Pick your poison
- Thread starter voodoo
- Start date
I'll provide a brief explanation of my pick, The Silvery Image. It's the least progressive, most metal oriented, IMHO. Most accessible. Easiest to "get" for the masses. To me it has the most individual "OMG" moments, though they run rampant throughout all 3 releases. I like the in your face attitude of the album as a whole.
Maybe it is also because it was the first I heard? It is certainly the one I listen to the most. A Great Divide comes in second with When Time Fades close behind.
Just for shiggles.....
Favorite songs on The Silvery Image: Father of Hate, Distant Skies, Last of the Survivors, Apex, Serpent I Am
Favorite songs on A Great Divide: The Singer, Galactic Backward Movements, Blood and Passion, Subliminal Delusions
Favorite songs on When Time Fades: Possession, Lighted Endrhyme, A World With No Measures, The Light of the Fire
Maybe it is also because it was the first I heard? It is certainly the one I listen to the most. A Great Divide comes in second with When Time Fades close behind.
Just for shiggles.....
Favorite songs on The Silvery Image: Father of Hate, Distant Skies, Last of the Survivors, Apex, Serpent I Am
Favorite songs on A Great Divide: The Singer, Galactic Backward Movements, Blood and Passion, Subliminal Delusions
Favorite songs on When Time Fades: Possession, Lighted Endrhyme, A World With No Measures, The Light of the Fire
Side note....
I was just on Metal Archives reading one of the reviews of The Silvery Image and had to laugh. The "reviewer" gave it a 35. Now, obviously, prog is not for everybody but a reviewer should at least know what the hell he is listening to. An excerpt:
"Sadly, The City Under Sands is the highlight here. And by that I mean the rest of the album is uninspired, ballad-ish garbage."
Not sure what, besides The Breathe of Gloria, is ballad-ish. There are some softer moments within other songs, but overall they are more upbeat than ballad.
Read on....
"I'm listening to 'Serpent I am' right now, the last track, and this was my third time listening to it (just to make sure it wasn't one of those 'growers), and i'm feeling like i've listened to this bullshit 74 times already. Some of the stuff sounds proggy in the bad way (dream theater wankery), however some of this stuff ends up sounding almost like nu-metal."
Uh.....the last song is NOT Serpent I am. And if he thinks this stuff sounds like nu-metal than he obviously has never heard nu-metal before.
Anyway, an opinion is an opinion. We all have one and nobody is wrong. Just had to laugh, though.
I was just on Metal Archives reading one of the reviews of The Silvery Image and had to laugh. The "reviewer" gave it a 35. Now, obviously, prog is not for everybody but a reviewer should at least know what the hell he is listening to. An excerpt:
"Sadly, The City Under Sands is the highlight here. And by that I mean the rest of the album is uninspired, ballad-ish garbage."
Not sure what, besides The Breathe of Gloria, is ballad-ish. There are some softer moments within other songs, but overall they are more upbeat than ballad.
Read on....
"I'm listening to 'Serpent I am' right now, the last track, and this was my third time listening to it (just to make sure it wasn't one of those 'growers), and i'm feeling like i've listened to this bullshit 74 times already. Some of the stuff sounds proggy in the bad way (dream theater wankery), however some of this stuff ends up sounding almost like nu-metal."
Uh.....the last song is NOT Serpent I am. And if he thinks this stuff sounds like nu-metal than he obviously has never heard nu-metal before.
Anyway, an opinion is an opinion. We all have one and nobody is wrong. Just had to laugh, though.
Rev. Clayton
The Singer
usaprogmusic
ProgPowerGRRL
Calling someone gay in a review isn't exactly professional so why would anyone listen to that guy's opinion??
so why would anyone listen to that guy's opinion??
Cello
Promoted to Hannibal
I personally don't have The Silvery Image, so can't say anything about that really. Out of the other two it's hard to pick, but I think When Time Fades does stand out to me more. I can't tell you exactly why I like one more than the other, it's a feeling kinda thing. I love both albums, and they have an almost identical amount of plays on my iPod/in my iTunes.
Favorite songs on A Great Divide: The Singer, April in the Fall, Subliminal Delusions
Favorite songs on When Time Fades: Possession, The light of the fire, Let Freedom Ring (The Heart of It All), Fallen Stars
This makes me wonder though, what's the band's opinion on each album and what are their favourite songs?
Favorite songs on A Great Divide: The Singer, April in the Fall, Subliminal Delusions
Favorite songs on When Time Fades: Possession, The light of the fire, Let Freedom Ring (The Heart of It All), Fallen Stars
This makes me wonder though, what's the band's opinion on each album and what are their favourite songs?
Rev. Clayton
The Singer
I already casted a vote...don't know if you guys can see who is actually voting.
I love all 3 albums, but have a certain special love for "A Great Divide". There is a certain continuity about that album that really makes it flow better than the others IMO. All 3 albums are different and I think it's going to boil down to what each individual person likes in music. I love Silvery Image, but I prefer the more progressive aspects of our music. It's always fun to bust out an old song of course...especially when in the mood for some rockin in your face tunes.
My fav songs: (i love them all, but am limiting to 3 from each album)
Silvery Image: Distant Skies, Waterburns, Breath of Gloria
A Great Divide: The Singer, Alterations of the Ivory, Blood and Passion
When Time Fades: A World With No Measures, Possession, Lighted Endrhyme
I love all 3 albums, but have a certain special love for "A Great Divide". There is a certain continuity about that album that really makes it flow better than the others IMO. All 3 albums are different and I think it's going to boil down to what each individual person likes in music. I love Silvery Image, but I prefer the more progressive aspects of our music. It's always fun to bust out an old song of course...especially when in the mood for some rockin in your face tunes.
My fav songs: (i love them all, but am limiting to 3 from each album)
Silvery Image: Distant Skies, Waterburns, Breath of Gloria
A Great Divide: The Singer, Alterations of the Ivory, Blood and Passion
When Time Fades: A World With No Measures, Possession, Lighted Endrhyme
I agree that A Great Divide flows best. The Silvery Image definitely has the least progressive feel. I think I tend to stick with progressive metal that leans a little toward the power side of things more than just straight prog (if that even makes sense) which is another reason why I prefer TSI.
Flyzby
Flyzbyballs
- Jan 28, 2007
- 12
- 0
- 1
My vote goes to The Silvery Image, and I think you nailed it, VooDoo, when you said it had the most OMG moments. Also, as you say, it was the first. I listened to it hundreds of times. I had specific songs I would listen to prior to an activity - like always listening to Distant Skies just before a conference call where I knew I would have to speak. It stimulated my energies and got my senses pumped. When I was in a down and dark mood, I would listen to I See over and over. And I'll never forget the first time I heard The Breath of Gloria. My wife and I both had tears in our eyes before it was over. No other song on any of the 3 CDs has moved me like Gloria. So...my favorites:
The Silvery Image : The Breath of Gloria, Distant Skies, I See
A Great Divide : Blood and Passion, The Singer, The Piano Plays at Last
When Time Fades : Siren, Fallen Stars, A World With No Measures
The Silvery Image : The Breath of Gloria, Distant Skies, I See
A Great Divide : Blood and Passion, The Singer, The Piano Plays at Last
When Time Fades : Siren, Fallen Stars, A World With No Measures
As I've said before, it's very hard for me to make a subjective opinion on Suspyre music; it's very hard for me to listen not as the composer. That said, I just listened to "When Time Fades..." for possibly the second or third time since mastering, and there are so many things I love about the album, mostly the amount of "what is happening?" parts. Recently, I noticed I need my music to be as far to the left as possible, which I believe is a direct result from my studies in composition...
I view music differently than many other people; six years of higher education in the field completely changed the way I listen to music. Since I've been exposed to so many styles, it's hard for me to find something new that will get my attention. This sort of saddens me, actually! I listen to music the way a film buff watches movies, or a bookworm reads a novel. Likewise, I am not critical of those mediums of art, as I don't know how to properly judge. I think it's safe to say that someone who has years of experience working with movies can appreciate a good film much more than I can, and the same can be said about someone in the music field.
To summarize my feelings on the current Suspyre discography, I find each album to have its own special idiosyncratic sentiment that makes it special, and I am proud of each one for different reasons.
"The Silvery Image" is a pretty conservative album. It's catchy; the songs (for the most part) are easy to digest and have a clear trajectory. I hear it so differently than any other CD in my collection, since it just reminds me too much of being at my parents' house during a break in college learning how to record music.
"A Great Divide" flows perfectly. I love the way we incorporated motifs and mutated them throughout the course of each half of the album. Again, there are some technical things that bother me regarding the production of this album (mostly the volume of the vocals, the missing parts only I know about, and the awkward bass situation) that prevent me from just relaxing with it.
I am trying to sound unbiased here, but I find many sections of "When Time Fades..." to be some of the most unique music I've heard. I know a lot of casual music listeners don't look for that; most people like to hear familiar sounds and something to which they can relate. That's why I totally understand when people have opposite opinions of music than me; I like to be challenged as a listener. Some things on this album have successfully done that. "Lighted Endrhyme" is possibly my favorite Suspyre song, due to its constant twisting and turning. I also love the way the vocals came out; Clay and I spent about 11 hours on it.
Anyway, I would vote for WTF, but I think if I spun "A Great Divide" tomorrow I would have to log in here and rewrite this post
I view music differently than many other people; six years of higher education in the field completely changed the way I listen to music. Since I've been exposed to so many styles, it's hard for me to find something new that will get my attention. This sort of saddens me, actually! I listen to music the way a film buff watches movies, or a bookworm reads a novel. Likewise, I am not critical of those mediums of art, as I don't know how to properly judge. I think it's safe to say that someone who has years of experience working with movies can appreciate a good film much more than I can, and the same can be said about someone in the music field.
To summarize my feelings on the current Suspyre discography, I find each album to have its own special idiosyncratic sentiment that makes it special, and I am proud of each one for different reasons.
"The Silvery Image" is a pretty conservative album. It's catchy; the songs (for the most part) are easy to digest and have a clear trajectory. I hear it so differently than any other CD in my collection, since it just reminds me too much of being at my parents' house during a break in college learning how to record music.
"A Great Divide" flows perfectly. I love the way we incorporated motifs and mutated them throughout the course of each half of the album. Again, there are some technical things that bother me regarding the production of this album (mostly the volume of the vocals, the missing parts only I know about, and the awkward bass situation) that prevent me from just relaxing with it.
I am trying to sound unbiased here, but I find many sections of "When Time Fades..." to be some of the most unique music I've heard. I know a lot of casual music listeners don't look for that; most people like to hear familiar sounds and something to which they can relate. That's why I totally understand when people have opposite opinions of music than me; I like to be challenged as a listener. Some things on this album have successfully done that. "Lighted Endrhyme" is possibly my favorite Suspyre song, due to its constant twisting and turning. I also love the way the vocals came out; Clay and I spent about 11 hours on it.
Anyway, I would vote for WTF, but I think if I spun "A Great Divide" tomorrow I would have to log in here and rewrite this post
Cello
Promoted to Hannibal
I think part of the music experience for me is the constant amazement I go through when listening to albums. Constantly being able to pick out new things that I hadn't heard before, making it so that I enjoy the music even more. Isn't it so that, even though you listen to music differently, and even though there is little new in the sense of techniques and playing styles that catch your attention, every time you listen to something like When Time Fades... (bad example, perhaps, cos you guys created it) you can discover new layers, new parts, new meanings in the lyrics? And me, as a layman, might pick out less in a single listen than you do, but when I do pick something out it will change my opinion about something; whether it be good or bad.
I think that the appreciation for music, video/movie, literature is no less valuable; only different as to how it has taken shape.
No need to apologize! Always a pleasure to read a bit of well-formulated, thought through and argumentative opinion.
Pretty funny Gregg. I appreciate your honesty about your music, and music in general. I assume it would be extremely difficult to judge something you create with an unbiased opinion. I think I agree with your assessment of each album. WTF has more moments that require a "re-spin" to get a better feel for what happened. I like that kind of music but it certainly isn't for everyone. I never noticed anything wrong with the production of AGD but my ear is not nearly as good as most.
One thing I love about Suspyre's music is the willingness to go crazy and experiment. It's fun to hear something new with each listen.
One thing I love about Suspyre's music is the willingness to go crazy and experiment. It's fun to hear something new with each listen.
Actually, I am always finding new things in music, even the music I create. What drew me to "progressive" music was this very thing; the music was harder to initially understand but never gets old. When I listened to WTF the other day I heard things I never remembered recording! I'm going to spin the other ones this week and see if that happens again.
The overall sound is almost perfect on that album, I was just speaking of the "making-of." I guess when you do almost everything yourselves there will be some awkwardness and inefficiencies, but those are some of the unfortunate things that stick in my memory.
