Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Arena - The Seventh Degree of Separation CD (album) cover

THE SEVENTH DEGREE OF SEPARATION

Arena

 

Neo-Prog

3.47 | 345 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Progulator
Prog Reviewer
3 stars The UK band Arena needs no introduction, although I'm not sure if this is exactly a typical Arean album. Although the band is generally known for its heavy brand of neo prog, The Seventh Degree of Separation goes even a bit darker. I wouldn't call it a metal album exactly, but it comes very close. The first thing that jumped out on this strange little album was the scary album cover that somehow kind of fits the mood of the album. Overall, the album had some gargantuanly awesome parts, a few let down tracks, and some stuff that was, well, different?in a good way. The opening track to the album really hooked me with its mega- creepy mood and awesome vocals. I also really enjoyed the rhythmic talking over the slowly marching chord changes of "Ghost Walks;" not quite rapping, but something close, but well done (not like when it happens in Dream Theater). "Thief of Souls" is another track that leapt out because of the great vocals that straddle the line between neo prog and power metal with a sort of Iron Maiden sensibility. To sum it up, really great vocal melodies drive this album in a very strong direction. There is a deep sense of narrative, sorrow and tragedy in the way the singer presents the words through melody and expression. His theatrics are just right and it's paced perfectly to where you feel like he's actually speaking to you as the intended listener; "Catching the Bullet" is exemplary of this kind of feel. The Seventh Degree of Separation shows a very logical progression in the evolution of Arena's music and I believe it won't disappoint their fans.
Progulator | 3/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this ARENA review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.