SUSPENDED ANIMATION DREAMS

Ok. I found this album from my Spotify recommendations?seems interesting enough?loved the cover?loved the name?i'm gonna live blog while writing so it'll probably feel a bit disjointed?hope we'll like it.

Suspended Animation Dreams: The album opens up with a great acoustic guitar melody accompanied by background voices, sets the atmosphere, and then?out of nowhere, when you least expect, a fairly jazzy saxophone solo enters, rapidly accompanied by classic prog metal vocals and flute?this is a full on prog record from the start and amazes me with only two minutes?this song definitely prepares us for an amazing progressive journey 9/10

Wolf Among Sheep: This one continues in the way the first amazing song build up? but with rather disappointing vocal melodies?yet greatly followed by some good prog metal guitar fills and when you think things can't get any better?it doesn't?the problem of many good prog metal group arises in this record?unnecessary brutal vocals and sadly covers up the sheer beauty of the violin melodies of the record. The guitar reprise following afterwards with some good wankery is still good, but this song clearly can not keep up with the expectations that the first song created on me. The repetitive post-rockian guitar line doesn't help to make the song interesting either. A solid song, good for a headbang towards the end. 6/10

No Place Like Home: Great and maybe a bit folky vocals accompanied by harmonica melodies that might as well come from a western movie starts the song fairly interesting and the transition to more metal territory via spoken lyrics are great? brutal vocals does not seem out of place but nonetheless unnecessary again. Opeth influences are evident in the contrasts between death metal parts and acoustic clean vocal parts but they are fairly good at that?spoken lyrics definitely create a cinematic atmosphere and the acoustic/piano part following that part continues that opeth influences in a greater scale but this time?it actually feels good?drum fills are definitely the defining part of this section and the guitar solo is praise-worthy and surprisingly similar to some melodies of my favorite post-rock band mogwai until it reaches its climax where it goes full evil?loving the instrumental part. Final proggy wankery with eastern vocals are interesting enough and the drummer does his job quite good. A lot interesting then its predecessor. 7/10

Kind Of A Blur: Happy piano melodies that remind me of John Lennon's Imagine?wonder where this song will go to?and SYNTHS AND VIOLINS great transition?it's funny that a classic prog fan just finds these little prog moments more memorable than metal moments in a prog metal moments. This album is definitely greatly cinematic and this song is definitely a proof of that?Evil saxophones are back again! Great drumming again and this song's getting more and more interesting?It's a bit sad that i'm enjoying these short proggy fillers than allegedly epic prog metal pieces in the album?hope it won't continue like that. 9/10

The Rock N Roll Preacher: This one gets a +1 just with the name?hope the song itself can exceed my expectations. Started with good noisy guitar melodies and a metal riff..Yes! Loving this riff?more interesting than the first two long songs? Vocals remind me of Led Zeppelin and this..of course?my friends?is always a good sign. Brutal vocals are again bit boring and out of place?but clean vocals and "dat riff" are sufficent to make this one a fairly good one. Ah yes?acoustic guitar transitions?these sections are marvellous in this record and this one is great as well?really reminds me of Opeth's Damnation?female background vocals are also pretty cinematic and again effective?The atmospheric part?although good again?gets pretty boring after a while?but it pays off with the continuing brass melodies and accompanying guitar solo?so happy and fun?pretty good song! This record sets a great mix 8/10

Six String To Cover Fear: Starts with a very good and melodic guitar riff played side by side with brutal vocals and strings?nothing creative or interesting going on in the first couple of minutes?seems like a straightforward metal song?but use of strings is still great?feels like ne obliviscaris?song starting to get interesting?although we see some other acoustic sections?slide guitar solos and things like that?this song feels like a really straightforward prog metal with nothing to offer and definitely the weakest of the album so far?guitar solo is pretty good though 6/10

Awake: The epic. Clocks at 15 minutes. Starts with a fairly cliche prog metal riff but the sudden transition to a chilling piano melody points towards a more unpredicted piece?entrance of female vocals are amazing and piano/guitar/drum trio with the vocal melodies are just evil?great?surprisingly brutal vocals don't feel forced and the metal guitars following them is pretty good too?Can't. Resist. Headbanging? The guitar work is stellar. Strings are again used effectively.. Seriously?the amount of work put on the instrumentation in this record is worth a praise?strings are hair-raising and definitely one of the top moments of the album?flute transition is also amazing?feels pretty eastern with the rhythmic instruments helping out?jazzy guitar melody enters?soon transforms into a more ravishing guitar solo and then vocals just drift you away while a pink floydian female vocal solo section just kills you in the spot?marvellous and enchanting?climax of the record. Reprise of the string melody transforms to a full-on guitar explosion (feels quite opeth-y again) "Wake up!From! This! Dream!" growls the vocals and the background is filled with voices?and song rushes towards its ending with the same riff?.slowly fading out. Best Song Of The Record. 9/10

X: Album Closer? Opens with a piano melody?These guys are good with piano openers for sure?Acoustic guitar/jazzy female vocals that feels like they are playing a lounge cd?similarities with Opeth's Damnation continues?pretty straightforward?but not bad?good guitar solo again. 6/10

Definitely not a bad record?one of the good avant-garde metal albums that i've heard. Not an expert of course but could have done without brutal vocals but songs like Awake and Rock N Roll Preacher and litte filler songs with great instrumentation are definitely a huge plus.

7.5/10