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I first came across Sieges Even in 1997 when they toured to promote Uneven and actually I was at their show to see one of their support acts... And to be honest it wasn't my cup of tea... And I didn't listened to them since. When I got this CD I wasn't very happy and just took it as 'part of my work'. But with their latest album called Paramount the German progsters surprised me! After a Uneven they took a break and they kinda returned in 2005 with The Art Of Navigating By The Stars and with Arno Menses on microphone. Now they present Paramount and the first track When Alpha And Omega Collide they show that Sieges Even nowadays is closer to Rush, Kansas, ELP - even if heavier - and Fates Warning then to bands like Spiral Architect and MathProg bands. The opening tune shows synthesizer sounds and ELP-ish backing vocals, while Arno Menses' vocals are catchy and kinda pull you into the world of Paramount. Tidal is quite heavy and is guitar-driven, but complex rhythmic patterns collide with catchy hooks and great melodies. The vocals are distorted which adds a modern touch. These days the quartet is putting focus on the song and the atmosphere, they no longer need to show their craftsmanship, even if it shines through every moment. With Eyes Wide Open they get balladesque and acoustic guitar leads into this one, but later hit becomes a power ballad with heavy riffs and gentle vocals. Almost like one of the big AOR ballades plus some progressive elements and a bit bombast. A haunting song. The tune Mounting Castles In The Blood Red Sky they start slowly and with parts of the most famous speech of Martin Luther King... "I have a dream..." An instrumental piece which uses parts of the speech and kind bring the words to live in their music. Well done!
With Where Our Shadows Sleep it gets darker and a bit melancholy... Based on heavy rifffing the tune shows its soft side after a break with acoustic guitar. And some vocal parts made me think of Supertramp... But there are still complex parts and space to show skills, but they don't push it to the limits and so present themselves to a broader audience. Listen to Bridge To The Divine or Eyes Wide Open.
As I mentioned before I expected the worse and got surprised by the sound of the new Sieges Even. I can recommend the album to friends of Rush, Threshold, Kansas and ELP, but also to fans of prog metal in general. A good choice to get Arno Menses in the band, coz with him it seems a new era started and they are now interesting for more people. But still they are complex and even after several spins you can discover details in their sound. A very good album which should get them some attention!
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