A SCEPTIC'S UNIVERSE

Ok,here we have the most classic example of a love or hate band...Most of the reviewers have rated this album with 5 or 2 stars...My opinion is that the truth always lies somewhere in the middle...SPIRAL ARCHITECT play extra technical prog/jazz metal...and the first influence that comes to my mind is PSYCHOTIC WALTZ at their most technical moments...This exact thought is also supported by the vocals of Oyvind Haegeland who must be a fan of the main vocalist of PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, Buddy Lackey...Of course such bands is almost impossible not to be influenced by the legendary WATCHTOWER which was the first band to play and sound as a jazz metal band...A more technical side of early SIEGES EVEN also come to mind while listening to this disc...

...And it is reasonable that many progheads don't like that kind of music...because what is the whole point of music? In my opinion music -and especially progressive rock which is the one we have chosen- must create feelings and emotions to the demanding listener...And this is not the album to start with if you want feelings,melodies and emotions...By that sense no album of that genre could be considerd as a masterpiece and that is mostly true...On the other hand this is not a disc to simply drop in the ban...These talented musicians have created a music piece where they push their skills and creativity to the upper limits and that's something that can't be passed by...Sure,there are no melodies but after all they have composed songs that anyone can listen to,it's not simply a matter of complexity and showing skills...

I think a 3 star rating is the appropiriate one...Not a masterpice for sure, but an excellent piece for those who like technique,complexity and want to learn something more about the human music skills...Highly recommended for fans of PSYCHOTIC WALTZ and WATCHTOWER, recommended also for prog metal fans in general and some jazz/fusion fans too...Anyone who's in love with the 70's prog rock sound should simply pass by...