Band:	Tomas Bodin
Album:	IAM
Style:	Progressive rock
Release date:	2005
A review by:	Jeff

01. I
02. A
03. M

"IAM" is the new project of Tomas Bodin, the well-known keyboardist of the progressive band among all the progressive bands, The Flowers Kings. And "IAM" is not a classic album, like Ayreon this is a Prog Metal "Opera," the meeting between musicians of The Flower Kings, the guitarist of Glen Hughes and 3 really good vocalists, Anders Jansson, Pernilla Bodin and Helene Schönning. The result is not so bad if you really like progressive music.

This album is a good album of Progressive Metal. Evidently, you'll find a lot of Keyboards on it, and the musicians are all really good. The melodies are damn emotive; it's a good album to listen to alone at home in peace. It's not very accessible actually, the songs are all very complex with a lot of breaks and variations but I cannot say the opposite, Tomas Bodin is an excellent musicians and an excellent compositor. Even if it lacks of punch in my opinion, at least the album is a great piece of emotion and if you just want a great demonstration of Prog Metal that's a must for you.

But I have also a problem with the album. Tomas Bodin chose to have only 3 songs on this album (3 songs with an average of 20 minutes by songs however) and at the end we only have 3 musical main themes (one by song) on the entire album. Evidently you all know like me that we're in front of a master of progressive Metal then the 3 songs are all really complex with a lot of breaks, etc, but still, there is always a risk: if you don't like one of them, the album won't have a lot interest for you in the end. If "A" and "M" are two masterpieces of Prog Metal, "I" the first song is not a good opening. When I listen to it I have the feeling that I'm listening to the music of a bunch of little tiny Trolls who are dancing in a cave or I don't know where. That's a bit too cute for me, and just imagine, because of that I "only" miss 20 minutess of the album.

"IAM" is a good album, a good Metal "Opera" but we're a bit too near to Pink Floyd and Yes sometimes. That's cool evidently but it lacks of personality sometimes and I regret that Tomas Bodin cannot give us something a bit more "fantastic." It was a nice project that is a good project at the end but, it's not something amazing and surprising. That's just classic but if you're a fan of Ayreon, and above all Pink Floyd, Yes and all these kinds of bands, this is a must for you. This is not a deception at the opposite but "IAM" is not an album that we can't forget at the difference of an Ayreon for example. Let's say that we're in front of a good Prog Metal album for the fans of the style?