PILOT IN THE SKY OF DREAMS

For a talented band like Threshold, the album 'Dead Reckoning' wasn't one to really impress. It was very formulaic and despite being decent and listenable, a rather forgettable experience. Criticisms aside however, the album spawned a few very good tracks.

'Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams' was one of those tracks.

On first listen of 'Dead Reckoning,' the song did not stand out for me. It was only after a few listens when I realized what a compilation of great melodies and hooks that 'Pilot' really was. It's not a full out epic at all, but there are definately different 'sections' of the song that each adopts an individual mood and feeling. It takes about two minutes to really get going, but after the weak opening moments, it picks up and doesn't let down until the end.

The vocals on the song (especially the chorus) remind me of Tony Kakko's, from Sonata Arctica. A great vocal performance from McDermott.

So why can't I give this single a good rating?

To put it simply, I have never been a fan of radio edits, and I especially do not appreciate it when a well composed nine minute song is declawed and amputated. The thing is, there are other songs on the album that would have been great songs for a single! Point is, I don't see the point of using the most progressive song on the album as a single, then robbing it of it's progressive elements. It's acanyne.

In the end, there's only one song on here that's worth listening to. Therefore as singles and EPs go, this earns two stars.