LIGHT OF DAY, DAY OF DARKNESS

This is an unfortunate but probably all too common case where less would probably be more. If this album/song had been trimmed down to about 35 or even 40 minutes I would not hesitate to give it 5 stars and call it one of the greatest progressive metal epics of all time. However, there's just a bit too much here, and especially towards the end of this album I often find myself looking at the time remaining and inwardly groaning.

The good parts, however, are pretty darn good. The music is dark, haunting, and atmospheric, but still rocks enough to have some great headbanging moments. It's very dynamic as well; the different sections and motifs flow together well and there's a good balance of heavy and "light." The vocals throughout are very good, they fit the music well. Most are clean, though there is some growling interspersed throughout. Honestly, the best way to get a feel for what the music sounds like is too look at the cover; it captures the feel of the music very well.

As mentioned above, though, it ultimately feels like the band just runs out of steam. After about 35 minutes, there's an interlude featuring some soft music and female vocals that goes on for a bit too long, and the album never really recovers. In my opinion, the music after this break simply does not measure up to that before, lacking some critical element that leaves it feeling far less memorable and even at times boring, which is a very bad thing indeed when we are dealing with a track of this length.

That said, the strength of the "good parts" make this well worth your time and money, and I'm content to call it a flawed masterpiece.

4/5