SCARSICK

I've been a POS-fan for quite a few years now. I got to know them with "One hour by the concrete lake" and every release after that one has been in my collection from the day it was released. The band was better than DT when they played as their support in Belgium. Their last release "Be" was rather hard to get into, but it was worth listening to over and over again. And, though there are many reviews here that keep contradicting eachother, I think that you should give this one even more listens than "Be" to fully appreciate it. I've heard about 10 times so far (by far not enough). And I must say that I like it. I realize that everytime the album ends, I get this urge to start playing it again. It's perhaps to early to call this a masterpiece, but I dare to say that it is a damn good album. What's really exciting is that they didn't go for the easy way out (if they had released a mixture of"the perfect element" or "remedy lane" everybody would probably have loved it). No, they are taking risks on this album, sometimes by playing songs that were built on merely one riff (but if so, the riff is amazing). Sometimes by adding musical elements that are 'not done' in metal or prog. Yes, I'm referring to the song "Disco Queen": it's a real catchy song, it's funny and it's heavy at the same time. So that's an experiment that turned out allright for me. And isn't taking risks and exploring new musical territories something that progressive music should be about? I also believe that the record is full of emotions, something that often is hard to find in 'progressive metal'. So, all in all, I think that this is an excellent addition to any POS collection. 4 stars without a doubt and maybe I'll award it another star in the future (in a few months or so, after another 145 listens)

Belgian Dream Theater Fan