SECOND FIRST IMPRESSION

Why do I say so? It's because of the kind of music Leger de Main plays is quite different with those delivered by Dream Theater - who has been widely used as reference in any progressive metal scene - or Symphony X or even Pain of Salvation. They are different in style and approach you can feel it right away when you listen to this album for the first time. You might have expected some heavy riffs in the vein of "Metropolis" for example, but unfortunately .. you can hardly find such riffs typical with any Dream Theater song. Their riffs are different in nature. The riffs are not created to accentuate some parts of the music - typically just before interlude or during transition pieces - but they are more directed toward making the riffs as part of the whole composition - like guitar solo as natural part of a composition. That's the way I see the band's music.

Do you want a great example? Take the second track "Silent Monster" which basically a dynamic instrumental song but it has great variation of styles and chords throughout this relatively not long song. What I like about this song is the fact that it cannot be predicted from the musical patterns they have laid down in the music making. I feel like being challenged with the band to guess "what's next?" after certain acrobatic parts. You will get a surprise, in fact, when the third track "Changes With The Day" (11:15) enters your listening pleasure. It starts with eerie keyboard work and acoustic guitar fills followed beautifully with vocal line by a female vocalist Melissa Blair. You might recall the music of Annie Haslam and Renaissance but it's different and I don't think that this is a prog metal scene with heavy riffs. It sounds like symphonic music. "Some Shall Search" (12:20) is then performed with opening part which is similar to King Crimson music especially on its guitar riffs which remind me to Adran Bellew's style. The music flows in complex arrangement using keyboard, drum, bass guitar and guitar exploration. Composition-wise, this fourth track is quite challenging in styles and varieties especially with the non-linear structure of the song. There are some curved lines during the performance of the song. In fact in some segments, the style of the music reminds me to bands like Finneus Gauge or Echolyn even though not exactly the same.

"Do Whispers Die?" (8:18) starts off with low register notes of vocal by Melissa Blair which flows in mellow style and performed with strong accents. The opening part is just like typical ballad music but as the music flows into further arrangements, the bass guitar plays wonderful lines as rhythm section altogether with keyboard. Even though this track lacks touchy melodies but the overall composition, musically, is good. Personally, I do enjoy the bass guitar work. The album concludes with another excellent track "The Story" (9:20) which has good melody line and soundscape. The guitar work during opening is stunning especially when it's combined with dazzling drumwork. The keyboard solo follows the music just before the vocal line enters the music. Again, bassguitar is a dominant rhythm section. There is even segment that gives chance the bass guitar to perform solo followed nicely with guitar fills. The ending part with long guitar solo is really good.

Overall, I do believe that this is an excellent addition to any prog music collection. The composition is tight, with varied arrangements (in styles as well as textures), combined with solid performance - even though overall melody line is not catchy. Good music does not necessarily requires touchy melody, don't you think? Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

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