AWAKEN THE GUARDIAN

How long ist it ago, three years, when I bought the "A Social Grace"+"Mosquito" box by Psychotic Waltz. "A Social Grace" then quickly became one of my very favourite records, at least in the Prog sector. Since then I was hoping to find another album that somehow carries the same spirit of ingenious music, the perfect epic atmosphere that is carried through every single song of the album. Ok, maybe it is to much to compare Awaken the Guardian with A Social Grace, because Awaken the Guardian is much more riff-based, so to say. It is musically based in eighties' Heavy Metal but with much phantastic breaks and licks, tempo changes, but all to support the mood of a song. Every song is epic in a way that it has a course that is guided by the tempo changes together with John Arch's high but clear, powerful voice and the lyrics telling for instance about a sorceress (obviously), Morgana LeFay, fatalism and a story about prejudice and forgiveness of a giant. This is the last album John Arch sings on and I reckon he has done a great job here, in my opinion he is more than a Bruce Dickinson clone, he sings emotional but also higher. The instrumental 'Time Long Past' is a short piece of slow moody music, not attracting very much attention, more like an intro to the final song 'Exodus'. But apart from that all songs are developing and full of fascinating atmosphere.