This is a very hard album to pass judgement on! Michael Pinnella, keyboard player from Symphony X, belongs to the very best keyboard players on the metal scene, and this, his first solo-album shows, that he's able to write some wonderful music. Music, that surely would be a bit misplaced on an Symphony X album. He has done everything himself, written everything (except for 1 song, written by Alexander Scriabin), recorded and mixed. So I guess it means, that everything has been done with keyboards, synthesizers and drum computers. No analog devices on this album, which is a shame, because I feel, that a lot of tracks could have been just that much better with a guitar riff or guitar solo. But off course this is all about Michael's music and his playing abilities. The songs are mostly classical inspired, and are a mix between classical music, soundtrack stuff and some rock music. This is an album for keyboard players and Symphony X fans, a pretty nice one, but I must admit, I had hopes for a bit more than this. Not that it's a bad album at all !! And how about the cover artwork by Mattias Norén? Wonderful. Recommended tracks: "Edge Of Insanity", "Piano Concerto #1 mvt. 1-3" and "Enter By The 12th Gate" |
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