HEAVEN & EARTH

Yes

Symphonic Prog

2.29 | 774 ratings

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branchranch

I really like Subway Walls! It is one of my favorite songs from 2014!

Now for the bad news...

Pretty much the rest of the album.

Is it the lead singer? I say no. A lot of people complain about Jon Davison as the lead singer. I like the choice, personally. I liked his work with Glass Hammer, and the sounds-like-that-other-Jon quality I find rather comforting. I'm not going to get caught up in the "who's the better singer" debate. Jon Davison is certainly qualified to be here.

Is it the musicianship? Certainly not! In fact I applaud the band for showing more than their usual restraint in their arrangements. (Actually they are too restrained) Many of the songs from their "classic" period suffered from a bit of instrumental overload in sections IMHO.

Is it the production? Absolutely not. The sound is clear and crisp and the instruments are easily distinguished one from another.

Is it the material? OHHHH YEAHHHH!!! It's sluggish, forgettable even for AOR standards, and let's face it, uninteresting. Hooks? Almost nonexistent. Progressive? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

"To Ascend" isn't too bad. A nice poppy ballad, in case the world needed another one of those.

Did I mention I really liked Subway Walls. A LOT.

I don't mind bands making money. For example, I understand why Genesis forsook their roots when the cash started pouring in. But they had the good sense to write catchy (sometimes uptempo, hint hint) pop songs with good hooks. This album doesn't even have one of those. So it gets lost in the no-man's land of bad pop and really bad progressive rock.

So download Subway Walls and skip the rest of this album, unless you a huge Asia fan. Final rating: 2.65, rounded up to 3 stars for Subway Walls. Did I mention that I liked that song?

branchranch | 3/5 | 2015-1-25

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