ONE HOUR BY THE CONCRETE LAKE

First off, let me say that this album is very well composed; better than three stars is worth... The music and performances are top notch and the lyrics are among some of the most intelligent that Gildenlow has written. There is great progression here, great flow, and excellent songwriting. So, why does this album not have five stars? To be quite honest, I'm not sure.

To take a stab at the possible reason I can't bring myself to give this album the extra stars, I might say it's the lack of emotional impact. My mind is plenty stimulated by the complexity and thought-provoking nature of the album, but I don't find myself truly, deeply moved by the music. There is an incredible amount of emotion in Pain of Salvation's other works (most notably Remedy Lane) but this one just seems a bit dry. Even this album's predecessor 'Entropia' blew my mind and emotionally gripped me. Although progressive metal isn't generally thought of as an emotive genre, I've come to expect Pain of Salvation (one of my all time favourite bands) to evoke a certain level of sentiment in me. This album simply doesn't.

Another reason could be the rather bland production quality itself. You can hear the instruments just find, but the music sounds like it pouring through a small corridor. Although it's forgivable due to the fact they were still a relatively new band (Pain of Salvation wouldn't find widespread recognition until 'The Perfect Element') it makes no sense that the sound quality on this album is much worse than their debut. 'Entropia' harboured a great sound, and had top notch production. This album lacked the inspiration.

However, despite all this criticism, believe me when I say it is a great album. It's complex, highly musical prog and any fan of the genre should appreciate this album. Overall, it's shortcomings don't deter from an altogether good musical experience.

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