HEAVENLY ECSTASY

Pagan's Mind, one of Norway's most famous progressive power metal acts, has been slowly shedding away their progressive past in favor of a more straightforward melodic power metal approach. Heavenly Ecstasy, the band's fifth studio album, shows this trend continuing and essentially reaching "full circle" - this is a catchy, memorable, and easily accessible melodic power metal album... but with a twist. Rather than coming across as cheesy or relying too heavily on hooks, Pagan's Mind still manages to create intricate compositions that don't lose their luster even after repeated listens. If you're a fan of mildly progressive power metal, Heavenly Ecstasy should prove to be one of the best albums 2011 has to offer. This is a well-played, well-composed, and irresistible album that has consistently left me impressed after every spin!

The music here is melodic power metal with a few progressive touches. The only song I'd really consider a full-blown prog metal track is "Revelation to the End", but even that's a borderline case. Most songs are characterized by Ronny Tegner's synth work; people who are allergic to heavy layers of keyboards may have an issue with that aspect of the album. I happen to think his playing is extremely tasteful and it is a very big part of what makes Heavenly Ecstasy so great. Most of the songs are extremely memorable and "grab you" from the very first listen. Although music this accessible often tends to warrant very few replays, Heavenly Ecstasy contains enough variation to still impress after many spins. This is an album that is just overflowing with memorable and high-quality compositions, and the execution is equally superb. The production was initially a bit of an issue for me (especially the effects done to Nils K. Rue's vocals), but I've grown to enjoy it more over time. And, of course, the musicianship is top-notch across the board.

Similarly to Evergrey's 2011 album, Heavenly Ecstasy may very well alienate the progressive-minded section of Pagan's Mind's fanbase. Pagan's Mind seems to have left behind much of their progressive metal influence in favor of a melodic power metal sound - although this may be a bad thing for some, these Norwegian veterans deliver the sound so professionally and memorably that it's difficult not to be impressed. If you're somebody who enjoys the European power metal scene, Heavenly Ecstasy isn't something to miss out on. 4 stars are well-deserved.

'Heavenly Ecstasy' - Pagan's Mind (6/10)

The early half of 2011 has brought light to some fairly disappointing albums by bands I once held in a much higher regard. Groups which once really impressed me with their thoughtful music now seem to be dumbing the music down, be it the Decemberist's latest folk-rock travesty 'The King Is Dead', or- in the case of metal- Evergrey's 'Glorious Collision'. Norway's premier melodic progressive metal act Pagan's Mind has never been one to really push the envelope, but I've always found that they were able to couple their melodic intent with excellent songwriting and some unpredictable, exciting segments. 'Heavenly Ecstasy' may seem on first glance like the band trying to push their sound; the bright red cover automatically sets it aside from the traditionally blue album art of their past. However, while Pagan's Mind is still no pushover when it comes to strong melodic metal, the music here shows their music being simplified and streamlined to the point where the album feels as if it adds very little, if anything to the band's canon, despite keeping their playing chops intact.

Even from the first listen to each song from 'Heavenly Ecstasy', it is very much a case of deja-vu. Although it has been a four year interval between this and the previous album 'God's Equation', there is no impression that the band has taken that time to cultivate their sound into something more distinctive. If anything, Pagan's Mind has seen fit to make their sound more heavily driven by melody over any other aspect of the music. Although 'God's Equation' still felt like the instruments played a very important role throughout the music despite the highly melodic direction of the music, 'Heavenly Ecstasy' does often feel as if the riffs are far too derivative from everything the band has done in the past. This is all the more disappointing in Pagan's Mind's case, due to the fact that even here, they prove themselves to be incredibly good musicians. In most of the tracks here, Lofstad enjoys some ample time to dish out a guitar solo or two, which tends to go down a beautifully melodic road. For much of the rest of the time though, the songs are kept generally straightforward, depending greatly on the vocal delivery of singer Nils K. Rue, who performs admirably here, but- like much of 'Heavenly Ecstasy'- he seems to be pulling out old tricks his typically powerful vocal melodies have been riding on for years, and making little effort to give them a new, relevant touch-up.

What Pagan's Mind may lack here in innovation though, they do make it clear from the start that they are very good at what they do. Although almost every song here goes down a similar route in terms of emotional approach and sound, the melodies are some of the best you're going to hear out of 2011's power metal output. Thanks in no small part due to Rue's powerful voice, the music maintains a great feeling to it, although it does feel often as if Pagan's Mind has finally reached the point where their music begins to lose its current relevance.

Good prog metal! The first thing that caught my attention on this album was the cover, but not the cover itself, but the fact that it is the first Pagan's Mind cover art without the blue color on it; now it is red, don't really know the motif but it looks like a fresh and new direction.

Pagan's Mind are a well-known (can be better known, actually) progressive metal band from Norway; they started at the beginning of this century and have been together for more than ten years so far. "Heavenly Ecstasy" released this 2011 is their fifth studio album, featuring eleven compositions that make a total time of 56 minutes.

It kicks off with "Contact", a one-minute introduction that serves as the first contact (pun intended) with the band. There are some noises that gradually progress until ""Eyes of Fire" begins. This is a cool first (full) song, I like the keyboard introduction and the power the music shares. Later it slows down, changes direction and vocals appear. Then the song repeats itself until it finishes.

"Intermission" does not really attract me. It reminds me to some power metal bands whose sound may be plain and easy to dig, I don't think this is Pagan's Mind's goal, but nonetheless anyone who likes that type of metal will surely like this. "Into the Aftermath" has a cool repetitive sound; the line is actually the same but this time the song is powerful and creates that sense of power to the listener, me in this case. The vocals are pretty good, but when the singer screams it loses its beauty; the drums always accurate and there is a cool guitar work. I like the change of direction at two and a half minutes, that moment when keyboards appear and give entrance a great solo. Later it slows down, and the music is being rebuilt. Cool track.

"Walk Away in Silence" is another catchy song, here I would not categorize it as a true metal song, I would say it is a hard rock one. There is a nice guitar solo after four minutes, the rhythm is slower than the previous songs, but the power is still present. Reminds me to some 80s bands, honestly.

"Revelation to the End" is the longest composition here, reaching almost nine minutes, and I dare say this is their most ambitious track. What I like here is the intercalation of long instrumental passages with great guitar riffs, and those passages with vocals, creating a equality in the sound and in the division of the song. One can also appreciate the mixture of that power metal sound, with progressive metal, with hard rock. I know this "labeling" thing may not help a lot, but I can distinguish its different moments.

"Follow Your Way" has a pretty good keyboard beginning, then a raw and strong bass and guitar sound appears for some seconds, just before the vocals enter and create new nuances. This is a very good track, well elaborated with nice colors and textures created mainly by keyboards, but well, in this metal realm what rules is the guitar, so go figure. "Live Your Life Like A Dream" has a kind of positive vibe, I mean one can read the title and imagine things, and the music helps creating that complicity. However, maybe the kindness (figurative sense) of this song would make you feel bored and even disappointed.

I like that a song like this was included in the album, the sound is different from the previous tracks, but I don't really think it loses that Pagan's Mind sound (at least not at all). With "The Master's Voice" the music returns to its original form, creating those powerful passages that gives the listener a sensation of triumph and power. The guitar riffs are pretty cool, the drums fast and vocals go always with the flow and help the music being more successful. Now another contrast comes with "When Angels Unite", a two-minute ballad that honestly is horrible, sorry.

The album ends with "Never Walk Alone". A nice track that may define Pagan's Mind style, the guitar riffs are nice, but here I miss more keyboard work. This is a good album. As you know, metal is not my preferred cup of tea, however I do enjoy it when it is well done. Pagan's Mind is a cool band that has a lot to offer, but I believe this album leaves us with some things to be desired. My final grade will be 3 stars.

Enjoy it!

Pagan's Mind continues their streak of rock solid power/prog metal with Heavenly Ecstasy, an album that is very enjoyable despite being very average and predictable.

To me, the band's sound and style throughout Heavenly Ecstasy feels like they had a checklist in the control room while recording to ensure that they hit all of the marks needed for a power metal release.

High-flying vocals with plenty of hooks, sustains, and cosmic vocals? Check!

Songwriting and compositions 20% more interesting than normal metal? Check!

Killer instrumental work, with plenty of opportunities for showing off? Check!

Something to engage with the listener, communicate an interesting concept, or convey emotions beyond just being bad-ass nordic metal? Maybe next time...

Heavenly Ecstasy does so much right, and is genuinely a good listen, but doesn't grab hold of me the way that an exceptionally good prog-metal work does. Still, Pagan's Mind is much more diverse and exciting than a lot of their peers, so even a 3-star release from them is solid. Great for the occasional rock out session.

Songwriting: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4