PRIMAL POWER ADDICTION

HEAVEN'S CRY surely is an original band. They play a very unique brand of progressive-metal that doesn't rely exclusively on riffs and that puts a lot of emphasis on textures. They have three guitars playing at all times, creating amazing harmonies that are this band's best feature. Their song structures are not completely regular, and even though the band never seems to try to show-off their abilities, they have a very distinct tech-metal sound at times. Their focus on short and concise songs rather than on long epics give them the possibility to create complex tracks without ever making them sound boring. They love odd-time signatures, and the rhythm section tends to show constant funk influences here and there. It's, overall, a pretty outstanding group.

If we were to talk about what they sound like, here we would have to discard, unlike in most progressive-metal bands, DREAM THEATER. The influence may exist, but it never shows. Neither does any hint of QUEENSRYCHE. If we had to pick the one founder of the prog-metal genre HEAVEN'S CRY sounds the most like, it would definitely be FATES WARNING, even though it would be quite a stretch, as they ultimately don't sound the same. This Canadian band, as said before, sounds a little bit like SPIRAL ARCHITECT but without all the complications and (at times) nonsense displays of virtuosism. ICE AGE, another unknown prog-metal band (which sadly disappeared after showing a lot of promise and releasing two great albums) would be a good comparison, but whereas that group sounded much more like the traditional prog-metal names, HEAVEN'S CRY adds a lot of external influences. I'm constantly reminded throughout the record of grunge music, and there are moments where the vocal harmonies strike a big resemblance to ALICE IN CHAINS. Going back to progland, another huge influence seems to be PAIN OF SALVATION, and in many of the vocals, NEAL MORSE.

Most songs here don't rely on memorable riffs to survive. The band starts most tracks with rather obscure riffs, and build upon them adding layer after layer of guitars and harmonies. Their guitar work is their best feature and we have to applaud them for it. The atmospheric intros to "Remembrance" and "One of Twentyfour" are perfect examples of that. But surely the most amazing moment in the album must be the strangely ambiguous, somewhat dissonant and captivatingly jazzy intro to "Divisions".

So what is not to like in "Primal Power Addiction"? for all the sheer brilliance of the guitar work, the band finds it difficult to write truly memorable songs. For my taste at least, music can't survive only on harmony. Melody is vital, and it's somewhat missing here in this album. There are no songs that stuck in my mind even after repeated listens. The problem may lie in the fact that the band avoids adhering to the usual structures, but even more so in the fact that the melodies are not at all memorable, and that most songs sound alike. The riffs are interesting but lack character, and the rhythm of the tracks is pretty similar; the singing doesn't help matters and we're left with a collection of extremely-well-played songs with incredible textures that, sadly, fail to leave any everlasting impression on the listener, and that sound too similar to each other.

About the musicians a word we can say: they're terrific. All three guitarists create a intricate texture full of colors and sound and also are capable of some displays of amazing technique. The bass is always a star in this record, and the drums are quite original and demand virtuosity. St. Jean's vocals owe a little to Daniel Gildenlow of PAIN OF SALVATION, but also a little to singers like NEAL MORSE. For further proof, checking the "High Moral Ground" or "Paradigm" would be source for good evidence. His voice, while versatile, is not really that melodic, and it contributes to make the record a somewhat dull experience.

All in all, a very, very interesting record from a purely musical point of view. The three-guitar work and the uniqueness of the music surely deserve commendation. But the lack of any hook or at least memorable moments make "Primal Power Addiction" a somewhat dry experience. When the only likeable tune in the record is a cover (a very weak version of MIDNIGHT'S OIL "Beds are Burning", harmed by the awful funkiness of the drummer in that track), it's clear that the band could still use some time to improve their songwriting while keeping the fantastic elements like the harmonic work. For the quality of the music, it gets a 4. My experience with the album was not successful from a personal point of view, and I bring the rating down to a 3.

It's still recommended to anybody looking for original and truly progressive prog-metal. But ratings reflect taste, and HEAVEN'S CRY is not my kind of addiction.

Primal Power Addiction is the second studio album from Canadian ( Montreal) progressive metal act Heaven´s Cry. I´ve just recently heard this bands music for the first time even though I ´ve known the name for a couple of years. I was really impressed with the Heaven´s Cry debut album called Food For Thought Substitute and awarded that one with a big 4 star rating. A truly unique and challenging progressive metal album. Heaven´s Cry really has an original style even though their music falls under the ( many times IMO generic) progressive metal catagory. This band is different and they really deserve much more attention than they have gotten so far on PA.

The music is different first and foremost because of the limited use of keyboards on the album. The band has three guitarists instead and it shows in the music. There are lots of intriguing interplay between the guitars and they generally compliment each other extremely well. It´s not unlike the way Jim Matheos and Frank Aresti from Fates Warning compliment each other on Perfect Symmetry, Parallels and Inside Out. There is almost always an electric guitar without distortion at play at the same time as distorted riffing is going on. Besides the obvious influence from Fates Warning I will also mention bands like Psychotic Waltz ( Mosquito), Queensrÿche ( Promised Land), Extreme ( Three Sides to Every Story) and to a lesser degree Alice in Chains ( Facelift) as influences. The last two are mentioned because there is a distinct hard rock/ metal influence in the music. There is also a very obvious funk influence in the rythm which is kind of odd for a progressive metal band but it all adds up to a very unique sound. Thankfully Heaven´s Cry are as far from Dream Theater as they can come which is such a relief. Personally I´m sick and tired of progressive metal bands trying to ape the masters and I always welcome any band in that genre who has a personal sound.

There are several high quality songs on the album and in fact I can´t chose one song I think is below average on Primal Power Addiction. The melodic A New Paradigm, The aggressive Komma, the progressive A Higher Moral Ground ( What are they doing with the guitars in that song?), the power ballad Remembrance and the beautiful The Inner Stream Remains. I could go on but the conclusion is that all songs on the album are strong and original progressive metal tunes. The album ends with a cover of Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil and even though it´s an odd choice for a cover song I think it´s done pretty well. It´s actually enjoyable to some level.

The T said something in his review of Primal Power Addiction that I think is important. It has to do with the melody lines which are not easily accessible and even after a number of listens they might not seem very memorable. This is a point in Heaven´s Cry´s music that is very much an aquired taste. Personally I love the melody lines because they are inaccessible and different. To me this means that I can listen to this album and not get bored after a couple of spins and after many spins the melody lines have opened up for me and given the music another dimension which is just fantastic IMO. But beware that you might not feel that way. If you prefer music with easily accessible and memorable melody lines this might be somewhat of a turn-off. I think most people will enjoy the high quality instrumental arrangements even though they might agree with The T that the melody lines are not that memorable. A typical case of aquired taste.

The musicianship is outstanding. The interplay between the musicians is so colourful and intriguing. I´m really impressed here. What an adventurous bunch.

The production is much more compact than on the debut which had a somewhat flawed yet enjoyable sound. A really impressive production IMO.

Primal Power Addiction is an excellent progressive metal album that is close to being a masterpiece IMO. I have to give it the test of time though before I decide wether or not this one deserves a 5 star rating but it´s certainly a BIG 4 star rating that I´ll give the album. Primal Power Addiction is highly recommendable to fans of challenging and different progressive metal.

I must admit I was surprised at how this band sounds. Parts of their music would fit into the Tech / Extreme Metal genre it's so challenging and technical. I thought of GARDEN WALL from Italy a few times, not that these two bands sound alike but they compare well when it comes to being complex and hard to digest at times. As far as the vocals go he mixes it up, sometimes he's melodic sometimes he's rough and unmelodic.

"2K Awe Tick" has a nice rich sound to it a minute in with vocals. The vocals get rough 3 1/2 minutes in. This is difficult to get into at times. "Masterdom's Profit" is uptempo to open then it settles with vocals but not for long as contrasts continue. "A New Paradigm" is mellow to start then those passionate / rough vocals come in. Nice bass before 2 minutes as the sound gets fuller. The focus is on the vocals still. "Divisions" is so intricate early with the bass, guitars and drums all participating. Reserved vocals before a minute as it settles. It kicks in around 3 minutes as contrasts continue. "A Higher Moral Ground" kicks in right away. There's quite the instrumental display after 2 minutes.

"Komma" is one of my favourites. This is heavier and more intense but they contrast this with the calmer passages. "Remembrance" is laid back but powerful. "One Of Twentyfour" kicks in before a minute with vocals. We actually get a ripping guitar solo later. Not much in the way of solos at all on this album. "Waves" sounds so good after a minute then the rough vocals come in.Some distortion here that makes the vocals sound like they're under water. A calm before 4 minutes is destroyed quickly. "The Inner Stream Remains" is relaxed with backing vocals even. It's all fairly restrained. I like the bass and percussion late to end it. Good tune. Well the bonus track is where they lose all credibility (haha), it's a cover of MIDNIGHT OIL's "Beds Are Burning".

Lots to like here but i'm still trying to get used to the complexity. 3.5 stars.