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| Under the Sun, Under the Sun, released on April 11, 2000. ELPfan 09's rating: 9/10 |
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This is the debut album from an L.A.-based group. I had to give it a rating of 9 because it's a good album, but it just seems to be missing something. I don't know. I might just be overcritical of it. I do, however, really like this ablum.
The first song, "This Golden Voyage," is a product of the Evidon/Shryack writing team. Like most of the songs on this ablum, this one seems to be right between a feel of "too hard" and "normal." When compared to Dream Theater and/or Savatage, it would be just a notch lighter in style and feel. Most songs have more of a focus on lyrics, rather than the instrumental solos. It's different, but I like it. "Golden Voyage" doesn't have anything too spectacular, but there's enough that goes on to keep it interesting.
"Tracer" starts off with a cool instrumental part with the different instruments entering one at a time, a result of many failed sounds checks during live performances. With lyrics by Shkut/Shryack, the song deals with hypocrocy: "You can reace upon a line to power, will you justify as it's earned?" Most of these songs state some form on social truth, and I particularly like this one. I also like "Seeing Eye God," a more "rock-feel" piece. Written by Barabas/Shryack, the song talks about being blindly led by any idol. I think it's pretty cool. "Gardens of Autumn," also by Barabas/Shryack, is about working hard for what you want. I like the ever-altering chorus and the little guitar solo at the end, although the song ends somewhat abruptly.
"Perfect World" creates a world that clearly isn't. Written by Evidon/Shryack, this song has the different points of people involved in a rape and the consequences that they face. Pretty good, and I like the little bass solos between verses. "Reflections" is a nice, laid-back song. Another Shryack/Barabas song, "Reflections" is about understanding and remembering the beauty of the past, I think... At times, some of the vocal lines sound like Yes's 90125-era. Still, a good song.
"Breakwater," a Shkut/Shryack song, is a more instrumental piece. It goes into a couple nice drum/bass grooves that allow for some good guitar- and keyboard-solo work. It has even been compared to Dream Theater in terms of song structure. I also like Shryack's song "The Time Being." The instrumental first part introduces the Time Being and ends all of a sudden, just like the sub-title. Like in most of the songs, the lyrics change slightly for each chorus, which I like. The songs also features some nice guitar work. Shryack/Barabas's "Dream Catcher" is a little different. I'm not really sure what the meaning of the song is, but I think that it's supposed to be about or from the point of view of Native Americans. Still, the song's pretty cool. The ablum ends with "From Henceforth Now and Forever (PS 124)," another Evidon/Shryack piece. The piece in mainly instrumental, although I think the lyrics deal with the end of time. I like it, and it is a good ending to the album.
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