Review Summary: Power Metal with keyboards and synthesizers. No, it's not as cool as you might think.
Oceans of Time are a progressive power metal band hailing from Norway. The band plays an extremely rare version of power metal, one tinged with traditional melodic styles, while utilizing keyboards and effects extensively. In fact, keyboards and effects are used so often that I struggle to find any trace of metal as I know it whatsoever.
Maintaining the energy driven and intense feel of traditional power metal, while also adding their own twist to the genre, there certainly is a lot going on in this record. Keyboards and effects are used by many prog metal bands as a way of spicing up their material and keeping it varied and interesting. On Faces, these sounds occasionally mold well with the music, creating some extremely varied and beautiful moments. However, these moments are par for the course. The album starts of relatively strong, with the more compelling and guitar driven material being found in the first half of the record. However, this band is progressive to its own detriment. Their are many extensive and annoying effects driven parts of the album that overshadow the rest of the music. The keyboards fail to bolster the intense and energy driven feel of power metal. Instead, the keyboards are for the most part a musical nuisance laced with immaturity, to the point where the band comes off as flamboyant and soft. The keyboards can sound somewhat classical, with candid and obviously fantasy driven influences dominating those performances. But when the band is trying to exert a bit of melody with their instruments, the overbearing keyboards minimize whatever melodic approach the band was going for. Instead, we are left with an often times confusing and over the top listen, crammed full of unnecessary keyboards and effects that will certainly annoy even the most progressive of power metal fans.
It’s quite sad really. The band is very talented and has a lot of potential. The vocalist gives a notable performance that will stick with you. There are also some rather impressive guitar parts, and the rest of the band is musically solid, adequately playing their instruments. However, the keyboards and sound effects often times take an overwhelmingly keen priority over the rest of the instruments, taking away from the bands solid musical base. The album also has moderately acceptable production, with a crisp sound that enhances all the instruments the way it should. All of the pieces are their, but this band is so dangerously experimental, that they damaged whatever potential they had to craft a decent album. I won’t even go into subject matter, because if the music fails to draw my attention, why should I care about this band’s message?
That’s not to say that this band shouldn’t be commended for trying something new, it’s simply a case of disinterest and musical stagnation that kept this album from being acceptable. This album is mediocre at best, with corny and hard to listen to keyboards and effects dominating the album. While it may have a couple merits, you aren’t missing out on anything extraordinary.
