I forgot about this ****. Alright then, let's do it.
Album: Anthology II: Links from the Dead Trinity
Artist: Akphaezya
Genre: Progressive/Avant-Garde Metal
Suggested by: mythsofmetal
Familiarity: None.
1. Preface - Yup, it's weird. I like it. It's sort of funky. Oh yeah, this is really good. A bit light, but still good.
2. Chrysalis - Oh, alright. This song immediately endeavors to displace my last statement. It starts out very strong, and continues in this fashion. But, man, this is some of the best stuff I've heard since I started doing these. They have growling and female vocals put together. It's very good. It's definitely very chaotic, but it's still awesome. Goes into this jazzy section about a minute and a half in. This is also very good. It's just everywhere at once. A bit System of a Down like. A bit like Dream Theater. Just imagine every prog metal song ever, just with female vocals. It's that.
3. Beyond the Sky - A calm acoustic song, it's a welcome change of pace. About halfway through, the chaos takes over again, but something about it isn't quite chaotic. Like, it's chaos, but there's somebody pulling the strings. Everything is so masterfully crafted. The vocals are a bit hard to understand, but if I knew the lyrics, I could probably pick them out. Towards the end, the contemplative quietness comes back. The vocalist really likes to scat as well. It's cool.
4. Khamsin - It's got this spooky scary skeletons feel at the start, but then the distortion comes in, and **** gets real. Very Dream Theater-like. Like, Jordan Rudess could be playing all of the keys. The guitars aren't as focused on perfection as the keys, but they work. As usual, the vocals are almost impossible to understand, but they fit nicely with the music.
5. Reflections - Reflections - It's almost groove metal now. The bass is really rhythm focused, and the percussion is really good too. Sometimes the vocals are their own thing, and sometimes they're a part of the percussion, and OHMYLORDTHISISONEOFTHEMOSTAMAZINGTHINGSIVEEVERHEAR D!!!
It's really good. The guitar solo at the end is great too.
6. Awake - I actually totally missed this song. I'm just sitting here listening, and everything is so perfect I'm not snapping out of it.
7. The Great Vortex of Kaltaz - Piano intro is great. The way the main riff comes in is awesome. The main riff is awesome. Loud, and all over the place, it's totally amazing. This album is attempting to hit all facets of metal. It's just too good.
8. Secret of Time - This one is just as awesome as the last.
9. Stolen Tears - Instant segue right into this one. Just a calm little song, but instantly rejuvenated my interest in the album. The guitar interacts beautifully with the vocals. I can hardly believe how beautiful it is. Awesome.
10. Transe H.L.4 - Very jazzy. Pretty quiet. Just some drums and vocals, but it serves as an awesome buildup to the next song.
11. The Bottle of Lie - A bit of a latin feel to this one. All of a sudden, the guitars cut in, reminding me this is a metal album. Different sections represent pretty much everything about this album, just going over it again in a new and unique way. Just like much of the rest of the album, different sections flow right into each other, and work swiftly with the transitions to improve the feel of the song. No matter what they do, it works, and it works well. This album is absolutely amazing. After that, it's quiet for a while, and then a strange spoken word part comes in. No complaints, as it enhances the mood, but I really have no idea what's going on in this album anyway, so it can't finish off nothing.
12. The Old Reflections - This is a bonus track, as I understand, but I have no idea why, as it seems like an excellent closer to the album. Sounds like later Tool. It's even more awesome than the rest. Amazing close.
There are twists and turns around every corner with this album. Rather than just being good, it meanders about, experiments, and basically does everything in its power to hold your interest. I can find nothing wrong with this album. I love it.
OVERALL RATING: 10/10