CLOSED DOORS TO OPEN PLAINS

For numerous reasons, most of them concerned with line-up changes, it has taken 17 years for Seasons of Time to return with the follow-up to 'Behind The Mirror'. Dirk Berger (bass, keyboards, vocals) has been there since the beginning, while Malte Twarloh (vocals, guitar, keys) also sang on the debut but prior to coming back for this recording left the band in 2006, with the line-up now completed by guitarist Florian Wenzel and drummer Marco Gruhn. Here we have a classic case of an album that could actually be great, but has failed on a somewhat important hurdle, that of the vocals. While musically this is a really right outfit with a lot going for them, the vocals just don't work for me. I have tried, really tried, and have managed to get to the point where they are almost bearable, but they just are nowhere near the standard of the music that is playing underneath. I haven't heard the debut, so can't state if they are the same there, but when the singer has problems keeping on a note, obvious issues with breath control for sustain, then one has to wonder.

It is almost as if there are two sets of recordings here, with a top notch band recording some great music in a studio, while the vocals have been added from a demo tape. It is incredibly frustrating as if they had turned this into a pure instrumental album then it would actually have a lot more going for it, with neo-prog moving into a more prog metal territory. It has taken them an age to record their second album, but unless they change their approach I can't see there being a great deal of demand for a third. If this was purely instrumental then it would be a 3.5/4 for me, but as it stands then it is 2.5 at absolute best. www.progressive-promotion.de