| | Full Review | Ratings (328) |
Give your Rating |
| 5.0 classic | ramon. | September 23rd 19 |
boner time
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | tenderscum | November 8th 19 |
"Pre-betrayal" Opeth meets Anathema meets The Princess Bride
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | Chino smoking it up! | November 2nd 19 |
Too Disney Townsend for my taste, yet its cool those a la BWP riffs and leads. Also is very cool that there are people who fall in love for this. This kind of music is needed. The opener would make my day.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.1 good | Erwann S. STAFF | January 5th 24 |
Veil of Imagination is much less folky than its predecessor Sleep at the Edge of the Earth, but it nevertheless retains everything Disney about it: the grandiloquence of symphonic metal and the cheesiness of prog are well present. Epic and triumphant, like a good Disney movie.
Bump |
| 1.5 very poor | Ossacip Olbap | February 26th 23 |
sir i ordered some epic folk not fucking opeth
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | ExoskeletalJunction | February 17th 22 |
12th February: Wilderun - Veil of Imagination (symphonic progressive metal, 2019)
Every time I talk about this record, I think it comes with a few too many buts and
howevers. It’s good - of course it is, but it’s also the follow-up to one of my favourite
albums of all time, and an album I would consider amongst the best to have ever graced the
progressive metal genre. And like this as I do, that’s hard to avoid. Especially when, for
whatever baffling reason, this one seems to get all the attention.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the attention, and I’m glad that Wilderun have started to gain
the following they deserve - in fact it almost pains me to say that I don’t really get this
album because I so sorely want to, even only just to show support for a band who were
amongst the best in the underground for so long. But this just misses out on so much of
what Sleep at the Edge of the Earth had in terms of melody, heart and power. It still has
the phenomenal arrangements, brilliant performances and passionate vocals, and it’s far
better produced, but that’s not quite enough for me.
I should probably talk a bit about what I like here, since I have given this a decent
score, and I don’t like doing reviews where I mostly focus on the negatives in a positive
review, but in all honesty everything good about this record can be found by reading my
review of Sleep. These guys know how to write riffs, they know how to incorporate strange
Radiohead-esque chord substitutions, they know how to be brutal and how to be soulful, and
they do this all whilst operating in a genre that is known for being the cheesiest music
alive.
I will commend them for leaving the folk metal behind though, as I think that’s a smart
piece of evolution - too often bands that begin cornered into a genre will remain there
indefinitely, and after literally perfecting folk metal, why bother staying? This one takes
symphonic metal for a spin and although the arrangements are detailed and ambitious, there
is an element of artificiality to them that perhaps dampens their effect. I’d love to hear
how this sounds with a real orchestra behind it.
But regardless of all my moaning, I’m glad that Wilderun exist and are making creative
progressive metal. No one else in the history of this side of the genre has ever done music
with this much heart, and I honestly never thought it was physically possible. This one
hasn’t got a feather on its predecessor, but who really cares? That one was a masterpiece,
I’m not going to shoot them for missing the mark.
7.1 (6th listen)
Bump |
| 3.5 great | noahconstrictor | May 14th 20 |
Decent, but nothing spectacular. Good for the genre, which I'm vaguely a sucker of, and I appreciate the mixing of prog and folk elements into something a bit more unique than your standard epic prog fare. Potentially worth a relisten at some point.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | PortalofPerfection | April 30th 20 |
Don't get the Opeth comparisons. This was irritating, and a chore to get through.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Inoculaeted | April 13th 20 |
An epic symphonic prog metal album that calls to mind the greats. It's like old school Opeth and
Dream Theater's offspring got stoned with Devin Townsend on a cliff in Scotland. The riff that
explodes into life about a minute into The Tyranny of Imagination is sexy beyond reason. They are
skilled musicians but they temper the technicality in favor of the overall aesthetic and
atmosphere.
Bump |
| 2.5 average | nadryv | January 15th 20 |
It's like Rhapsody (of Fire) + Shadow Gallery + Opeth + Devin Townsend all of them trying hard to make a Pain Of Salvation album.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Morningrise767 | January 2nd 20 |
Fantastic album! If you're into Opeth, Dream Theater etc. Then you must check this album out, you will not be disappointed.
Bump |
| 4.5 superb | gsboomie | November 6th 19 |
This album embodies what I wish new Opeth material would be. Of course they still do build off of the formula that Opeth created effectively.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | haesslichermensch | November 1st 19 |
The last two album I always though, that is how Opeth could sound like. With this release they surpass them. Prog Metal AOTY easily. Still have to make my mind up how high this goes overall.
Bump |
| 0.0 | SeathTheScaleless | November 1st 19 |
Like if Michael Romeo and Mikael Akerfeldt had a love child and sprinkled it with LOTR soundtracks. It’s as metal
as it gets and hits all the right spots. Hot damn!
Bump |
| 2.5 average | Hawks | September 23rd 23 |
| 4.5 superb | Shwany | January 13th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | ZoddHand | December 20th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Djang0 | November 16th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | daolso | June 20th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Behexen | April 17th 22 |
| 2.5 average | bmelt CONTRIBUTOR | March 18th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | SYL | January 16th 22 |
| 3.5 great | JJKeys | January 14th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Phate72 | January 11th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | raddlad | January 8th 22 |
| 3.0 good | Poet | January 8th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | Komodog | January 7th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | JoneHK | December 6th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | BeneMaja | November 12th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sally J. | September 20th 21 |
| 3.5 great | Zakusz | August 25th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Brabiz | March 27th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | Fowo | November 20th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | trickert | November 10th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Egarran | September 8th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Awake88 | August 8th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | ipek | July 15th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Mattia | July 2nd 20 |
| 3.5 great | Krpa | June 9th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Sowing STAFF | May 11th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | Kechos | April 28th 20 |
| 2.5 average | Spag | April 22nd 20 |
| 3.5 great | Jeejee | April 22nd 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Suyan | February 24th 20 |
| 3.0 good | Coast | February 17th 20 |
| 2.0 poor | yuvz | February 3rd 20 |
| 4.5 superb | vkristi | January 29th 20 |
| 3.0 good | motyli | January 17th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | rid | January 16th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | MrGlass | January 12th 20 |
| 3.0 good | Tibi | January 2nd 20 |
| 5.0 classic | c2thorn | December 30th 19 |
| 3.5 great | alamo | December 24th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Akifexx | December 23rd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | pengui | December 11th 19 |
| 2.5 average | hadriel | December 7th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | tcarafi | December 6th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hybza | December 4th 19 |
| 3.5 great | em17ah | November 25th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | chris. | November 20th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Risodo | November 16th 19 |
| 3.3 great | Trey STAFF | November 16th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hyndez | November 16th 19 |
| 3.5 great | leon486 | November 15th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Adamn | November 14th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | elch21 | November 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Moge | November 13th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Gbhill | November 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Macck | November 12th 19 |
| 2.5 average | Marci | November 9th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Steev | November 8th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | gbass | November 7th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Dunpeal | November 7th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sunnyvale STAFF | November 6th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Wicker | November 6th 19 |
| 1.0 awful | BADNEW | November 6th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | ariich | November 5th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Lacking | November 5th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Kantala | November 4th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Flomink | November 4th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Thor | November 4th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Kruppe | November 4th 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Solanum | November 4th 19 |
| 1.5 very poor | doofy | November 4th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | SuzyC | November 4th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Adam | November 3rd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jadmin | November 3rd 19 |
| 5.0 classic | max13x | November 2nd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ebola | November 2nd 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Rodstar | November 2nd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | clavier EMERITUS | November 2nd 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Dizchu | November 1st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | kouichi | November 1st 19 |
| 4.5 superb | FUNKEN | November 1st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | chwe | November 1st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | zzf1918 | November 1st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Dmax28 | October 31st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | Elynna | October 31st 19 |
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