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A window to the west, a blazing star above
Blaze Bayley - Infinite Entanglement
While Infinite Entanglement doesn't have any particularly great tracks, it also doesn't have any bad ones; and that consistency carries it to a 6.3/10 rating, just barely edging out Tenth Dimension for the best album so far. The title track and "Solar Wind" are the highlights, and "Stars Are Burning" is the weakest track here.
The album has some production issues, mostly with Blaze being too high in the mix. His voice is so booming that he really needs strong guitars to balance it out. He also seems to have taken on some weird intonations here, especially on the lower notes. Very hammy and overly theatrical.
The new band didn't blow me away at all, and the guitarist sometimes sounds like he's trying too hard; but this foundation of classic metal with some hints of neoclassical and power metal seems to work well enough. But I still think the Man Who Promised Not To Die Of Terror lineup was the one with the most, er, promise.
Can't say I'm super invested in the storyline here, but I'm not uninterested either. At least I can have a reasonable expectation now that the final 2 albums won't suck...
(Master review index >)
- Infinite Entanglement - Nice build-up of drums and guitar as the stage is set. Blaze comes in and for some reason he's about twice as loud in the mix as the guitars? Bad phrasing, and Blaze's tone is especially froggy, but he's hitting the notes. Hey, this pre-chorus is pretty good! The chorus is also decently catchy, and has a Blaze-era Maiden feel on some level. I like the bridge, and the solo is good. Nice choral interlude. A bridge reprise closes things out. There are some noticeable weaknesses here, but the fundamentals are strong, and I genuinely like the song. 7/10.
- A Thousand Years - A straightforward guitar lead breaks into an appealing verse. Blaze sounds mostly controlled here. Nice build-up through the pre-chorus. The chorus is decently catchy, but also pretty rote and cheesy. Not a fan of these on-the-nose lyrics. Nice uptempo interlude, followed by an odd slower one. The guitar solo is pointlessly busy and kind of directionless. Blaze's intonation is also pretty weird on the low notes. A final chorus reprise finishes things off. Not totally sold on this one, but it's a solid 6/10.
- Human - A nice ascending riff kicks into a so-so verse. Blaze is off-key here, and his phrasing stinks. The chorus tries to be catchy, but doesn't quite get there. Blaze is thankfully back on key for the next verse. Very nice guitar interlude followed by a good but pointlessly busy solo. This one has issues, but probably does enough to hold onto a 6/10.
- What Will Come - Very nice acoustic guitar and violin. Blaze sounds really good on this softer bit. He sounds cheesier on the louder part, especially on the lower notes. The chorus is sort of catchy. The "whoah-oh" part is pretty good. I'm not sure the acoustic arrangement fits the lyrics later in the song. This faster chorus later in the song is pretty cringey. Hmm, if it weren't for the cheese and weirdness factors I would have gone higher, but I'd say this lands at 6/10 in its current form.
- Stars Are Burning - A melodic, midtempo riff leads into a pretty good verse that's plagued by bad phrasing. The chorus is OK. I like the vocal harmonies on it. A boring interlude leads into a nice solo with harmonized parts. Christ, the phrasing on this verse is horrible, and Blaze sounds much less controlled this time through. Nice outro based around the title lyric. My EARS are still BURNing from THAT terriBLE phrasing SO i canNOT give this SONG a betTER rating THAN 5 out OF 10.
- Solar Wind - A straightforward riff gets some over-the-top lead support. An OK verse leads into a pretty good pre-chorus. Hey, this chorus is nice! The extended solo is pretty good too. A chorus reprise morphs into a nice outro. Solid, catchy stuff. 7/10.
- The Dreams Of William Black - Not a song, but a story interlude with musical accompaniment. The "where are you?" repetition gets a bit old, but this track accomplishes what it sets out to do. 7/10.
- Calling You Home - A nice melodic riff on top of a very busy bass line leads into a serviceable verse. Blaze is pretty uncontrolled here. The pre-chorus has some nice guitar fills but is otherwise unfocused. The chorus didn't grab me at first, but worked better on the reprises. Pretty good bridge, though Blaze sounds a bit odd there. Nice choral bit. Strong solo. Nice harmonized section with choral vocals. Sweet neoclassical solo. Big choral version of the chorus and a nice soft denouement. The first half of the song had some issues, but the second half of the song made up a lot of ground. I think I can round this up to a 7/10.
- Dark Energy 256 - A Maidenesque riff breaks into an uptempo verse. Hmm, this pre-chorus isn't working for me at all, and Blaze is really uncontrolled in that part. The chorus is repetitive, but pretty strong. Great solo! Spoken word on top of an interlude based on the opening riff. A less interesting interlude follows. Another round of pre-chorus and chorus breaks into a soft, spacey finish. A mixed bag, but I think it merits a 6/10.
- Independence - A nice clean intro with acoustic flourishes leads into an acoustic verse. Blaze sounds pretty good here. The heaviness returns and the new verse is OK. The chorus is super repetitive and not very good. The verse reprise is stronger. Ooh, the bridge is pretty good! Nice interlude and solos! Nice soft bit, bit Blaze sounds overly loud and uncontrolled there. The heavier second bridge is alright. Nice slowdown to an intro reprise. Hmm, I can probably round this up to a 7/10.
- A Work Of Anger - Another nice clean intro. That bass line is total X Factor Steve Harris. The renaissance feel underlying this is interesting. The heaviness kicks in and we get an OK verse and pre-chorus. The chorus isn't particularly catchy, but it has some interesting melodic choices in it. The extended solo is kind of boring. The choral section is nice. An intro reprise ends things nicely. Some weaknesses and some nice bits. 6/10.
- Shall We Begin - Another story interlude with musical accompaniment. Not much here, but what's here is interesting. 6/10.
While Infinite Entanglement doesn't have any particularly great tracks, it also doesn't have any bad ones; and that consistency carries it to a 6.3/10 rating, just barely edging out Tenth Dimension for the best album so far. The title track and "Solar Wind" are the highlights, and "Stars Are Burning" is the weakest track here.
The album has some production issues, mostly with Blaze being too high in the mix. His voice is so booming that he really needs strong guitars to balance it out. He also seems to have taken on some weird intonations here, especially on the lower notes. Very hammy and overly theatrical.
The new band didn't blow me away at all, and the guitarist sometimes sounds like he's trying too hard; but this foundation of classic metal with some hints of neoclassical and power metal seems to work well enough. But I still think the Man Who Promised Not To Die Of Terror lineup was the one with the most, er, promise.
Can't say I'm super invested in the storyline here, but I'm not uninterested either. At least I can have a reasonable expectation now that the final 2 albums won't suck...
(Master review index >)
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