I tend to agree. I was a big fan of 'Sudden Death Syndrome' & this album just seems over-complicated & melodic in comparison. I need to give it a few more spins though.

I honestly felt like there was a lot more to say about the album. The more progressive songwriting approach they took this time around kept their songs bouncy without stagnating and the upbeat melodies created a far more catchy appeal that wasn't as apparent on their debut. Sometimes their back-and-forth genre-jumping can become a little frustrating at times when you just start getting into a specific set of riffs that cater to one style, but that shouldn't be enough to disregarded the songwriting as showboating. I think their technical prowess is matched by their ability to blend several different elements together without losing cohesion.

Tracks like "A Deadly Path", with its traditional heavy metal soloing and buoyant piano work, provide the album with a ton of energy and vigor. The closing trilogy makes for an excellent emotional journey but never strays into overly atmospheric territory, being that the album's main drive is more progressively riff-focused and technically driven. Not only do they bleed shades of Opeth, but the subtle gothic vibe given off also reminds me of some earlier Paradise Lost, a band they appropriately chose to cover given the similarities between their sounds.

Overall I probably wouldn't rate this much higher than a 7.7, but I felt like there was a lot left unsaid about the album's strengths.

Well, it lacks a bit of cohesivity, with some tracks going in all directions and with sudden changes of style, but there are some brilliant moments on it. It takes a few spins to digest. Hypia is a fantastic track, for example. I would have rated it 8.0, myself.

Well, 7.7 isnt much less than 8 which I feel this album deserves, but the review doesnt mention any of the positive elements.

1st track is little catchy and rest rest of the stuff is again opeth kinda feeling

Written by Blackror on 20.06.2012 at 18:26
1st track is little catchy and rest rest of the stuff is again opeth kinda feeling

I don't think I can recall a time when Opeth had so much going on at once. :/

Acoustic interlude - jazzy instrumental moment - death metal passage with growling then clean vocals - back to some jazzy moments - and more acoustic work.

Rinse and repeat, more or less. At least Bilocate managed to incorporate all kinds of different elements into their mix.