THE IMPRISONED WORDS OF FEAR

Even if the first 'single' of the record ('Images from a Grey World') is totally deceptive of Verbal Delirium's trademark sound, one thing is for sure: 'The Imprisoned Words of Fear' presents (to my ears at least) a darker, heavier, perhaps slightly more sinister sound compared to VD's previous works.

A set of compositions that have remained imprisoned for almost a decade (according to the band's frontman Jargon, a version of these was released as a demo back in 2007) have now been reworked with better arrangements and refinements. The sound remains close to the alternative, melancholic, and near-gothic feeling that VD works portray. There is a lurking Katatonia/Type'O Negative and rough-around-the-edges atmosphere and 90's atmospheric metal influences blended with the group's diverse orchestration reminiscent of the likes of Genesis and VDGG.

The legacy of Greek music can be heard in my favourites 'Misleading Path' and the epic 'Fear' (with its Moonlight Sonata closing), which resemble to the exquisite ballad 'Sudden Winter' from the band's second album. 'Images from a Grey World' is a near-progressive metal tune mixed with a Muse character that initially put me off; with the passage of time I got used to it but does not represent a high note in the band's portfolio. The three 10+ minute closing tracks are really where the band displays their talent in improvisation; organ-like lush keyboards, blended with a Hammill-ian eclectic approach, jazzy interludes (see e.g. 'The Decayed Reflection') and trip-hop/electronica combined with blast- beats (!) (e.g. 'In Memory') would leave fans of experimentation extremely satisfied.

Added to all the other diverse stuff that is going on in this album, I realised an influence from the sound of Saviour Machine, mostly on the vocals; a very theatrical and dark performance from Jargon resembles to Eric Clayton's underrated 90's pioneers (see e.g. 'Fear'), while still maintaining the group's trademark sound.

Yet another esoteric and strongly emotional album, this is a candidate for the year's top-10 and lives up to the high expectations VD have cultivated. I very much look forward to the group's appearance in HRH prog festival this year. Recommended to those who enjoyed 'From the Small Hours of Weakness' and those looking for a theatrical/eclectic though, accessible, modern prog album. Absolute highlights: Misleading Path, Fear.

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