THE END IS BEAUTIFUL

"Echolyn" has never been my favourite band and this album is not the best one they have released. But it is still a decent one.

Same approach as usual: complex interplays but no great instrumental parts; decent vocals but no passionate ones to be distinguished. To summarize my opinion: "Echolyn" is a band that features skilled musicians who are playing an averagely complex music which could have sit better in the "Eclectic" section of this site.

To tell you my truth, symphony is quite an alien to their style. This album holds funky items which are far from the idea I have of the symph genre ("Heavy Blue Miles" or "So Ready"). I am quite disappointed by the evolution of the band. After the very good "Suffocating the Bloom" they have released only average to good albums as far as I am concerned.

I understand that it is not easy to survive as a US prog band; and this last album to date won't shake my mind. Some heavy stuff ("Make Me Sway") which is somewhat "Kansas" related; some jazzy ? symphonic mood with the title track (one of the best song available); and another attempt of heavy mix with "Misery, Not Memory" which closes this album. It won't be a dear one for sure!

Is this enough for me to recommend you this album? I guess not. But it is maybe due to the fact that I have listened to so many good to great albums in my long life.

Five out of ten; updated to three stars for this one. To their credit, I have to leave them some sort of genuine and personal sound but no more.