Magnitude 9 - Chaos to Control
Inside Out Music America - 1998
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Magnitude9.jpg
After enjoying so much the latest CD by Magnitude 9 I knew I had to listen to their debut album Chaos to Control. Finally, the time came and I have to say that while not as good as Reality in Focus, Chaos to Control plants the seeds of how the band grew into the musical force they are today. The differences with this album and their latest boils down to the fact that now Magnitude 9 are a more confident, accomplished and polished band. Coreys vocals are not as powerful as they are now but they do show the range that makes him such a great singer. The keyboards by Joseph Glean are at times subtle and stay in the background more than they do know. But when they do come forward, watch out! This guy can really play. I also feel that some of the songs could have been shortened a bit and some of the arrangements found are awkward in the way the flow. But this is all in the past now and now Magnitude 9 are an excellent band and this album is perfect to show where they came from.
The songs that I enjoyed the most are the ones that most resemble the ones of Reality in Focus. "Secrets Within" is a fast paced song with both heavy and melodic guitars. The beginning really reminded me of Symphony X. Also, the excellent guitar and keyboard trade off solos that are ever present in their latest album are present here and they are perfect. "Keeper of Your Soul" is another speedy song and Robs constant shredding guitars are simply unbelievable. Plus, I cant forget to mention the excellent bass work by Kevin Chown and the drumming by John Homan. "After Tomorrow" is similar in tempo to the two previous songs and just as cool. The dark and slow section that I really enjoy is from 2:53 to 3:28 and it reminds me of the music found in Zero Hours new album. "Into the Sun" is a mid-tempo ballad song that has Corey singing perfectly throughout the song especially with the awesome vocal melodies during the chorus. Coreys powerful and soaring singing drive "Another World" another fast song.
The rest of the songs on Chaos to Control dont really match the intensity and creativity of these songs. There are some good ideas but I either get bored with the slower tempo of "Dont Say" and "Y2K" or I just dont connect with the faster songs like "Voices", which is just too simple and straightforward for a band like Magnitude 9 to play.
Overall, Chaos to Control is a good album. The good thing is that Magnitude 9 took all the positives and great ideas from this album and took them and improved them for Reality in Focus. It is great to hear how they started but I am more concerned with their future.
Inside Out Music America - 1998
By Rodrigo
/images/covers/Magnitude9.jpg
After enjoying so much the latest CD by Magnitude 9 I knew I had to listen to their debut album Chaos to Control. Finally, the time came and I have to say that while not as good as Reality in Focus, Chaos to Control plants the seeds of how the band grew into the musical force they are today. The differences with this album and their latest boils down to the fact that now Magnitude 9 are a more confident, accomplished and polished band. Coreys vocals are not as powerful as they are now but they do show the range that makes him such a great singer. The keyboards by Joseph Glean are at times subtle and stay in the background more than they do know. But when they do come forward, watch out! This guy can really play. I also feel that some of the songs could have been shortened a bit and some of the arrangements found are awkward in the way the flow. But this is all in the past now and now Magnitude 9 are an excellent band and this album is perfect to show where they came from.
The songs that I enjoyed the most are the ones that most resemble the ones of Reality in Focus. "Secrets Within" is a fast paced song with both heavy and melodic guitars. The beginning really reminded me of Symphony X. Also, the excellent guitar and keyboard trade off solos that are ever present in their latest album are present here and they are perfect. "Keeper of Your Soul" is another speedy song and Robs constant shredding guitars are simply unbelievable. Plus, I cant forget to mention the excellent bass work by Kevin Chown and the drumming by John Homan. "After Tomorrow" is similar in tempo to the two previous songs and just as cool. The dark and slow section that I really enjoy is from 2:53 to 3:28 and it reminds me of the music found in Zero Hours new album. "Into the Sun" is a mid-tempo ballad song that has Corey singing perfectly throughout the song especially with the awesome vocal melodies during the chorus. Coreys powerful and soaring singing drive "Another World" another fast song.
The rest of the songs on Chaos to Control dont really match the intensity and creativity of these songs. There are some good ideas but I either get bored with the slower tempo of "Dont Say" and "Y2K" or I just dont connect with the faster songs like "Voices", which is just too simple and straightforward for a band like Magnitude 9 to play.
Overall, Chaos to Control is a good album. The good thing is that Magnitude 9 took all the positives and great ideas from this album and took them and improved them for Reality in Focus. It is great to hear how they started but I am more concerned with their future.
