FOR THE LOVE OF ART AND THE MAKING

For the Love of Art and the Making came out of nowhere last year, at least for me, and I know a lot of forum members were stunned at how this album by somewhat unheard of prog-metal band (Beyond Twilight) was gearing to be one of the top rated releases off 2006. So, I wanted to see what the hype was. I've not heard anything else by Beyond Twilight, but after hearing this, I think I might. I'm not sure if I knew that the album would have the chaotic setup it has when I ordered it, but I'm glad I wasn't deferred in some other way. For the Love of Art and the Making is full of gorgeous melodies and creative riffs, even if they are not always strung together in the most condusive way. But given the premise for this album (being able to randomize the track order for a different listening experience each time--something I've not done yet), I think it works very well. I think the album is much more tasteful than any recent Dream Theater or Symphony X album (though Paraduse Lost cut back on the cheese significantly), without the constant showoff soloing which becomes far less impressive as one becomes more familiar with that type of songwriting. For the Love of Art and the Making feels much more orchestrated, with flourishes, dynamics, movements, recurring themes, and a variety of orchestrated synths (tasteful, mind you) mixing with heavy metal guitars very well. The album always manages to keep my attention, though one might see this as a sort of Attention Deficit Disorder with music, as it seems to jump from theme to theme constantly. This chaos is both good and bad, because there are fleeting moments which I wish would stay longer than they do. Luckily, there aren't any poor moments I wish to be over with before they wear out their welcome. It all works together, both the sometimes brutal and often beautiful aspects of the music. For the Love of Art and the Making was on my list of top Progressive music from 2006 and it should be a great listen for a fan of melodic and somewhat orchestrated progressive metal.