THESE STONES CRY FROM THE EARTH

I guess I wasn't patient enough. There are long parts to this single song album which go on for a rather long time. And it's all one song, so skipping around a CD isn't really that easy. And a good song shouldn't have you reaching for the fast forward button. That said though, there's some really good stuff in here. I feel the same about this as I do with Green Carnation's LOD,DOD - it's got good ideas and execution, but it seems like it just stretches the novelty on for far too long. It could have been a 45 minute track, rather then 57. And the lyrics finish before the 50th minute. I guess 8 minute outro pieces don't really do it for me.

If it seems like i'm being too negative, believe me, I do enjoy this. It seems like Thence took a page out of Green Carnations book with this album, and why not? Ambition can sometimes lead to great success, and I'm sure that they will find it in their later works. But here it just felt as if there wasn't enough 'oomph' to sustain the journey for as long as it went on.

The quieter parts, such as the slow section that begins just after nine minutes in, is really nice and calming - and it does seem like there is confidence and talent in the musicans work. And if it did take them eight years to fully conceive, then good work for a two person effort. I definitely can't fault them for trying to match, if not conquer the hefty conquest of mastering the one track album format. It's a risky path to take, given that the one song has to reflect its themes and lyrical content throughout a very long single piece - so in that respect, I think they succeeded grandly.

I just don't feel that this is their grand definitive statement in the prog and musical world. And given it is their debut, perhaps we'll see their true statement in the near future. For now, I give this three stars - and depending on their next musical exploits, that may rise or fall.

Edit: 4 stars. It shows off more then I gathered after listening to it a few more times. For those out there that enjoy progressive metal and ambient music, this may be the release you're after.