CHAIN.EXE

I listened to the output of second Pauly project Frameshift UNWEAVING THE RAINBOW just before and I have to say if these two records would be combined to one it could possibly be at least an album worth 4 stars. And the essential point IMHO are the vocals which I don't like that much (although I've to say James LaBrie's ones are not perfect either, but still better than Michael Sadler's). Maybe I'm a bit biased because I never liked SAGA that much as well. Although the record starts quite impressive with the "CITIES" suite which is in fact a bit like a trip in a roller coaster and carries the listener within half an hour through finest prog metal sounds, nice acoustic piano or saxophone parts, rhythm & blues and a cappella vocals, banjo play.....and what else? Maybe all a bit too much of mixture and less might have made a better album out of it. The ballad "SHE LOOKS LIKE YOU" is absolutely right in place and provides a bit of relaxation from this weird trip although I have to say again it would have sounded better with different vocals. The next one keeps the listener of from getting too much relaxed, a prog metal piece with a slight touch of nu metal and vocals partly more in a rap style. The ten minutes track "NEVER LEAVE THE PAST BEHIND" is as well a quite prog metal one and is in fact the last one of the album that I find relevant at all. Because the cover version of the SAGA song (that I never liked anyway) and the cheesy, much too lengthy ballad "LAST CHANCE TO SEE" are really dispensible in my opinion. The number of guest appearances is impressive as well the names (for example Mike Keneally, well known by his work with Frank Zappa and reminds almost to Lucassen's Ayreon projects (that I'd put much in favour of this one). In fact the thirty minutes suite is a little bit in a similar style, but for me the quite R&B and sob stuff like vocals are sounding irritating in some way.

Altogether this album is still quite a good effort, but I think a bit less ambition for trying to mix as many different styles as possible and another lead singer would have helped possibly to create a better one.

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