PLAYGROUNDS

SIEGES EVEN departure from scenarios is sad for me. while Subsignal(featuring makus stefen and arno menses) is a project I'm interested to listen shortly, this album set a point to remember one of the best bands of the genre(speaking like a fan, more than an expert who I am not at all). I don't like to see it as an closure point, but Fans deserved a live album long ago, and I cant find more about a band that is my personal favourite. excellent sound, razor edge performance. a great album.

song by song, shortly: when alpha and omega collide. opening track from the paramount cd. as good as the studio version. Tidal: often I use to say this song is pretty more into modern alternative rock than prog metal at all, but its ok. in an album that featured tracks like "Leftovers" (one i think is missing on this live album), and "where our shadows sleep" following the "paramount" original lineup at the beginning. Unbreakable: an epic track from, the art of navigating by the stars. a less intense song but with good passages and a melancholic flavor. tastefull the waking hours: as Arno anounces, TWA is an Sieges Even anthem! they play it a bit faster but the song delivers all that energy. an album highlight!! and the solo is one of my favourites. "must we find fortune, in constant revolt?" Iconic: maybe without disagree the band's selective line-up, cause honestly I rather could placed another song instead this one. I miss a bit, in this song(in mostly others too) the backing vocals like on the studio versions. This empty places: the best song in the line-up!! epic. sadly the song(lyrics) maybe captures the feeling of the later split of the band. instrumental passages are cutting edge, even with the quotation of "red barcheta" by oliver... (this song is already on youtube, not this version, but this album's version a far better performance... if any from this band doesn't? I don't think so. ) duende: features live overdubs? kinda! vocals layered sounds awesome!!! seems like is more riff-based like the paramount material. Paramount: the title track from the last album. a conceptual song, Credit given to the fact they recreated instrumental parts "surgeon like" as the CD, details are in its place. the lonely view of condors: vocal performance in this album is remarkable, but this song confirms that Arno is my fav. SE in their history (giving also credits to previous singers who gave SE memorable albums too). The weight: epic! the opening track from TAONBTS is where the best closure to the album, and the croud singing the melody and the alex's double bass drums kicked supreme!

SE will be missed, maybe someday discovered by cats that look beyond the mainstream and anything that sounds like or better Dream Theater. maybe the album itself is not a jewel or a masterpiece, but its excellent for me. I'd love if could feature songs from Sophisticated(none, already), or Uneven. but in fact, from here you can look back and find more a band that should be as influential as mainstream bands. SE is inspiring and it's footprint in PLAYGROUNDS, is a big step of a great band, for the history.