Pagans Mind at PPIV PLEASE!!!

Woo hoo! Add another new Pagans Mind fan to the board! Now you see what all the hype is about! These guys are the next big band I have a feeling. LMP better realize what they have on there hands.
 
Definitely let us know your first impression and your thoughts after about three listens...

You're certainly getting your money's worth. The disc is over 70 minutes long and there isn't a weak song/filler on the disc.
 
I've started to listen to their latest album, strong musicianship for sure, maybe the only downside in my case is that I can't seem to get used to the vocals. I prefer the choirs to just a single voice, he's got some Geoff Tate and Ralf Scheepers in him that's for sure :)
 
Originally posted by anathema2112
I've started to listen to their latest album, strong musicianship for sure, maybe the only downside in my case is that I can't seem to get used to the vocals. I prefer the choirs to just a single voice, he's got some Geoff Tate and Ralf Scheepers in him that's for sure :)


Yeah I guess he has that voice where most either love him or hate him (although I love em).

I cant hear the Ralf Sheeper style at all. Thats the singer for Primal Fear correct?
 
yep Primal Fear and early Gamma Ray material, the high pitch notes are similar while not identical, the "shaky" notes do remind me of Scheepers at his best (he gets on my nerves usually which is why I never got into Primal Fear at all). Pagan's Mind on a musical point of viee are flawless though and easy to listen to ( I even hear a small part of Alannah Myles' Black Velvet in "Through Osiris' Eyes" hehe)
 
Originally posted by anathema2112
I've started to listen to their latest album, strong musicianship for sure, maybe the only downside in my case is that I can't seem to get used to the vocals. I prefer the choirs to just a single voice, he's got some Ralf Scheepers in him that's for sure :)

I agree completely, fellow Anathema fan. The Ralf Scheepers vocals are the only thing keeping me from ordering this highly touted release.
 
Celestial Entrance is a good album. I think Dreamscape Lucidity and ...Of Epic Questions would qualify nicely as my two favorites.
 
If anyones interested, I just opened up a Pagan's Mind website of my own, with the boys seal of approval. There is also a message board! Come check it out, and say hi! :)
 
It's a great cd. A perfect blend of power and prog. I most definately hear the Ralf Sheepers in the high notes. I could swear it's him singing when the singer reaches those notes.

The production is top notch. Fredrik Nordstrom has outdone himself on this one.
 
Sometimes it feels good to get validation from the message boards (haha).

I was just describing the latest album to a friend of mine and described the vocals as "Geoff Tate meets Ralf Scheepers," and I see that others feel the same way. He definitely is his own voice, but it's hard not to try to compare some of the mannerisms when describing the vocals to others.

Also...I just gotta know...does anyone else hear the similarities of the last track to Dream Theater's "Learning To Live" from Images And Words, and if they were going to pay tribute, why would they be so blatant as to lift such specific sections of melody, lyrics, structure, and even solo breaks?
 
Yes, the last song is definitely got the "Learning to Live" vibe going on. I love how they took certain elements from the classic and tied them into their own interpretation. I'm not sure if they specifically stated that this is what they wanted to do, but it is obvious.

I honestly can't say I thought of Ralf Scheepers at all during my first ten listens. Only after I read this thread did I start to think about it. The comparisions are there, but I think they are weak - and only during the high notes. I wouldn't let the RS comparison deter anyone from getting this disc. I like the vocalist and think he is more melodic overall than RS. The musicianship is as good as any out there.