Band:	Freedom Call
Album:	Dimensions
Style:	Power metal
Release date:	April 2007

01. Demons Dance
02. Innocent World
03. United Alliance
04. Mr. Evil
05. Queen Of My World
06. Light Up The Sky
07. Words Of Endeavour
08. Blackened Sun
09. Dimensions
10. My Dying Paradise
11. Magic Moments
12. Far Away
13. Warriors Of Light [Korean bonus]
14. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes [Korean bonus]
15. Heart Of The Brave [Korean bonus]
16. Hiroshima [Wishful Thinking cover] [Korean bonus]
17. Dr. Stein [Helloween cover] [Korean bonus]

Ah, the concept album, the pinnacle of artistic talent and height of song writing as a craft; do it right and you have a timeless classic that will be revered and oft cited as a classic, but do it wrong? You end up with an album like this. Freedom Call may not be the most respected of power metal bands, but they are a talented bunch; it's just unfortunate they could not bring that talent to bare on here.

Dimensions revolves around a future world... ravaged by a tyrant... dystopian future... only the characters the band assume can save the world?... Ok, It's not the most original idea, but it's fertile ground that can be expanded upon. This album takes the route of having a flowing narrative through each song from the perspective of the singer/character. The band do pull this off well, and it maintains a continuity that is often broken in other concept albums. The ability to keep a flowing narrative through each song and tie them together is a big plus in terms of lyrical quality; while no lyrics spring to mind as clever, it is compensated for by carrying the story along. Chris Bay delivers it in his usual style, which fits the more cheerful tone of power metal that the band has made its preferred brand. It doesn't do much to add to the menace and building of adversity that the story tries to create, but it certainly fits the more celebratory mood once that has been overcome.

The highlights here are "Far Away" and "Blackened Sun", the former the celebratory ride off into the sun, and the latter the apex of the conflict in the story and a rare moment of negativity for the band. Both fit the story well and can also be extracted from the album and stand alone out of context without being affected.

The production on Dimensions is very weak, leaving the album to come off limp and powerless; for a band trying to sound majestic, it is an ill-fitting sound that doesn't put any stomp to their pomp. This has the added effect of exposing the music on show, as the music comes to sound bland and lifeless, with no drive to push anything forward. Most of the songs pass by with little to merit them as other than ways to progress the story; it's in the dreaded middle ground of being neither too good or too bad and is just?.there.

Overall, Dimensions won't go down as either one of the worst or best concepts albums; it will linger in the purgatory of the middle ground, laying within a pile of other misguided attempts many another band has attempted. For a Freedom Call album? It is much the same; the band has done better (Eternity) and worse (Circle Of Life). Leave this album towards the end of your list if you are planning to go through the band's discography; if you are only flicking through, then I would suggest to stick to "Far Away" and "Blackened Sun".