Album Rating: 3.4 | Sound Off

This is a dense album. After a few listens, I'm sitting at a 3.2. I'm hoping it's a lack of familiarity and it will grow on me.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

settled on a comfortable 5.0 after first listen.

Album Rating: 3.5

I'm very hit-or-miss with prog (mostly miss tbh), but this is pretty tasty. Not crazy about the vocals, but I really like the arrangements overall. Especially the drumming.

Album Rating: 2.0

5.0 is a classic album. This is not an instant classic and sounds very average, if boring at times. I guess Prog Rock just isn't for me. I always want this band to lean more into the metal, but they're always right on the cusp. It feels like dipping a toe into higher energy and shunning it for another quiet section.

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

5.0 is a classic album. This is not an instant classic and sounds very average, if boring at times.

Album Rating: 3.4 | Sound Off

@Decapitat3d: It sounds like Prog rock isn't for you. If you don't want bands that go on different musical tangents, moods, and styles this whole broad genre will mostly disappoint you.

Album Rating: 4.5

Prog isn't for everyone.

Album Rating: 4.0

Better than Virus 100%

Album Rating: 2.0

Prog Metal is my jam. I love it!

Prog rock like this is a boring snoozefest.

Album Rating: 4.0

"5.0 is a classic album. This is not an instant classic and sounds very average, if boring at times."



fresh pasta question mark

Album Rating: 2.0

@YoYoMancuso glad I could serve you some fresh pasta.

Album Rating: 1.5

no pasta straight facts m/

monke

Album Rating: 4.5 | Sound Off

this is prog metal, just because there are no harsh vocals on here? thats funny.

Album Rating: 3.5

I definitely think 5 stars is a serious fucking stretch, I mean you're basically putting it alongside Metropolis Pt. II and Still Life

Album Rating: 4.5

This is in all honesty their best album since The Mountain and of course this album is probably going to be with the lowest rating out of them on this site

This is ridiculously good but I have such an emotional connection to Virus that I don't know if I will ever really enjoy this more

But musically, it's def more insane

Album Rating: 2.0

@Flugmorph if this is what you think constitutes metal, you're mistaken.

Just because they don't know how or where to put harsh vocals doesn't count them out of the metal spectrum. I think there's an argument to be made that this barely scratches the surface of metal in two 30 second clips of this whole album, the rest is rock.

Album Rating: 4.5

Hey, this was actually pretty cool! Extremely inconsistent, but cool! I personally found Sempiternal Beings and Beneath The White Rainbow to be the best, although the ten minute epic and the closer are pretty awesome.

I don't think this is even close to being one of their best to date though, The Mountain has still way more memorable melodies in Cockroach King, Falling Back To Earth and Pareidolia; and Visions has just too much staying power with Nocturnal Conspiracy and the title track. Finally, Affinity really falls flat after The Architect, but said song, 1985 and the fantastic closer put it higher in my opinion.

I do think this is better than Aquarius, better than Vector and *kinda* better than Virus. I feel like 3.5/4.0 stars is a pretty good rating for this album, 3.0 and lower would be way to punishing considering how incredible the musicianship is, and 4.5/5.0 is just too exaggerated considering Haken has better albums (which aren't even five-star worthy, maybe The Mountain) and would be putting it alongside albums like Still Life, Metropolis Pt. II and Lateralus where it obviously doesn't belong.



It does have one of their best album covers to date!

"Bored Ape Prog Club artwork"

This phrase bothers me. It's a dandy chimpanzee pictured with his pet birds and snooty elephant portrait, because fauna. The bored ape reference is like going to the zoo and saying "look, they created a bored ape NFT in real life hurr durr" at the chimp enclosure and thinking it's funny enough to repeat when no one laughs the first time.

Otherwise, a great review!