LATERALUS

After the disappointing "Undertow", I was reluctant to buy "Lateralus" as a friend of mine suggested it (I didn't bother to get "Aenima"). Well I bought it and I was really surprised how the band evolved since "Undertow". The melodies are complex - sometimes even very dark (the mix of melancholic vocals/really heavy music sometimes reminds me of the doom metal band Solstice) - and always show great musicianship. It would have been a sure five star album... without the few "extreme" or "silly" songs (which make giving a rating to this album a hard task). So let's see the album track by track...

"The Grudge": strong opening track - mixing good heavy metal with darker passages - 8/10.

"Eon Blue Apocalypse": nice little bridge - 9/10.

"The Patient": the most progressive song on the album - 8/10

"Mantra": pointless bridge - it's just white noise - 0/10.

"Schism": nothing to say - awesome catchy song - a good 10/10.

"Parabol": soft and haunting, reminds me of old Joy Division - another good 10/10.

"Parabola": another flawless song - 10/10.

"Ticks & Leeches": this song just doesn't fit at all with the rest of the songs - too much hate and anger - 2/10.

"Lateralis": another great poisonous melody with many tempo changes toward the end - 9/10.

"Disposition": soft and acoustic track - 10/10.

"Reflection": 11 minutes of pleasure - great drums, great bass, great guitar effects, infectious voice - another 10/10.

"Triad": a heavy but experimental instrumental - influences of King Crimson can be heard here - 7/10.

"Faaip de Oiad": ruins the album - better stop listening after "Triad" - 0/10.

Rating: 76/100 (this would have meant three stars but I'll give four because this album is an excellent addition to any prog music collection)