TYRANNY

One of my favorite prog albums of all times!!! Tyranny is a release that breaks boundaries of music through an innovative propousal that mixes in perfect balance new concepts in progressive rock with classical influences, all with a very original touch.

This album is rich in concept and music. But to undersatnd the impact of their music let's go back to the ending of 90's decade. Power metal had spread far and wide the musical scene, progressive rock had been revitalized in USA with the apogees of bands like Dream Theater and all the people were living a great expectation for the coming of a new millennium. So, Shadow Gallery releases "Tyranny", an album that criticizes straight ahead the lack of humanism, the business of war, the controlling of media, and the excess of power from what they call New World Order.

The concept:

Its concept begins with the cover of the CD where you can see a snake forming the dollar symbol by twisting around a spade. This snake represents the money as a mechanism of exploitation and deshumanization of the world, definetly a defiant and intelligent cover. This conceptual release is divided into two acts, each one composed of seven tracks. This fascinating story begins in "Tyranny" but the ending is on "Room V" album.

Act I: This story is about a man who lives in New York and whose life changes entirely in just one year. This man was working for the military force of United States of America in the designing of war implements and machines. He earned a lot of maney doing his job but he starts to understand that he isn't acting the way he feel it shoud be. He realizes war had become a business with high profits, but these profits are paid with blood of innocent and terrible acts of violence. He is fired and so he begins to be in real contact with real world. He starts to see warring mess, the corruption of Government due to some men hungry for power. When he leaves their job. He decides to investigate on the internet about the US government and so he discover a world he never thought it'd existed. He considers himself an honest man who believed in the system but now he realizes he had been a victim of lies all of his life. He meets a girl on the internet and eventually fell in love with her, though he had never seen her. He decides to hack the computer systems of Government and military forces causing a financial chaos. He starts to feel alone and starts to understand that the world is being manipulated by commercial tendencies. The hungry for power and the willing of having money is killing humanism. World had become a victim of violence acts. He feels terribly lost and lonely.

Act II: Our main character's father dies and in his final moments he was commanded to announce a message to the world and rescue the lack of humanization. Personally I think the main character is Shadow Gallery music and so they are commanded to humanize world. The man in the story meets the girl he had fell in love and she decides to stay by his side. He tells her about the virus he inserted in the military computer system he had hacked and impacts of it on the financial system. His girl said no word at all about her past but he knows she was being prosecuted by the US governement too. He asks her to call him in orden to speak and so she does. He convinces her to meet themselves in randevous somewhere far away, so she sends the location through a code that he deciphers. An agency that represents "New World Order" took control of all the publications, papers, TV, radio stations and every comunnication media. They monitored all transmissions and chased him. He was forced to leave New York. He left to Alaska by Christmas this same year by the side of his girl. FASCINATING STORY DON?T YOU THINK SO???

The music:

Their music is as marvelous as ths story. It's an album with clear influences from 70's progressive rock. The first track "Stiletto in the Sand" is the overture of the story and the beginning of the track "War For Sale" which reminds me of "Duke's Travels" by Genesis and Emerson, Lake & Palmer in their glorious past days. "Out Of nowhere" is a brave track that closes with impressive solos by both guitarist, keyboards of Chris Ingles, and delicate flute lines that reminds me of "Selling England by the Pound" of Genesis. Their following tracks present accoutic guitar arrangements and a soft presence of violin. "Broken" is a short of epilogue for the first part of the story: Act I.

Act II is even better; it starts with possibly the best track: "I believe". There are no words to describe this track, an unpredicatble epic of 8 minutes that you should listen and enjoy. It follows "Roads of Thunder" which is a track divided in three parts. "Spoken Words" is track sung in duo with femal vocal Laura Jaeger, a ballad that really brings my tears away every time I listen to it. "Chased" is a completly instrumental track with guitar solos and fine keyboard lines that makes a convenient environment with the story. The final track is "Christmas Day", a ballad with a sudden break at middle and solos that take one's breath away.

The band has an excellent vocalist with a particular way of singing that fits in no better manner with their fine and techinal heavy style.

In conclusion, Shadow Gallery is a clear example of the way prog metal band should sound like: precise keyboard and guitar solos, solid bass lines, technical and powerful drum arrangements without laking of subtle nuaces and very inspired lyrics.

Extremly highy reommended for prog metal and early prog rock fans!!!!

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