INTO THE EVERFLOW

If anyone asks me to define progressive metal, I'll either show them Dream Theater's "Scenes From A Memory" or this marvelous album. This really is an essential progressive metal album to me. It's not too well known, but as I see it every prog metal fan should have this in their collection. It is a masterpiece.

A description of the music: "Ashes" begins very dark with organs and then explodes into a very doomy guitar intro. When the vocals enter, it is just brilliant. The great beat in the background going with the amazing melody of the vocals just makes for one amazing track. "Out of Mind" is a heavy track with great guitar riffs and some great vocals with a sort of oriental feel to them. This track is a great rocker. "Tiny Streams" reminds me of Black Sabbath and contains some sinister vocals from Lackey. The title track is a slow, dark song with more fabulous vocals and amazing riffs. There are some great solos of this track which seem to be a mixture of the styles of Tony Iommi and Dimebag Darrell. "Little People" contains absolutely amazing vocals and guitarwork and is quite a creepy song. "Hanging On A String" is a short and beautiful ballad which is sort of a breather from the heaviness. "Freakshow" contains some very high sung vocals, a great verse riff, and is overall an incredibly complete track. "Butterfly" is the albums closer and begins beautifully, goes through many speed changes, and contains great instrumental work.

PROS:

Vocals: One of the most underrated vocalists in all prog, Lackey can sing with a lot of emotion, can hit very high notes, and is sort of like Ozzy Osbourne, only MUCH better.

Musicianship: The guitarwork on this album is just magnificent throughout. The drums contribute to darkness and hit some complex beats at times. The keyboards work to give the album a very dark feel when needed.

Melodies: This album contains many unforgettable melodies and riffs.

CONS:

Vocals over the top?: Personally I don't find this a problem, but to some people, Lackey's vocals may be a little over the top at times. Especially in "Freakshow" and "Little People."

Song ratings: Ashes: 10/10 Out of Mind: 9/10 Tiny Streams: 9/10 The title track: 9.5/10 Little People: 10/10 Hanging On A String: 8/10 Freakshow: 8/10 Butterfly: 9.5/10

Recommended for: Anybody with the slightest interest in prog metal.

My rating: 5 stars without a shadow of doubt. A near flawless album and a must-have for any prog metal lover, or even someone who only sort of likes prog metal. This album is criminally underrated.

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