SUSPENDED ANIMATION DREAMS

This album, and band for that matter, is really hard to categorize. It is definitely original, and that is about as good a compliment as I can give. The genre blending is like nothing I've witnessed before. Pop, Jazz, Blues and Extreme Metal are intertwined in the most casual way. Bands blending genres to this extent, however, tend to do it at the cost of good melodies. That is not the case With Suspended Animation Dreams. The melodies are really sticking to my brain once I got them under my skin. Aside from the regular rock band set up of drums, guitar bass, synth and vocal, there are also used trumpets, mouth harmonica, violin, choir and female chanting vocals. But the melodies are that which holds it all together. Even in the parts with growling vocals, every word is as clear as day. It is almost a pop felling lying underneath it all. But it is spiced up by the elements taken from other genres. A truly genuine mix is what this is.

It starts out with an intro, before Wolf Among Sheep kicks in. This is a very pop sounding melody that builds for over 5 minutes before a wonderful progressive metal riff kicks in and finishes of this great opening track. Following this the next songs spews out melodic pearls as No Place Like Home, with its jazzy feel, and Rock And Roll Preacher, which is more in the alley of alternative rock with some growling here and there. The most extreme song is Six Strings To Cover Fear, which is the only song with more metal elements in it than other elements. This song is filled with technical guitar riffs, double bass drums, accompanied by both death and black vocals. Following this power outlet is the song Awake. Another great melody, that starts up with piano and growling. Imagine Tom Waits screaming his heart out behind a piano with a couple of headbanging guitarists in the background, and you are not too far off. That is before the violin, choir and chanting female vocals kick in towards the end of the tune.

This album should appeal to extreme metal fans as well as progressive rock fans. The melodies alone should appeal to any fan of good music. Whether you buy, borrow, download or steal, do yourself a favor and get a hold of this album. It is an instant postmodern classic.

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