SHRINE OF NEW GENERATION SLAVES

Starting off with such a high rating, I almost suspected this could be at least in part due to fans with rather uncritical ears. After listening to the whole album four times, I admit that I can see why this easily pleases to listeners. The musicianship is top notch but over long stretches I fail to see the progressive momentum in here. I played it once in the car, and my girlfriend who really does not like progrock at all immediately appreciated it and asked me to share the album with her. For me this is just a nice little piece of music, well rounded and smooth, but it lacks a bit originality. The best parts being the lyrics in my eyes. Other than that, there are not as many surprising moments as I have hoped to find. "The raven who refused to sing" from Steven Wilson that was released just around the same time IMO is far superior, especially in terms of "progginess" and originality.