FOR THE LOVE OF ART AND THE MAKING

I was never a fan of Beyond Twilight. I had heard some material from years past, and it was not my kind of metal. I heard about this new album which was one big song, divided up into 43 tracks, which could supposedly be shuffled for a new experience every time. Intriguing, but I wasn't going to pounce on it. However, I did look out for reviews on the archives to see how it was received by others. After having maitained a 5.00 rating through nearly twenty reviews, I decided it was worth checking out. The sample from the band's website was proof enough that this had purchase-worthy quality. I was very surprised. It was so epic and powerful, and it was only three minutes of the song! The new vocalist surely outdid whoever worked with them before. He had a "metal" voice, but it was, thankfully, more than just that. The feeling and melody coming from the vocals were excellent. The music was complex, but not bombastic.

So I bought the album, and for the most part, it delivered on the hype it was getting. The sections are a little choppy and slightly incoherent later on in the album, but not terribly so. I'm not sure of this either, but I hope that the orchestra (or orchestral instruments) are really being performed by an orchestra. The linear notes make no note of it though. That would be the only other downfall here. Either way, it still sounds great, so I won't complain. Thoguh it may seem to be at first, it is not the greatest heavy metal album ever made (but it sure could have been). It is very epic and intriguing. Unfortunately, the shuffle feature doesn't always work. You have to meticulously place the tracks in a logical order for it to work. It is a cool idea though.

In conclusion, a powerful epic that metal fans (prog or not) really ought to check out. Along with the new Underoath, it's the biggest surprise of 2006 thus far. 4.5 stars rounded down.