearest mosh pit. I had no need for concern as this was only one infinitesimal element of the entire presentation that they had in store for me. By the time track six rolled around I really was getting into it. "Undertow" is the beginning of the second half of the album, and a different sound takes precedence that doesn't let go until the end. What I heard was a likeness to the great prog-rockers Pink Floyd and Queensryche. This is only a likeness I noticed mind you, they have their own style and sound, so don't think if you buy this disc you will be getting a copycat of the legendary prog-rockers of yesteryear.

"Waking Every God", "Second Love", and "Beyond The Pale" are full scale magnum opuses complete with lush intricate acoustic string arrangements, great upfront vocals, and adept background vocals, backed by rocking guitar and thumping and pumping drums and bass ... it's the utter epitome of prog-rock. These guys can rock and make some beautiful music all in the same song. It's done in typical genre like fashion with quick and unexpected changes; it's a total rush of exponential energy.

From a straight up emotional connection stand-point, this is one of the best records ever made. No false bravado, no forced melancholy, no faux-gloomy suicidal claptrap. Remedy Lane is a chronicle of events in the life of Daniel Gildenlow, and as such his emotion and lyrical genius shines through in every song (save perhaps "Second Love"). I'm not sure Daniel is the singer some people think he is as his voice is often overly high- pitched without being forceful, but he certainly knows how to emote and alter his tone as the song demands. Furthermore, most of the rest of the group sing as well, and they help carry the load passably.

Very little of this is really metal though to be quite blunt about it. It's just plain prog and the few heavy riffs that sneak in aren't really arranged in a way that screams 'metal' at you. "Rope Ends", with it's schizoid unconventional riff is the only song that rocks from beginning to end, and it is written in such a way that it could just easily be called prog rock.

The counterpieces of Remedy Lane:

Ending theme - has a really dark mood, with soothing vocals from Daniel. It has a great sing-a-long chorus and an awesome talking part, which is a real challenge to learn.

A Trace of Blood - This is the best song on the album, it is about the miscarriage Daniel's wife had. It is a really sad song, with lots of mood changes. Daniel shows anger, frustration, sadness and despair in a fantastic way. The song just clocks over 8 minutes long and with all the time changes, it has a really epic feel.

This Heart of mine - This is a beautiful love song, one of the most sincere love songs i've ever heard. It definately comes from the heart without being cheesy. This song also has a special meaning for me.

Rope Ends - One of the best songs on the album, one of the few songs that is actually riff based. Starts out with a nice riff and great drumming, then leads into this awesome chorus, which will be stuck in your head forever.

Dryad of the woods - A beautiful crafted instrumental, a really uplifting song. The combination of acoustic guitar and piano makes it really impressive to listen to, great atmosphere.

Beyond the Pale - This song closes the album in style. It's an epic song just like the Perfect Element. It starts out with an odd riff which is really interesting, then the song goes through a lot of tempo and mood changes. Daniel's vocals really shines on this song, it is really impressive. The song ends with one of the greatest lines ever: 'We will always be so much more human than we wish to be'.

Daniel does seem to get around, because this album recounts an astounding number of tragedies involving women starting from the age of 10 (!), the man displaying an almost hyper-sexual need to be around females and more worrying, for being around females who are shrouded in disaster. From the tragic miscarriage of "A Trace of Blood" to the scarred untouchable love in "Ending Theme", everybody becomes removed from the protagonist in some way. The lyrics are occasionally a little more verbose than they need to be, but in general there is a real gift for memorable phrases (often repeated throughout the story) and getting across emotions like pain, sorrow, and uhhh... pain.

It should also be noted that there is plenty of extra poetry in the liners that is quite a bit of fun to muddle through and try to figure out what is going on with the story.

Remedy Lane certainly operates on a number of levels, and presents a story that is moving on the same high level as the concepts of such legendary albums like Operation:Mindcrime or The Wall. It's intellectual, classy, and thought-provoking.

I love their name, and I love this album. Salvation can be painful; it's getting there that's the hardest part, but once you do your hell becomes heaven. Join me and have a stroll down remedy lane. It's one of the best albums in the 00's so far and in POS's catalogue only close surpassed by The Perfect Element Pt.1.

album rating: 9.5/10 points = 97 % on MPV scale = 5/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars