Omega Reign - Arise 4/5
Reviewed: 8-1-13
Tracklist:
1. Will the light come
2. Bitter
3. Doomsday
4. Prison in your eyes
5. Nocturnal
6. The way you lived
7. This poem is goodbye
8. Invisible world/The eidolon
9. Killer
|
'Arise' is the debut CD from Omega Reign, a classic heavy metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. The sound conjures the traditional feeling of Judas Priest with the added eloquence of early Queensryche, and will really appeal to fans of CDs like Hittman’s 's/t', Lethal’s 'Programmed', Pavlov’s Dog’s 'Conditioned response', and more recent CDs like Inner Siege’s 'Kingdom of shadows', Gothic Knights’ 'Reflections from the other side', and Vacant Throne’s 'Fall of the feathered king'. The sound and feeling would also fit very well with the pure heavy metal offerings of those obscure 80s Metal Blade bands, albeit this is with better production.
The CD offers a nice balance. There are chunky metallic riffs, like the opening of “This poem is goodbye” and “The way you lived”. These are mixed with more introspective guitar passages, like “Will the light come”, which is an interesting choice for the first track of the CD since it begins with a much mellower, slower build than you normally hear. A song like “Doomsday” offers a more succinct, percussive feel a la Iced Earth or Judas Priest’s “Rapid fire”. The CD is well produced, with a sharp, smooth, and clean sound. You definitely won’t want to judge this book on its cover, because I was surprised with the feeling of the CD based on the artwork, which has a cruder look that belies the elegance of the metal it contains.
Hank Perry provides the powerful vocals, always strong and clear, but which alternate between a Geoff Tate inspired majesty or a more stripped down metal style. Gene Felix on guitar appears to be one of the earliest members of the band remaining, and he and David Bowman provide a great mix of tight rhythm on the low strings and melodic leads with compelling vibrato, as well as being the chief songwriters. Scott Langevin on bass holds down the sweet backing tones for the CD, and Tyrone Williams on drums sets the driving but precise and restrained tempo.
All in all, those who love well played, direct heavy metal that effectively blends dark sounds with precise elegance will enjoy this CD that is one more blow struck for American metal!
CRAIG
MORE REVIEWS... FULL REVIEWS
MORE REVIEWS BY CRAIG... CRAIG
MAIN -
A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -
MISC
Email: metalcdratings@yahoo.com
