ODIN'S COURT

To me it also feels as if the two albums dovetail in that the first one ends with a long song, while this one kicks off with a twenty-minute epic, by far the longest piece on the album. I am always impressed with any band that starts with a lengthy piece, as they are opening themselves up for potential major criticism, so they have to nail it. I'm not 100% convinced that it shines quite as much as it should, especially with a passage at about 14 minutes that doesn't always gel, but they pull it back with some great playing and yet more superb vocals. Contrast the bombast of the opener with multi-layered harmonies of 'Will I See You Again', and it is quite astonishing. This moves from heavy riffs into a beautiful duet, which contains a threat of changing into something else at any moment. Of the two I do prefer this one, and part of that is due to the addition of a digital bonus EP, 'Not At All Greatest Hits', which includes six songs from their past. The version here of 'Paradise Lost Chapter 1' is wonderful: I love the interplay between the piano and electric guitar.

Let's hope that there isn't such a long gap between this album and the next.

This is the first of their albums that I have heard with LaFavors on vocals (although he was on the two albums previous to this, which I haven't come across), and he is a stellar singer. At times he reminds me of Brad Delp, and has plenty of power to back it up. Behind him there is a band that moves easily between melodic hard rock, prog rock and prog metal, with some wonderful guitars and riffs. This is a concept album dealing with ideas and questions relating to the universe, and the album is divided into three sections. The first twelve songs are in many ways leading us up to the final "Box of Dice (Does God Play?) which is an epic of more than seventeen minutes long.

This is complex music, that often has relatively simplistic lead guitar, and the combination of these two musical elements with those soaring vocals makes compelling listening. There are times when the drums aren't all that they could be, and others where they are far more powerful, and I think a full-time human driving the band through would have had a definite positive impact. I can see fans of Dream Theater getting a great deal from this, and I love the complex staccato riffs that are used to great dynamic effect. If you haven't' come across them before this, then you really should.

"Turtles All the Way Down" comes across as an accomplished creation on most levels, with good songs, a good quality mix and production and seasoned contributors on all levels throughout. The stylistic variation and the high number of compositions focusing on accessible atmospheres, melodies and harmonies may be aspects more challenging to grasp though, at least for a strict progressive metal oriented audience, and much the same is the case for the melodic, high-pitched lead vocals. A possible key audience for this CD, as I regard it, would be those equally fond of bands such as Fish-era Marillion and Dream Theater circa 1995-'97, and then especially those among them with a general fondness for artists that tend to ignore stylistic boundaries.

While this is a full length album, I guess the majority would really sort this one as a compilation rather than a bonafide studio disc, as the greater majority of the songs have been pulled from old releases. But as these songs have been both remixed and to some extent remade as well, due to the addition of Dimetrius LaFavors as lead vocalist, this really is a new album even if much of the material have been available in other versions previously.

As far as style is concerned, Odin's Court is among those bands that venture back and forth across the border between the rock and metal part of the progressive universe, although the main emphasis appears to be on the latter of these. They explore, at least in recent years, a brand of progressive metal that explore the contrasts between grimy, gnarly dark toned guitar riff constructions and light toned, subtly exotic sounding keyboard textures, with ample room for movements of a more careful nature to alternate between the harder edged and more intense ones. The piano is employed for an additional delicate touch on several occasions, and what I presume to be digitally crafted orchestral backings also have their place in the material of this band. The dulcimer is also used to good effects to convey effects of a more careful nature within this landscape.

From what I can recall of their older material, it would appear that their new vocalist is a good addition to this band. There are still some issues with the vocals however. That there are songs here not written with the new vocalist and his particular voice in mind is a fact, and that some of the vocal parts comes across as somewhat odd in structure and execution both is a detrimental detail at times. As is the band's slight tendency to hit off in a dramatic, technically oriented run with quirky staccato riff bursts in asynchronous patterns, although this latter aspect probably has more to do with personal taste and not quite as much to do with stylistic expression and structure as such.

Personally I found the band to be most interesting when exploring territories of a more regular nature, with the remade version of Utopian Rust and the following instrumental Paradise Lost: Chapter 1 to be clear album highlights. The former a fairly traditional progressive metal creation sporting a fairly smooth, dark toned guitar riff and a fairly predictable but effective keyboard contrast as the dominant elements, with compelling harmony based guitar soloing and a nifty bass motif beneath that fits this song in this guise very well indeed. The latter of these two songs appears to be a case of progressive metal inspired by classical music, using orchestral details to supplement the guitars and organ that otherwise sets the mood and atmosphere. Opening and title track The Warmth of Mediocrity also warrants a mention, and again we're dealing with a more common variety of progressive metal with strong and distinct contrasts between guitar riffs and keyboards, majestic themes and a harmony based song in general expression and instrumental solo runs both.

All in all a somewhat uneven production as far as I'm concerned, where the most experimental numbers also comes across as the least inspired of the lot. But when Odin's Court starts exploring a more common and predictable variety of progressive metal, then they are going strong with all cylinders firing in a fitting, majestic manner. A band and an album worth taking a look at if you're curious of a band that are at their best exploring traditional progressive metal Dream Theater style, while also having a go at assembling compositions of a more challenging nature that may not be quite as appealing - all of this very much depending on personal taste admittedly.

I originally thought that it would take an external influence to pull this band in the right direction, but Matt stood up to the task and engineered, mixed and produced it himself. This is powerful prog metal that at times has more than the latter than the former, but never losing the melody and complexity. Whereas those into prog metal may be disappointed with the previous release, this is a killer and needs to be played loud. Very loud. www.progrockrecords.com

Overall this is not as much a killer album, but one that promises what could be if there was a producer strong enough to keep everyone focussed and to cut out the elements that detract. That being said, it is still worth investigating if you like your prog good and heavy you may just come way disappointed. www.progrockrecords.com

"Human Life in Motion" is a well-constructed piece of progressive metal with frequent detours into the art rock universe. Variety in scope, approach and style are the common denominator for this production, and instrumentally there's plenty for the attentive listener to enjoy. The compositions aren't always that interesting overall however, and the delivery of lead vocalist Brookins appears to be something of a weakness, at least to my ears. If you like his voice and enjoy refined music switching back and forth between art rock and progressive metal in style you should find this disc to be a rather enjoyable one.

Odin's Court may not be a band I have heard of before, but even by a quick glance at their discography, it is clear that they are an established act in progressive metal. Over four albums, this band has been making music together, and on this latest outing, 'Human Life In Motion' does go to show the act's tightness. However, Odin's Court has not yet solved some of the bigger issues that lie in their music, and while there is a great concept at work here, it gets somewhat lost in the execution.

LIke so many bands labelled under the progressive metal umbrella, Odin's Court can certainly play their instruments, although based on the music they have made on 'Human Life In Motion', they tend to lean towards the more emotional and melodic side of the genre. Emotions, in fact, are what this album is all about. Each track here is meant to bring out a different emotion or feeling in the listener, as is underlined by the subtext of each title. As a result, Odin's Court goes through a variety of moods in this album. The band also changes up their sound for each new song, which is a good thing to keep the music fresh, but sadly, no sound of the band is strong enough to leave a powerful impression. There are songs here that could do proud Pain of Salvation, and others that go for a more traditional prog sound of Marillion or Pendragon. The production is manageable, but restrains the music to a somewhat mechanical feel. The vocalist sounds quite a bit like the one from Pendragon, and while labelled as prog metal, Odin's Court are more common to go down a mellow route on this album than heaviness, although the moments where they do let loose with the distortion sound quite intense by comparison.

The instrumentation here is quite good, with some of the guitar harmonies being very beautiful. The award would have to go to the bass work however; although it is sometimes hard to hear in the mix, when I could hear what was happening with it, I was very impressed by the often technical licks he pulled off, sounding somewhat like the work of Tony Choy in Atheist. Comparisons aside, Odin's Court doesn't have a great sense of identity to them, even on this fourth album. I would not consider this a typical prog metal album, but rather a typical modern prog album. While the concept of highlighting an emotion for each song could have seen great things happen with it, I ironically do not feel a great deal with 'Human Life In Motion', despite some strong moments from the band here.

Human Life In Motion is generally a melodic and straightforward experience - no songs exceed the 6-minute mark, and most are conventionally structured with strong melodies. Of course, this isn't a major issue, but the conventional songwriting (while still very well-executed) does rub off as a bit unoriginal. Thankfully, Odin's Court is a group of extremely talented musicians and keep things interesting throughout Human Life In Motion's full playing time. The bass playing from Craig Jackson especially stands out to me - unlike most prog metal acts, Odin's Court manages to create interesting and memorable bass lines; surely a sign of their talent as songwriters and musicians!

Unfortunately, Human Life In Motion is also plagued by a fairly generic and lifeless production. Although it sounds competent, it lacks the emotional punch and professionalism that would benefit the album greatly. The drums sound especially flat and uninspired - it's a shame, really, because the drumming is actually quite good.

Although Human Life In Motion suffers from a few technical issues and it lacks a unique sound of its own, it's still a well-made prog metal album that fans of the genre should enjoy. Odin's Court is a group of talented musicians that, with just a few small improvements, could really make a large impact in the prog metal world. I'll be keeping a close eye on where these guys head in the future. As far as Human Life In Motion is concerned, I'd say a middle-of- the-road 3 stars are deserved. If you're okay with fairly conventional - yet still well-composed - progressive metal, the latest effort from Odin's Court is a very recommended purchase.