DOUBLE VISION

3,5 stars, really. I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand it´s a bit of a disappointment: the album is basic a bunch of songs, with the group becoming a wee bit too predictable musically. There´s nothing really new and even the "epic" The Legend Of Elijah Shade (22 minutes and 39 seconds in length) is little more than a bunch of small songs cobbled together with no real continuity or coherence in terms of what an epic should be. Only the final part does show Arena´s in all its power and glory at the emotional fade, but then it´s too little too late. And it only serves to show how innovative and moving this band once was. On the other hand, let´s face it: the songs may not be that original, but, boy, are they good! And, if you are not not very demanding, it´s a darn good album of fine stuff.

Yes, it´s hard for me to listen to Double Vision without comparing to their masterpieces The Visitor or Contagion. Even the previous The Unquiet Sky (2015) is better than this one. Only occasionally you hear a (brief) keyboard solo form Clive Nolan. Again there are no instrumentals. Fine, it is still far better than the disastrous 'The Seventh Degree of Separation' of 2011, but that is not the hardest thing to do for talented guys like Arena. Another good news is the fact that Paul Manzi is singing better than ever. The guy is a fantastic vocalist and since The Unquiet Sky he got the spirit of Nolan´s dark lyrics and themes. My point is: it´s a good album, with very good songs and has almost all the elements we know and love from this band (unlike The Seventh...). Still... I really wish they had come up with something more adventurous and progressive, but you can´t have everything.

Conclusion: Not their best stuff, but very far from being a dud. Good songs, sometimes very good, but I can not say it is essential. Hence the 3,5 stars mark.