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Seven Side Diamond - Enigma CD (album) cover

ENIGMA

Seven Side Diamond

 

Crossover Prog

3.82 | 99 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

arymenezes
4 stars I'm listening to this work while (re)writing the review. 'Cause when I thought that my assessment was concluded, I decided to give it one more audition before publishing the text. Surprisingly, some years after several plays of this work on my equipment, it managed to gain even more of my sympathy.

So let's go to the review.

The dark and mysterious atmosphere that introduces the album is short, with consistent sound effects, ending with a phenomenal bass. This short track only introduces the second, when they move to a more prog metal vein, specially on guitars, which along with the piano, performs some fabulous phrasings. Memorable synth phrasings are present on the first steps of next track. It's a very solid and diversificated composition. The arrangements and time signatures aren't always as solid as they could get, becoming a bit confusing, but they demonstrate that the musicians make a very organic and tuned group. A gorgeous acoustic guitar opens the fourth track. It's a pity that it's so brief. Henceforth, the composition now is more simple, but vocal harmonies are nice. In an overall view it's a good hard-rock, but not a great prog rock effort. When they are almost finished it gets more complex, but once again they seem kind of lost. The next track starts with wonderful vocal harmonies, and a delicate inspired balance between acoustic guitar, bass and piano, all of them firm and secure. Therefore some accelerated performances switch places with more groovy notes kind of Focus-like, almost in a celebrating mood. It's by far the best vocal executions on the album.

Before going to the last track's review, which has a 34min extension, seems to me proper to point that its 13 parts are not divided on the CD; as it is on youtube. This configures one difficulty, for me, on analyzing the suite, because the youtube versions don't deliver all the nuances and details of their music. That said, this music starts with a mysterious atmosphere, alternating to a more lyric approach. And before moving to the next part these two different executions get mixed. The next part has a rythym that gets heavier but suddenly stops to a fantastic piano tune, above an inspired harmonic base. One of the highlights of the disc. The following parts are very versatile, with a crossover prog path, but soon going to a jazzy execution, when the bass and keyboard players get highly inspired; the drummer is also splendid when using the cymbals. Somewhere on this part the composition turns to a symphonic prog style. There's this excerpt, a bit long, when they alternate very well the composition through these prog rock genres. Vocal harmonies are also better, changing timbres and heights. Some rock-oriented passages are present, one storm noise either, before this amazing passage with a dramatic and lyric Pink Floyd-vibe. On my last listening of this release, I almost cried on this part. I consider it's a little disappointing that they didn't conclude the album right here. Even though what comes next isn't bad ? a festive piece with nice instrumental ? I always think it's more wise to close the work with a great song. If not the best, at least one of the bests.

Writing this review was satisfying: made me remind that it's never too late to give an album a fourth or a fifth chance. It's not that I didn't enjoy this release; but now it's when I could fully appreciate even more the songs.

4.2 stars. If the vocals were better, certainly this rating would improve. I just listened to "Hepta", their last release, that's on many streamings (including youtube) today. And the vocal material improved a lot.

arymenezes | 4/5 |

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