HYPERDRIVE

Sadly, Knight Area has decided to go the way of several bands before them and dull down their overall sound to a kind of nondescript hard prog/metal that lacks the majesty and drama of their past efforts. The first three or so albums these guys did have been in regular rotation for me since they were released, as they are each chock full of wonderfully lush, melodic neo-prog with enough unique touches to give them their own sound. Not so with this album, which largely sounds as though it could have been done by just about any band with enough playing ability and a recording studio.

Gone are almost all of the nuances that I love about "The Sun Also Rises", "Under A New Sign", "Realm Of Shadows" and at least some of "Nine Paths". Instead what we are given here is a collection of music that is certainly executed well, but completely lacking that touch of magic that causes me to pull a Knight Area album from the shelf. Simply put, this just ain't what I'm looking for from such a fine band. It's unfortunate to have to admit that these guys are no longer in the 'auto buy' category for me.