Band:	Sieges Even
Album:	The Art Of Navigating By The Stars
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	2005

01. Intro: Navigating By The Stars
02. Sequence I: The Weight
03. Sequence II: The Lonely Views Of Condors
04. Sequence III: Unbreakable
05. Sequence IV: Stigmata
06. Sequence V: Blue Wide Open
07. Sequence VI: To The Ones Who Have Failed
08. Sequence VII: Lighthouse
09. Sequence VIII: Styx

I'm quite shocked that this album hasn't got a review yet. Yes, Sieges Even is rather an unknown band, even among prog fans (I got it as a recommendation from a more experienced one than myself), but this album is a true masterpiece.

The first thing that caught my ears off guard is the atmosphere of the songs. "Sequence I: The Weight" is a sound equivalent of a Salvador Dali picture. "Sequence V: Blue Wide Open" captures the perfect atmosphere of a hot, sunny noon somewhere in the Mediterranean sea. Most of other songs I can easily associate with sparkling colours of sunsets and sunrises. The band deserves a perfect grade in writing such complicated songs that yet so easily communicate with the listener. You don't have to try and get a grip of what the artist wants to say through several listens so you could appreciate the album, which is one of the more common situations when you've just started listening to prog like me. Instead, its beauty deepens the more you listen to it, but the overall feeling and understanding of the songs are just the same. The other perfect grade I've given to them is for perfectly executing those songs and getting the messages across.

Lyrically, it's also very intriguing, which I appreciate in a band. If most albums tell tales about people walking through life's path, this one is about dreamers flying through life's path. It is also very connected to the flows of waters, specifically seas, which is a theme carried through to Paramount.

The weak spots of this album? Well, speaking of weaker tracks, I've found "Sequence V: Blue Wide Open" not entirely fitting to the sound of the whole album, it mellows it down a bit too much. Also, "Sequence III: Unbreakable" is too personal and fades in comparison to the highlights. The weak spot of the whole band - well, despite their beautiful sound, I don't know how much do they appeal to the crowd who is not into prog. They're not exactly the right stuff for your regular metalhead, with no heavy distortions, or pounding drums, or the overall sweet vocals of Arno Menses.

Highlights: "Sequence II: The Lonely Views Of Condors," "Sequence IV: Stigmata," "Sequence VIII: Styx"