PARAMOUNT

When Art Rock and Metal collide ...

Well, I didn't expect the band is able to improve once more. Therefore I'm really excited! This album is an excellent follower of 'The Art Of Navigating By The Stars' which was released 2 years ago when SIEGES EVEN surprised me much with their special blend of Art Rock and Metal elements. Now the same line-up basically has not changed the style (why shouldn't they?) - except some details. Again we have complex and very emotional songs with impressive hooklines, grooves and breaks dominated by Arno Menses' vocals. For a summary musically and technically perfect with a few song pearls as the result. You can enjoy clear guitars with many variants and there is no doubt about the qualities of the Holzwarth rhythm branch. On 'Paramount' SIEGES EVEN now additionally uses saxophone, samples, synths and the lyrics also contain catchy refrains. So I can even state more variety and sophistication.

First song When Alpha And Omega Collide sounds like it wasn't considered for the former album. This is meant just likea transition to point out the stylistical analogy. Alex Holzwarth's fantastic drum work is extra remarkable. Tidal begins more metal accented. Vocals are a little bit harsh modified in parts but the song is also provided with nice melodies and a spanish guitar interlude. Eyes Wide Open follows as mellow as KING CRIMSON's eponymous song from their album 'Power To Believe'. A wonderful mainstream bordering ballad which deserves to enter the rock charts by all means. Nothing what follows is lacking, excellent songwriting - the band has appointed every song with some specials. Iconic is interesting because decorated with some reserved Barbieri like psychedelic keyboard layers. Synths are initiatingDuende pursued by a fantastic bass guitar. Bridge To The Divine is provided with a very catchy refrain and Leftovers convinces with metal riffs and compelling vocals. Mounting Castles In The Blood Red Sky is something very special - gripping. They use Martin Luther King's 'I have a dream' monolugue as the background for a very very melancholic tune.

Paramount - the point of culmination, initiated by a rocket lift off - remembers me at FATES WARNING. What a hookline, what an enormous guitar riff! Emotional vocals and a surprising saxophone solo by Sven Rossenbach - this is breathtaking! SIEGES EVEN has navigated forward once again. 'Paramount' is not that spectacular for me as the forerunner which has to be considered as a comeback. Anyhow - this album is a (prog) rock music gem - flawless - enjoyable from the first to the last minute.

I think SIEGES EVEN has taken a step back with their latest release, Paramount.

"The Art of Navigating by The Stars" was an absolutely amazing album, a big surprise for me and a sure 5- star (review soon to come). It was full of progressiveness, full of good melodies, some energy and also restraint. A masterpiece.

Paramount is a turn towards the mundane for this talented German band. In this album, gone are the intricate textures and RUSH-like phrases of its predecessor; gone are the great choruses and mostly the great riffs and rhythms of that album. In their place, we get a simple, much more direct, but also less inspired, bland metal album. It's very difficult at times to figure out the prog aspect of the music. The structures are typical, the performances are nothing extraordinaire, and there's not a single song that sticks in the mind.

It's like somebody gave the members a dose of a potent tranquilizer that not only numbs the muscles but also the inspiration, as some songs are incredibly (should I say it?) lame. No energy, no life, nothing that distinguishes some song from others.

There are a few decent moments and the album is OK. But after such a gem as "The Art of Navigating by the Stars", this is such a tremendous dissapointment. A weak album, deserving 2.5 stars. As is my rule, I round it up to a 3.

I liked "The Art Of Navigating By The Stars" a lot even though it was big change from their past albums. It seems like they are drifting further and further from the Prog-Metal genre. Nothing they've done compares to "A Sense Of Change" which was released in 1991, now that was an amazing Prog-Metal recording ! "Paramount" is a good album but for me it's too straight forward and the vocals don't do a lot for me especially the harmonies. I miss the complexity.

"When Alpha And Omega Collide" is spacey to start with before heavy drums and some power drop in. It settles back down when the vocals come in.The contrast continues. I do like the power that comes and goes on this one. "Tidal" like the previous track has some powerful pasages, although it does settle down at times. "Eyes Wide Open" is a ballad and this is where they lose me, it sounds like a power ballad on the chorus. "Iconic" has my attention with the intro and really the whole song. This one has some atmosphere to it. I like when the tempo picks up after 2 minutes and later before 4 1/2 minutes. Not a big fan of the uptempo vocal melodies though,they kind of spoil what could have been a dark and atmospheric song.

"Where Our Shadows Sleep" is a great song instrumentally but again the harmonies and vocals kind of ruin the mood. Some chunky bass and heavy drums here. "Duende" features some killer bass and some riffs too. One of the better tracks. "Bridge To The Divine" is a bright and happy at times,then it settles as the contrast continues. "Leftovers" opens with a heavy duty soundscape before a calm with vocals comes in. Contrast continues. Love the heavy sections. "Mounting Castles In The Blood Red Sky" is an instrumental except that we get to hear Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech. It's kind of cool actually. It sounds like it's raining late in the song. "Paramount" has a sample of the Apollo 11 lift off a minute in. Heaviness follows. It settles with vocals 2 minutes in. It's heavy again as the contrast continues. A trumpet solo comes in late. I like how dark and heavy this one is.

3.5 stars.There's a lot to like here. I just wish i didn't have problems with certain parts of this record because it is well written and played.

"Paramount" is the seventh full-length studio album by German progressive metal act Sieges Even. The album was released through Inside Out Music in September 2007. It´s the successor to "The Art of Navigating by the Stars" from 2003 and features the same quartet lineup who recorded the predecessor. Sieges Even have existed in different lineups since 1985 albeit with a couple of longer hiatuses, but "Paramount" was the last full-length studio album released before their 2008 split-up. A split-up that has now lasted 14 years (this review was written in 2022). Guitarist Markus Steffen and lead vocalist Arno Menses went on to form Subsignal, while the Holzwarth brothers (Alex on drums and Oliver on bass) went on to work on several other projects and ultimately became permanent members of Rhapsody of Fire in 2011 (and are now working on other music projects).

The material on "Paramount" continue the melodic and dynamic progressive rock/metal style of "The Art of Navigating by the Stars" (2003), but it´s a slighly more accessible release featuring more memorable vocal melodies and choruses. It´s not necessarily a less progressive release, but it´s a little less complex and instantly catchy album than its direct predecessor. Menses carry a lot of weight here and his strong voice and passionate vocals give the music a lot of power and emotion. The many backing and harmony vocals are also quite a treat. Steffen has a subtle playing style which is often non-distorted and clear, but even when he plays distorted riffs there is a nice sophistication to his playing which isn´t completely unlike the playing of Jim Matheos (Fates Warning, Arch/Matheos, OSI). I also hear a lot of Rush influences in the music. The Holzwarth brothers of course also deserve a mention as they as always deliver a varied, technically complex, and clever performance. You couldn´t wish for a more skilled and classy rhythm section.

The songwriting is intriguing, varied, and dynamic, and although there is generally a melancholic atmosphere to the album, there´s also often an uplifting and light mood present in the music. The tracks appear one after one like pearls on a string until the two closing tracks, which are slightly different sounding. "Mounting Castles in the Blood Red Sky" is an atmospheric instrumental featuring voice samples from Martin Luther King´s "I have a Dream" speech, and the almost 9 minutes long title track which closes the album is one of the more progressive tracks on the album. Every single track on the album is however a high quality composition and although the album features 10 tracks and a total playing time of 61:46 minutes it never feels that long and when it ends I want more. That´s always a sure sign of greatness.

One other asset which deserves a mention is the clear, detailed, and powerful sounding production job. "Paramount" is an incredibly well produced release, where you can clearly hear all instruments and vocals in the mix. So upon conclusion "Paramount" is a high quality progressive rock/metal release. It´s subtle, sophisticated, and clever, and often leans a bit more towards progressive rock than metal, but it does pack a bit more punch a few times during the playing time, and as mentioned above it´s both a diverse and dynamic release. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)