UNEVEN

4,5 stars really!

Being aware that it might sound biased since SIEGES EVEN is coming from my home town I've to call them though one of the best German bands and every lover of Progmetal who listen to them will agree to this. This one is certainly their most hard-edged one (not considering their very first Thrash-Metal album) and almost on par with its predecessor maybe altogether a bit less accessible. Apart from the addition of brother of singer Greg Keller as keyboardist the line-up on here stayed the same as on "Sophisticated" which is a rare case in their band history. Guitar player Wolfgang Zenk and rhythm section consisting of Holzwarth brothers are doing a great job once again and with Greg Keller they found the best vocalist they've had ever before anyway. There's lots of excellent melodic but highly intricate prog metal on here and I dare saying it's supposed to be considered higher in quality than ANY album by DREAM THEATER and at least as good as the best ones by FATES WARNING. Everytime I'm listening to these guys I'm again blown away by the enormous virtuosity they show on their instruments without losing themselves in endless narcistic solo excesses at any time.

Highlights: "What if?", "Trainsong", "Love is as warm as tears"

Everyone liking the mentioned bands shouldn't miss this one! Absolutely a Must-Have in Progmetal genre!!

There are songs on this album that simply belong to the best in fast played prog metal. The songwriting is much refined when compared to the predecessor. The blending of speed and grace is truly amazing. Only TRAINS feels like misfit from Sophisticated. I simply can't get enough of what Alex Holzwarth is doing on drums (all musicians on this album are very good but he is outstanding). As always with SE it might take some time to be able to fully cherish what they did, but once you achieved this - you'll never forget this record. *****= What if, Rise and Shine, Scratches in the Rind, Different Pace, What's up God? ****= Disrespectfully Yours, Love is as warm as Tears ***= Trainsong.

36 stars, 8 tracks = 4,5 stars.

Ladies and Gentlemen, remarkable effort from one of the most underrated and forgotten (I always have thought it) progressive rock/metal bands ever, a lifetime together that over almost one year ago (sadly). A band that never saw the total glory of their musical harvest, a really shame for those who appreciate the value of making music not only with practice and talent but also with a great dose of sense and coherence.

We're not going to discuss the possible reasons that took them to split up, the real matter here is to try to describe some aspects from this stunning work by parts. "Uneven" gave us maybe one of the heaviest moments of Sieges Even's career mixing quality and power in generous quantities at the same time. One of the individual characteristics from these guys to admire is the formidable union between Holzwarth brothers (Oliver on bass and Alex on drums) on the musical field, they are absolutely catchy and technique, an experience to the hearings, just listen them carefully!.

Uneven is composed by 8 very compact songs that offer to us a huge scale of rhythms and contra tempos one behind other. Jazz could be one of their sources of inspiration more notorious along the record, for example on songs like: "rise and shine" or "scratches in the rind". Obviously metal as genre is also present through this album with "disrespectfully yours" and "different pace", which are clear allusions about it.

To be the most popular is not always synonym of being the best (and opposite) and that is a rule applied in this case, however Sieges Even will stay among many of us as a sonic jewel that passed by briefly but showing all their skills to elaborate music of high standards and totally enjoyable. Records like "A Change of Sense" (a masterpiece of progressive rock/metal) and their last albums (specially "The Art of Navigating by the Stars") also will be records that many future progressive rock and metal bands will keep in mind as a start point to discover their creative restlessness and their own horizon on music.

An album and a band for all the fans who likes the early years and more progressive works focusing on strong melodies of acts as Dream Theater or Fates Warning as well. They will be a classic, doubtless!.

By: Epsilon.

"Uneven" is the 5th full-length studio album by German progressive metal act Sieges Even. The album was released through Under Siege Records in 1997. It´s the successor to "Sophisticated" from 1995 and adds keyboard player Börk Keller to the lineup. Other than the addition of Keller, the lineup remins the same as on "Sophisticated (1995)".

The stable lineup has resulted in a stable sound and style too, because the material on "Uneven" is a natural continuation of the music style on "Sophisticated (1995)". Highly energetic, funk/jazz/fusion infused technical/progressive metal with loads of melodic themes, and a distinct sounding lead vocalist in Jogi Kaiser, who sometimes sound like he is the singer in a funk band and other times like he is singing on a Broadway musical. He´s got a great range, a powerful and distinct sounding voice, but his delivery is pretty surely an aquired taste.

The technical playing is through the roof on "Uneven" and the skillful and varied playing is one of the great assets of the album. The Holzwarth brothers Oliver (bass) and Alexander (drums) play some extremely challenging rhythms and bass lines, while guitarist Wolfgang Zenk constantly shows virtuosic playing and his great knowledge in many different musical styles. He can play neo-classical influenced power metal riffs and melodies one minute and the next rhythmically challenging funk riffs, and then the next moment intriguing melodic guitar solos and progressive metal complexities. That man is a genius on a guitar. As far as I know the two Sieges Even albums are unfortunately the only metal oriented releases he appears on.

"Uneven" is an album for the adventurous and open minded progressive metal listeners. It would be the last Sieges Even album featuring this lineup and this style before the band split-up in 1997. Upon their return in 2003 the lineup was different and the music style changed with the new members (one of them a returning Markus Steffen on guitars). Both "Sophisticated (1995)" and "Uneven" are quite unique sounding technical/progressive metal releases and while Sieges Even have certainly made other great albums, that´s the period in the band´s career, they released their most distinct sounding and unique material. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)