| ojotigre | Fecha: Miércoles, 2013-10-23, 10:33 AM | Mensaje # 1 |
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| ABSOLON-Darkness Rising-The Tale Of Derek Blackheart (2013)
"Darkness Rising ; The Tale Of Derek Blackheart" is the ambitious debut album from the Florida, US based outfit ABSOLON, a band/ project that
has been in founder Ken Pike's mind for almost twenty five years.
Singer Ken Pike is a name well remembered fronting CCM hard rockers
Malachia and underground cult AOR band Vital Signs back in the mid '80s.
After listening Queensryche's 'Operation : Mindcrime' Pike knew he had
found his musical calling, and this is exactly what he has created in
"Darkness Rising", a concept album inspired by that ground-breaking
masterpiece.
Another interesting thing about Absolon and their music is the presence
of Dave Mikeal, guitarist of early '80s Radio AOR oriented act MPG, who
produces and also play keyboards here.
Despite both musicians previous musical background, Absolon and
"Darkness Rising", as said, are influenced by Queensryche, Crimson
Glory, Siam and alikes.
Most definitely Operation:Mindcrime-era Queensryche.
 So musically, Absolon delivers an album that has a feel very close to
Mindcrime, but less glossy and not quite as high-tech, more towards 'The
Warning' Queenryche. The sound is quite traditional eighties metal but
not overly heavy as only half of the tracks are really 'uptempo',
interspersed with short pieces rich in keyboards, pianos and synths
creating a great atmosphere while telling the story.
Yes, the story, as "Darkness Rising" is concept piece of work subtitled
"The Tale of Derek Blackheart", based on the story of Derek Blackheart, a
kid who dreams of being a heavy metal guitar legend. He sells his soul
for the purpose and seals a deal with the Dark Master that would convert
the masses to the 'dark side'.
But at the height of his fame, Blackheart realises this is all wrong,
and ultimately takes his own life in order to escape the deal only to
discover that even in death there is no escape. No rest for the
wicked...
The songs are split between traditional rockers with melodic hooks,
atmospheric calmer tracks with keys and clean sharp guitars, and three
short instrumentals.
Songs like "Nail Head" and "The Escape" are striking and infectious in
sound mixing strong riffs and melodic keyboards, while title track
"Darkness Rising" recalls to some Euro eighties melodic metal with
interesting progressive twists.
These more rockin' numbers are contrasted with midtempos such as
"Pretender" and the highlight "Even Heros Fall", the latter built around
a clean electric guitar and piano, a bit dark and purposely
introspective. It's a fantastic song, like falling into a time warp in
terms of comparing Absolon with Queensryche as an impeccable piece of
elaborated progressive hard rock / metal.
There's instrumental interludes including "The Master Calls" and "The
Master Calls Reprise" both of which are fairly heavy in approach, as
well as the acoustic based "State Of Mind".
"Darkness Rising ; The Tale Of Derek Blackheart" is a real surprise.
Absolon decided to debut with a concept album, which always assumes a
risk. But these talented musicians have created a more than a solid
piece of work here.
An interesting story, varied songs and wonderful atmospheres in the 'old
skool' style including a crunchy guitar work by the respectable Ed
Dumas, marvelous keyboards & orchestration by David Mikeal and a
trustworthy rhythm section.
Ken Pike is not a sky-high shouter 'ala Geoff Tate in his heydays as he
sings in a clean lower mid-range mode, however, he's a top notch
performer and vocalist as he manage to take the music to the next level.
In fact, I found the entire thing to be quite mesmerizing. The
storyline, the musicianship, the vocals and the arrangements work really
well together making for a fantastic listen. For an indie recording,
and considering the magnitude of this type of conceptual albums, there's
a very good production & mix.
Some could argue that "Darkness Rising ; The Tale Of Derek Blackheart"
is like a second hand Operation:Mindcrime. Well, if someone would
consider my disc as a second hand to a masterpiece, I'll take it as a
compliment.
Are we impressed? Very much so as this could have been a top-selling
album if released in 1987 and it's certainly a highlight amongst the
2013 debuts.
01. What Have I Done / The Beginning (2:19)
02. The Master Calls [instrumental](1:59)
03. Nail Head (5:39)
04. Darkness Rising Interlude (2:02)
05. Darkness Rising (5:47)
06. Pretender (6:38)
07. Even Heroes Fall (3:29)
08. Devastation Suffocation (3:42)
09. The Escape Pt. I (2:45)
10. The Escape Pt. II (4:57)
11. Eulogy (2:50)
12. Breaking News (:42)
13. Screaming In The Dark (3:50)
14. State Of Mind [instrumental](1:31)
15. The Master Calls Reprise [instrumental](2:38)
16. Deaths Frozen Sting (5:56)
Ken Pike - vocals, guitar
Ed Dumas - guitar
Will Cochran - bass, backing vocals
Axel - drums, backing vocals
Dave Mikeal - keyboards
Disponible sólo a los usuarios
MY NEW TRADE LIST-ABRIL 2016-DVDs-Blue RayS And more KISS
https://mega.nz/#F!c0wGhKCK!PjmDCqhWUnBqyd6mZHezcg
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| ojotigre | Fecha: Viernes, 2013-10-25, 2:46 PM | Mensaje # 2 |
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| Unica dijo
Absolon - Darkness Rising: The Tale Of Derek Blackheart 2013
Country : USA Genre : Power / Heavy Metal Quality : mp3 320 kbps Facebook Tracklist: 1. What Have I Done (the Beginning) (2:19) 2. The Master Calls (1:59) 3. Nail Head (5:38) 4. Darkness Rising (Interlude) (2:01) 5. Darkness Rising (5:45) 6. Pretender (6:37) 7. Even Heros Fall (3:26) 8. Devastation Suffocation (3:38) 9. The Escape Pt. I (2:45) 10. The Escape Pt. II (4:56) 11. Eulogy (2:50) 12. Breaking News (0:41) 13. Screaming in the Dark (3:49) 14. State of Mind (1:31) 15. The Master Calls Reprise (2:36) 16. Deaths Frozen Sting (5:56) Disponible sólo a los usuarios
MY NEW TRADE LIST-ABRIL 2016-DVDs-Blue RayS And more KISS
https://mega.nz/#F!c0wGhKCK!PjmDCqhWUnBqyd6mZHezcg
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