EMOCEAN

Hubi Meisel is an underrated german musician but with all that he manages to create something really unique with this second album Emocean from 2004. He was the leading voice of another good prog metal band from Germany - Dreamscape - (have some colabotations as guest musicians on Book Of reflection (second album) among others) - after he leaves them in 2000 , he decided to go solo and gathered with him a bunch of great musicians from prog metal scene in last 10 years. The first truly important album for him is this first one from a Trilogy of concept albums namerd Emocean. The strory behind this album is maybe not very original, is bean talked a lot , specialy in metal zone, but is very well written and above all is outstending produce and played. The story is about the mysteries of deep oceans, the Bermuda triangle - that fascinates many musicians and aswell intriguing them in same time, Sargasso sea and about the famous story behind Atlantis. So, the concept is very well written by Hubi himself, with great lyrics and outstanding musicianship through out entire album. Now about the music and the musicians thet Hubi meisel gathered with him - the music is prog metal with mid tempo pieces, sometimes he is toying woth symphonic prog , but the main ingredient is prog metal. Excellent are the keys arrangements and the guitar chops, very smooth and elegant. The compositions are very well done, excellent musicians on this album like Vivien Lalu ( from Lalu, Shadrane) on keys who did a great job here, revealing once again how good and in same time how unnoticed musician he is, the virtuoso guitar player Marcel Coenen (from Sun Caged), the drums are played by one of the most intelligent drumers from prog metal , no one then Daniel Flores (from Mind's Eye), superb prestation of this great musician, and last but not least the bass lines are promoted by Jean B. Affonço a.k.a. Bamby - who goes hand in hand with the rest of the musicians delivering some very intristing bass lines. So, Emocean desearves from me full 5 star, everything is top notch on this album from music to art cover an inner sleeves, who by the way are really great and very well done - the author is Chris Kallis - who did an outstanding work here, the booklet is so well done and shows once again thet Hubi Meisel did a profesional work both musicaly and visualy. Emocean becomes one of my fav prog metal albums in last 10 years, excellent work, who is , very underrated and unnoticed, and desearve a better view. Try and convinced yourself how great this Hubi Meisel is by buying his CD in digipak format from Lion Music, aswell like his next album. Recommended.