Odin's Court Reviews

[OdinsCourt]

This thread is for Odin's Court reviews. CDs, shows, whatever. I'll post what I have so far, and everyone else can feel free to chime in...

Rock on!

 

[OdinsCourt]

Left of the Dial Review

Several months ago, I reviewed Odin’s Court’s debut EP. Now they’re back with a prog-tastic metal full-length, Driven by Fate. As it turns out, the new album includes re-recordings of the EP material combined with just as much new material. Right off the bat, I have to say that Driven by Fate beats the EP hands down. The songwriting is better, the playing is tighter, and the longer length gives the album a much more complete feel.

To begin with, I like the stylistic diversity of the album. You’ve got the impressive progressive rocker “D2C,” some excellent atmospheric pieces such as “Discretion Rising” and “Surreal Contemplations,” and the interesting multi-part “Paradise Lost.” Clearly some of the more ambitious material on the album, the “Paradise Lost” suite of songs is an epic-to-end-all-epics prog-metal extravaganza. Chapter One—with its keyboard Enya choir and snare drum march—sounds like the victorious Viking gods riding their longboats through the glistening ocean. Damn it’s… um, cheesy, but prog-metal fans will eat it up. Chapter Two includes some dark atmospheric guitar work and interesting ambient instrumentation (including a recurring horn sound that I found annoying at first but later quite addictive). Chapter Three is easily an album highlight. The middle section breaks into the most distinctive moment on the album. The whole band completely rocks out at this point, led by a wickedly cool guitar riff and some great pounding drum fills. The guitar playing is excellent on these songs (and throughout the album for that matter) and remains focused despite all the shredding. Stylistically, I am reminded (in a good way) of David Gilmour, Adrian Smith, and early John Petrucci.

What I really appreciate about Driven by Fate is the careful attention to song-craft. Many so-called “prog” bands tend to go insane with their instruments, which is all good and well until the band forgets that they are writing songs. Despite the instrumental complexities of the album, I think that Odin’s Court manages to retain a song oriented approach that allows for experimentation while simultaneously keeping the music grounded.

I see only two weaknesses with Driven by Fate. First, echoing a reservation I expressed in my earlier review, Odin’s Court’s vocals are very… different. Some may find them to be a bit out of control. Second, I think that some of the ambient sounds and keyboard patches border on falling into faux symphonic clichés. I guess you need to have a high tolerance for dramatic music to enjoy this kind of thing. That said, these reservations take little away from my overall positive impression of the album. If you enjoy awesome prog-metal bands such as Symphony-X and Dream Theater, then Odin’s Court has some exciting music in store for you. And if Odin’s Court continues to up the bar as they have on Driven by Fate, then I’ll be quite eager to see what they come up with next.

-Alex Baia
2/16/04

 

[OdinsCourt]

SMMO Review

Ok, remember when you were a teenager and the world would come down on you all at the same time, and all you wanted to do was lock yourself in your bedroom, turn up the stereo, put the headphones on and hope the music would take you to another place in time? well, if you have the desire to be taken to a mystical, magical realm, the album "Driven By Fate", by the local Southern Maryland group Odin's Court is your ticket.


I recently reviewed the album and was totally amazed at the talent this group offers when it comes to composing, what I would consider, "mystifying metal". The one highlighted feature of this album is the tempo and direction changes in each song on the cd, it seems as though you are listening to several compositions in the same stretch of minutes, don't get the wrong impression however, the changes melt together in harmony like the voices of angels, it makes for a very intense "dream ride".


Given the titles of a few songs from the album, you can almost get the feel of the music just by reading the album cover, for example, Odin's Court submits to titles like, Surreal Contemplation's, Utopian Rust, and Esoterica. I have had the fortune to hear many Southern Maryland bands and musicians, or should I say the mis-fortune to hear them, the point is, I actually had forgotten that I was listening to a cd produced by a local group in Southern Maryland. I am a musician myself, and we all know that the worst critic your band can have is another musician, well, I can assure you that Odin's Court has received my top billing in what they are trying to do with their future in the music industry.


If your into screaming guitar riffs changing up into a classical finger picking feel, running straight into a wall of unseen musical hesitations, driven by a very solid, and talented, backing of well planned bass and percussion, with the addition of voiced synth accompanied by a classical string section, this is your dish. Lets just say for the sake of comparison, think Trans-Syberian Orchestra. I have to make my opinion clear, "Put away the paper plates, Driven By Fate, the album cooked up by Odin's Court, should be served as a silver platter meal".


I expect that Odin's Court should see a big future in the music scene and should look forward to making a name for themselves in the music industry aswell. You should make every effort to get out and see this group as soon as possible, and be prepared for an experience like no other. To learn more about Odin's Court, visit the groups website at: www.OdinsCourtBand.com

 

[OdinsCourt]

Strutterzine Review

The American band ODIN’S COURT sent me their debut CD ‘Driven by fate’, which is a good deal of quality Melodic Progressive Metal in the style of early SYMPHONY X (their first record). Instrumental the band sounds perfect, and even the included songs are quite good, but the lead vocals of guitarist Matt Brookins are a bit raw and not quite suitable (yet) for this kind of music. I am not saying he can’t sing, because he is definitely able to sing quite well (like on “Shadow dust”), but I think he needs to improve his voice in the future, just like R ussell Allen from SYMPHONY X who also became better and better with each following album. Anyway, this CD is still a very enjoyable quality Progressive Metal album with many highlights, such as “His dark materials”, “Holdin’ the line”, “Burden of heaven” and “The fall”. Instrumental it sounds perfect and with a playing length of 71 minutes there’s a lot to enjoy here. Check it out at: http://www.OdinsCourtBand.com and e-mail them at: Matt@OdinsCourtBand.com

(Points: 7.5 out of 10)

 

[OdinsCourt]

I've heard a lot about these guys, so I decided to order this CD from The Odin's Court Website

Not only did I get the CD and shirt I ordered within a week, I got a hand written letter from Matt himself, which I thought to be a really nice touch. The CD is a very affordable $9.99 + shipping and handling, by the way.

I hate to pidgeon-hole bands by comparing them to other bands, but it's the easiest way to illustrate Odin's Court. They give me a feel of When Dream and Day Unite era Dream Theater cross bread with old school Iron Maiden, with a touch of new age sprinkled in. I would call it Heavy Metal with a prog rock feel. They are a very riff driven band who make many changes within a song without it being jumbled. The musicianship is good, but not spectacular. There are no virtuosos in this band, but neither are there any slouches. This band is about songs, and the songwiting/compositional skills are what make this CD work.

The songs themselves range from very heavy riff crunchers (D2C, Shadow Dust) to mellow ambient instrumental pieces (The Garden, Discretion Rising, Hell's Council) to straight ahead rockers (Holdin' The Line). One thing I should mention about this CD is that it is NOT a commercial effort. Every song except the bonus tracks is actually a movement in a larger piece of a suite. The lyrical subject matter for the most part is dark and introspective. Not very catchy at first, but catchiness does not appear to be their intent. These songs are meant to be vehicles of illustration, not just songs in and of themselves.

The performances are all very good. The guitar solos rip without being wanky, the drumming fits the songs while never overpowering them, and the bass lines all fit. There are several occasions where a song will end with an extra minute of ambient noises and keyboard washes that give the listener a break from the dark feel of these songs. Over all, Driven By Fate is a very tastefully balanced effort. Some performance high points are the band member spotlights in "His Dark Materials", the solo section of Shadow Dust, the bass line of "The Fall", and the wicked riff that occurs at 3:50 in "Burden of Heaven".

The one gripe I have with Driven By Fate is the vocals. Matt has vocal talent, but needs to work on his voice a bit. The range, power, and emotion are all there. He just needs to aquire more control and depth to his voice. The production on the vocals is lacking as well. Since this is a self produced CD, it is forgivable. To sum up the vocals, I'd say they should have worked on them longer.

The songs:

Driven By Fate
1. Discretion Rising - Dark and erie intro. Great album opener

2. D2C - This song is what Odin't Court is all about. Smacks you over the head and says "here we are!!"

3. Shadow Dust - Great riffing here. The guitar solo is killer. The high vocal screams are hurt by the production (or lack thereof)

4. Surreal Contemplations - Interesting instrumental. Very dark and brooding.

5. Utopian Rust - One of my favorite songs on this disc. Great guitar riffs and an odd time meter with some whacky-cool lyrics make for an album highlight to end the first suite.

H3:
6. His Dark Materials - Another strong song driven by great riffs. Each band member takes a short solo break and kudos to them for keeping it tasteful.

7. Holdin' The Line - After all the dark and brooding pieces, this straight up rocker provides an excelent contrast. Reminds me of Paul DiAnno era Iron Maiden. This is the only song on the entire CD with whimsical lyrics , and it works marvelously to break up the album.

8. Homecoming - Short but brutal song.

Paradise Lost:
9. Chapter 1 (The Fall) - What a great intro!!! The bass line moves this song along nicely.

10. Chapter 2 (Hell's Council) - They picked the perfect title for this instrumental. It goes from diabolical to ephemeral at the end.

11. Chapter 3 (Burden of Heaven) - All I can say is that middle riff is killer. Absolute metal all the way.

12. Chapter 4 (The Garden) - Melodic but rocking instrumental to close out the last suite.

Bonus tracks:
13. Paradise Lost: Chapter 1 instrumental - This song actually works very well as an instrumental. It's essentially "The Fall" with no vocals and the last minute of the outro removed

14. Esoterica - I hate to say this, but this is not a very remarkable song to me. Hey, 1 dud out of 14 isn't bad and besides, it's a bonus track.

For what is is, I give this CD an over all 8/10. It's a very solid debut effort with some excellent high points.

- Marcus, New Jersey

 

[OdinsCourt]

Driven By Fate:
1. Discretion Rising - Awesome, ominously mysterious intro. If you’re going to grab my attention this is one of the two best ways to do it (the second being an all out, jump-right-into-it approach a la Symphony X)

2. D2C - Very catchy and melodic, while rocking at the same time. Nice little transition there at about the 3 minute mark followed by some good gee-tar work.

3. Shadow Dust - The riffs in this songs are righteous. I think this is my favorite musically arranged song, riff-wise. At about 5:00 (after the scream), it really reminded me of something that could’ve come right off of Killing Is My Business.

4. Surreal Contemplations - A great transitional instrumental, with a great heavy background accompanied by perfectly placed acoustics, the electric guitar solo and orchestration.

5. Utopian Rust - Matt does his best job in the vocals on this one. Therefore, that combined with the music itself, on a whole, makes this the best track. The final solo is pretty sweet. Yes, I guess this is my favorite track.

H3:
6. His Dark Materials - Very classic heavy-metalish.

7. Holdin’ the Line - I didn’t see how this song really fit in with the rest of the album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good song, but it just seems a bit misplaced lyrically.

8. Homecoming - Nice heavy song with some awesome riffing and drumming.

Paradise Lost:
9. Ch1. (The Fall) - Yes! Great subject on which to base an epic song. Great orchestral and ambience accompaniment.

10. Ch2. (Hell’s Counsel) - Dark, brooding instrumental that is very appropriate to the title and to the overall story.

11. Ch3. (Burden of Heaven) - Good song, yes, again.

12. Ch4. (The Garden) - Yet another instrumental. A good solemn and serene conclusion to the epic.

Bonus:
13. The Fall (instrumental) - Strange, I always thought more bands should do instrumental versions of their songs.

14. Esoterica - Another good instrumental with some nice speed parts. Great metal instrumental.


I think the vox need a little help for the most part, but that doesn’t take away from how good the album is. It took a listen or two to get used to it. Lyrically I can’t complain. Very mysterious and creative, just how I like it. Musically, Odin's Court are very talented and coordinate the songs really good. Theme-wise I really like the whole supernatural theme in many of the songs as that has always fascinated me and has been the subject of many of my personal studies. Paradise Lost? Oh yeah. If I had to pick my three favorite songs, I’d say: 1. Utopian Rust. 2. Homecoming. 3. Hell’s Counsel.

James - New Jersey

 

[theodyssey]

Hey man, I write for a website www.abrasiverock.com, and I would love to do a proper review. I was wondering if you could send a copy or two of the cd so we could get one done. Pm me and let me know... Killer forum btw. I'll be spending plenty of time here

 

[OdinsCourt]

Metal Heart Radio

Tracklist :

1. Paradise Lost Chapter 1, 2. His Dark Materials, 3. Homecoming, 4. Paradise Lost Chapter 3, 5. Surreal Contemplation, 6. Utopian Rust, 7. D2C

Here we have the first live album from Odin's Court. After their succesful debut album "Driven By Fate", the band decided to release a live album, which recorded in 21st November 2003. This release has seven very good songs.If you don't know, Odin's Court, plays a mixture of Melodic Progressive Metal in the vein of the great Symphony X,but with a lot of elements in Odin's Court. The sound is good enough for a live recording, if the crowd, screamed more everything would be betterand for sure you would get the picture of how, Odin's Court, is in their live shows. I think "Paradise Lost Chapter 1", "Paradise Lost Chapter 3" and "His Dark Materials" are the highlights of this release. Soon you will read the review of their debut album.

 

[OdinsCourt]

This is from the March 2004 issue of Rock Brigade (Brazil).

Portuguese:

Banda americana de metal progressivo que acerta a mão em vários aspectos, mas erra em detalhes cruciais. Começando pelo, digamos, "lado bom", trata-se de um grupo formado por ótimos instrumentitas e compositores de talento - algo, diga-se, fundamental para quem se envereda pelo tortuoso caminho de prog metal. Porém, a mixagem do disco deixou o teclado acima demem - até a bateria em alguns momentos. Além disso, o vocalista Matt Brookins dá umas escorregadas feias em algumas passagens. A banda incluiu um CD-demo com oito musicas de um show no qual o reultado é, surpreendentemente, melhor - graças, sobretudo, ao devido destaque que aqcaba tendo a guitarra (a cargo do próprio Matt).

English:

North American progressive metal band that has many good points but lacks in some other crucial points. Starting from the...let's say "good side", it's a group formed by very talented musicians and very good song writers, which is fundamental for someone who heads into the mysterious way of the prog metal. Although the mixing of the album leaves the keyboard's volume to high, and the drums too in some moments. Besides that, the singer Matt Brookins sometimes does some really bad mistakes. The band included a live CD with 8 tracks from a concert, which the results are amazingly - the best as hoped, especially because of the guitar(which Matt himself plays)

 

[OC-Craig]

http://www.abrasiverock.com/cdreviews/odinscourt04-12-04.php

Band: Odin's Court
Album: Driven By Fate
Record Company: Unsigned
Writer: Mark Carras

Here is a band that seems like they worked their ass off creating one of the most involved prog metal albums I've heard in awhile. The problem, they still are not ready for prime time. The vocalist needs to use his diaphragm more, as well as needs to stay within the limits of his range. Every vocalist has a range, so the trick to sounding better than anyone else is staying within that range. A good vocal teacher will help him find out what that range is, as well as improve what he does have. The guy has the right spirit, phrasing, meter, and everything else. He just needs to find his range.

The production is a little on the thin side, as well. The singer was also the producer, and this band needs an outside ear badly! The guitar should have been more crisp. With this style you must hear everything in perfect balance or it just doesn't work. Now for an independent release I was impressed with the whole packaging. When Zach handed me the disc for review, I kept looking for what label released it. The cover looks like it was a painting that was shrunk down, and looks very pro. The way they list the song titles on the back like it was some play or something will make prog metal fans squeal with delight. It just adds something a little interesting that makes one want to find out the story that is being told. Now I could never figure out the story being told, but that just gives it this mysterious vibe.

The song writing skills are very on par with the best of them. I like the way they kind of mix a small amount of thrash here and there. Just when you think the song is going to be this boring prog ballad thing, it goes into this cool thrashy part that keeps it all from dragging. Speaking of dragging, this thing is one long ass disc! At over 70 minutes it falls in line with prog rule number one: Most of your songs must be long as hell and your album must be way longer than the standard 45 minutes.

Overall this band has some amazing potential, but they need to fix the few things mentioned above. I would not recommend this one to AR readers just yet, but keep a close eye on these guys. They could be the next band we rave about. Keep up the hard work, guys. You have what it takes, but you just need to do some tweaking here and there.

 

[OdinsCourt]

Abrasive Rock (by Zach Palmer)

I have been putting this review off for a really long time because I honestly didn't know how to review it. There are a lot of conflicting opinions going on in my head when it comes to this disc. In the end, after many, MANY listens, I decided that I really, really like this disc, but it is not without its faults.

The music on this disc is incredible, especially for a debut effort. It is your typical prog/metal band, but there is something about it that does it for me. Now, let me explain once again that the only real prog/metal that I like is Symphony X and every now and then I can listen to Vanden Plas, so I really believe that in that sense, this band has something going for them. As far as production goes, it is a little outdated, but not bad. It isn't the crystal clear 2004 production that makes a band sound like they just did it all on the computer. Driven by Fate actually reminds me more of the production on Mercyful Fate's "Melissa" album. Maybe this is just another reason why I like the disc; anything that can remind me of this spectacular album already scores big points in my book.

The other impressive thing about this disc is the professional look of the whole thing. The cover, the disc, the tray, everything looks good. The reason that I bring this up is that this cd is independently released. Most independent bands don't do half the work that this band does, so I have to congratulate the band for taking the initiative to make a visually pleasing as well as audibly pleasing product.

The only thing that I would say hurts this disc is the vocals. Most of the problems could be fixed with a few vocal lessons, but I also think a lot of the vocal problems were within the recording process. It sounds like the mic wasn't picking up a lot of the vocals very well, so they kind of waver in and out. It also sounds like a lot of the passion and emotion is missing, but this is really typical for a first albums. I am not saying that Matt has no passion or emotion, but I think nerves got in the way. However, to have a truly great album, this problem needs to be addressed.

Driven by Fate is overall a very great disc. However, the vocal issue needs to be addressed if the band is ever to be truly great. I would definitely recommend people visit their site and check them out, and keep their eyes on the band. They have what it takes; now they just need to work on the execution. I would recommend this band to anyone who is into prog metal, but I would tell anyone else to check out some mp3s first.

 

[OdinsCourt]

Metal Invader Review (by Antonis Maglaras)

Before some months ago I had review the first official live album from Odin’s Court, now it is time to review also their debut album with the title “Driven by fate”. In this debut album Odin’s Court has divided into three sections: 1.Driven by fate, 2. Paradise Lost, 3. H3. The band plays melodic progressive metal in the vein of the great Symphony X and Dream Theater. This album release back in 2003 and it is all a self-financed release. Even if it is a self financed release, we have an excellent production, a very good sound and a very good artwork. Personally, I like both albums from Odin’s Court. I am not a huge progressive metal fan, but I found enough easy listening the album from them. Because when you start to hear a progressive album you expected “difficult music”, but here the music is very good and you can hear it. An attention to the band, maybe they could change their singer or Matt can work more in the vocal section.

(Given 4.5 out of 6)

 

[OdinsCourt]

Barikada

Serbian Review:

Sastav Odin's Court dolazi iz South Marylanda, a predvodi ga gitarista, pevač i glavni autor - Matthew A. Brookins. Do sada su vrlo postepeno gradili karijeru, a pre realizacije ovog full-length albuma, objavili su EP, čiji "delovi" su utisnuti i na "Driven By Fate" izdanju. Puno nastupaju koncertno, a imali su priliku da budu "opening act" takvim imenima kao što su Symphony X, Devin Towsend i Helloween. Nedavno je grupu napustio klavijaturista Craig Moran, i sada su u fazi traženja njegove zamene.

"Driven By Fate" predstavlja neku vrstu konceptualnog albuma podeljenog u četiri povezujuća dela. Ameri su na terenu progressive metala i progressive rocka. Influentni su soundom mnogih znanih imena, no čini se da je najizraženiji uticaj grupe Dream Theater. Kroz ponuđeni sound Odin's Court vuku složena i proširena aranžmanska rešenja, i njihova muzika nije toliko jednostavna za prihvatanje nakon prvog slušanja. Sa druge strane, bend veruje u ono što radi, i oseća se da je u samu realizaciju albuma uložen veliki trud.

"Driven By Fate" je solidno producirano ostvarenje, iza kojeg, takođe, stoji lider - Matt Brookins.

English Summary:

ODIN' S COURT
Driven By Fate
(Self-released)

...Out of Southern Maryland comes ODIN' S COURT, a group leading by guitarist, singer and composer - Matthew A.Brookins.

Driven By Fate is conceptual album, with 4 different connected parts. The band are on the field of progressive metal and progressive rock. Also, we could hear influences of many similiar acts, but comparative elements with Dream Theatar approaches are undoubtly clear. Odin' s Court show complexity in arrangments threathenings, and productionally they get additional points. Odin's Court deeply beleive's in their music,so part of that atmosphere simply could feel listeners and potential fans..."

Rating : 7 / 10

 

[OdinsCourt]

Very short review by Jaxx's webmaster from our Seven Witches show on 02/19:

Odin's Court were another progressive band but with a much heavier style than Encompass. This band had many fans and it was easy to see and hear why. Crushing guitar melodies and interwoven keyboard touches gave them a distinctive and very loud sound.

Energy was abundant during their performance and they were clearly having fun.

Lori and Mike drove all the way from St Mary's County, MD to see Odin's Court. They had a great time and wisely secured nearby accommodations.

 

[OdinsCourt]

Short review from another message board on our gig with Sonata Arctica:

The second band – Odin’s Court – played a 30 minute set as well. We have seen them live before (I think they opened for Helloween). They played a solid and enjoyable set. I was surprised that they did not do any covers, because their previous show featured some great renditions of known tunes. Odin’s Court consists of two guitarists, one of whom is the lad singer, bass player, keyboardist and drummer. The audience enjoyed their set and was very responsive.

 

[OdinsCourt]

Short review from Jaxx's website on our gig with Sonata Arctica:

Odin's Court, a power progressive outfit from St Mary's County, MD, continued the parade of highly skilled local musicians. This band has some really terrific songs with instantly catchy keyboard melodies on display. Frontman Matt Brookins has a great stage presence and this band just exudes talent and professionalism every time I see them. Jaxx is lucky to have bands that people would actually pay to see and are not just fillers for the National Headliners.