Time Requiem "The Inner Circle of Reality" CD
[Regain]
Time Requiem is another progressive metal band featuring Swedish keyboardist extraordinaire Richard Andersson, and while similar to his Space Odyssey project, I don't like this album as much for a few reasons. First of all, the vocals are a little bit generic and lifeless for the genre. He's a good singer, but he's not a great singer. He doesn't display a very wide range, there aren't that many harmonies, and his general approach doesn't feel like he's giving it his all. Musically it's kind of the same story. It's a very literal blend of progressive metal and power metal, but there's not always as much feeling as I'd prefer. Or, if there is a lot of emphasis and feel to the writing, the songs will drag on for way too long (seven minutes, 11+ minutes, etc.) and sort of lose their direction. There are some fucking amazing riffs, and solos galore (keyboard solos, guitar solos, and bass solos). All of the musicians are incredibly strong, and their performances reflect that. The epic title track has some absolutely incredible arpeggios, odd time signatures, and generally complex playing involved that blows my mind. But the song as a whole isn't consistently strong. A lot of this stuff sounds musically similar to a heavier version of Dream Theater, rooted more in traditional 80's metal virtuosity than prog rock, but definitely hitting on some fusion and such aspects at times. I do like the fact that they often keep the tempos upbeat and energetic (check out the lively "Attar of Roses"), though I could do without the overused emphasis on masturbatory riffing that sounds more like blazing through a bunch of scales and patterns than anything else. And, yes, the recording is also a hindrance, but solely because it's a little muddy. I don't really mind any of the tones, but there's a lot of overly thick density to the mix, except for the drums which practically sound like machines. The guitars and vocals really need a lot more brightness to add clarity and range to the end result (the guitars need more volume as well, though), whereas the bass and synths are generally dead on. It's a pretty warm recording in many respects, aside from those clinical and annoying drums, but the character of the music loses a lot of detail. Hell, maybe it's really just a mastering issue? The layout is definitely on the "proggy" side, what with a little bit of goofiness to some of the colors and arrangements, but it's generally well handled and does look quite nice. There are things about it that I'm not into, but as I whole I'm warming up to it and think it looks good. The lyrics aren't bad either, at times getting a little out there, but generally remaining well handled: "Passed on to see what's inside the doom of horror price and blood, Say all the words and you will be there casting down the kings of mud." I'll level with you, this is a good record, it's just got significant problems. At its best this CD makes me fully believe that Time Requiem could be the best god damn flashy progressive metal band out there right now, while at its worst it puts me to sleep. More good than bad, I can appreciate it for what it is and hope that in the future they'll really nail it down. I hope that's how it plays out, because there's a lot of talent wrapped up in this thing. (6/10)
Running time - 48:49, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: The Inner Circle of Reality, Attar of Roses]
Regain Records - http://www.regainrecords.com

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