SCARSICK

I must admit, I was a bit taken back when I first heard this. It seemed, well, less progressive and more nu-metal than previous efforts. But, of course, when you get past the first couple tracks you realize (or should, anyway) that it is much much more than that. The first three tracks I'm still not crazy about, but I'm glad I gave this more listens because they are not terrible either. An interesting divergence and experiment. Perhaps not the type of progression fans would have expected, but a progression of sorts nonetheless. Not being a big fan of metal, and certainly not the newer more popular varieties, these tracks will never be much more than okay for me.

America however, is another story. First, being American, I find the lyrics incredibly accurate and insightful for a non native. Daniel, I couldn't agree more. The music itself interests me because of a distinct Flower Kings influence. The music reminds me a little of Fast Lane from Unfold the Future (sung by Daniel, no less), while the lyrics are in the same ideological domain as those from The Truth from the same album. This similarity to the dreaded Flower Kings is no doubt why hardcore PoS fans and prog metal fans are aghast at this album. His time in that band is, IMO reflected in this album more than any other PoS album, even the last one. So, anyway, a great song that is quite different from previous PoS work. Something that many proggers, in spite of their "progressive" taste, have a hard time dealing with (a band actually doing something different and unexpected).

Disco Queen is quickly becoming my favorite song on here. Sure, the disco beat and cheesy vocals are a bit too easy and obvious, but the song as a whole has a wonderful structure and flow to it that just works beautifully. And, again, poignant and interesting lyrics. The vocals by Daniel are excellent throughout this track.

The rest of the album is more along the lines of what one might expect from this band, and each song has its charms and interest for me. Track 8 and track 10 striking me as being particularly good.

With the exception of the first 3 tracks, Daniels singing is, as usual, outstanding on this album. The lyrical content is some of his best and the relationship to the Perfect Element Pt. 1 is somewhat obtuse but nonetheless there (this album is Pt. 2, after all). So after initial misgivings (which I had with all their albums generally), I find this refreshingly different and interesting compared to so much of the prog metal sound alike dreck that permeates the genre. it's a shame that so many proggers are unable to enjoy the unexpected. You'd think that was the norm for prog rock. Anyway, 3 stars for me, and kudos to the band for having the gall to defy fans expectations so wonderfully.

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