Power of Metal.dk Review

It Bites
Map of the Past
Rating
Style: Progressive Rock
Release date: 26 March, 2012
Playing time: 52:40
 

Even though It Bites has been around in some form since 1982, they have never before ventured down the road so popular among progressive rock bands: concept albums. That is until now, because John Beck and John Mitchell have conceived their first attempt in "Map of the Past". And sound- and style-wise they pick up where they left with their 2008 album "The Tall Ships", and they continue to explore and push the boundaries with the safe confines of their sound.

The basics are solid founded in the British soil, and the flair for a great melody is ever-present, the songs are well written and executed and I am sure genre fans will find much joy on this release. They build on the foundations laid out so long ago, in a modern form and with a few new additions, and overall they just deliver an album as strong as expected.

So if you have bands like Kino, Frost*, IQ, Jadis, Big Big Train and Moon Safari in heavy rotation then you have another album to put on your shopping list, while I don't personally think it quite reaches the level of its predecessor "The Tall Ships", mostly because the monster song like "This is England" is missing on this album, it still is a very pleasing and enjoyable album to listen to.


Tracklist
01. Man in the Photograph
02. Wallflower
03. Map of the Past
04. Clocks
05. Flag
06. The Big Machine
07. Cartoon Graveyard
08. Send No Flowers
09. Meadow and the Stream
10. The Last Escape
11. Exit Song
Label: InsideOut Music
Distribution: EMI (Denmark)
Reviewed by: Kenn Jensen
Date: 13 March, 2012
Website: www.itbites.com