I LIKE IT!

This album is so rich in lyrics and musical styles, it keeps on giving. It is really when all the amazing songs on past albums came together. In this day and age, it's not impressive to only play one or two instruments really well. You need to be the whole band! It's the mix of musical styles that makes this so impressive, the album is full of 'wow' moments, not only the multi-layered vocals, but the songwriting, lyrics, guitars and world class drums and keys. So many different styles. The album showcases the obviously well-studied musical knowledge of Mike Mills, multi-instrumentalist and vocal genius, who has gotten the attention he deserves due to his inclusion as one of the world class vocalists on Ayreon's last couple of albums. Toehider's music is probably best described as eclectic progressive metal. There's a solid dose of speed metal, 80's rock, 80's disco, contemporary top 40, funk, rock opera, country, etc, mixed with some reflective and also hilarious story-telling lyrics and given a visually distinctive artistic look by illustrator Andrew Saltmarsh. The album opener, 'GO FULL BORE!' Is a wonderful speed metal ditty with a great video clip. The lyrics are hilarious as is the brief Bathory black metal interlude. 'Well Give It' is a thumping disco song, 'The Ultimate Exalter' is another standout as is 'He's There and He Does That'. But really, every song is strong with a bunch of instrumental and mood changes and other layers of orchestration to keep you interested. I didn't really mention the vocals, they're pretty good(!). Go listen. 5 star reviews are reserved for only the best of the best. Sure, it's a collection of known styles weaved together, but I'm not sure how this could be any better.