Ok, my short review:
Overall this CD really got me excited, but couldn't satisfy my expectations the first time through. The second time though, it absolutely fulfilled them.
A Tower of Ashes
What can I say? I really like the intro when it gets loud. The whole song then continues with all the momentum the start of it brought. Overall,
A Tower of Ashes is a pretty standard power metal song with some really nice twists thrown in that enhances the whole thing. In the end though, it still is "just" power metal which, for the partial lack of creativity pulls the rating down a bit. Not by much though
Rating: 8/10
On Eagles' Wings
Continues the whole process that the first song started, crunchy riffs, beautiful choruses, etc.
I really liked the bit with "Every tribe and every nation..."
Again, quite powermetal-standard-ish, so again,
Rating: 8/10
Laying the Demon to Rest
Ah, here we break away from the powermetal stereotype right from the first riff. Aggresive guitar work, and blastbeats on the drums certainly will remind anyone of Death/Thrash metal. At some points the song gets a little melodyless, which is something I don't like too much. I really liked the whispering part at the start, and how it ended with "Come dance with me, my frieeeeeeeeeeend"
Yeah, the Rating: 9/10
Bethlehem
I can't say much. I love everything about this song. The part that stuck best in my head is the first verse, but the whole song is amazing.
Rating: 10/10
Absolution Day
Uh, yeah. I dunno, this song doesn't really catch my ear, I doesn't stick in my head like the rest do. Don't get me wrong, I like the song, but I somehow can't properly remember how the song goes. I even had to quick turn it on to remember the intro.
Rating: 7/10
The Writing in the Sand
This song may be another of "those" like the first two songs, but I absolutely love it. I like every aspect of this song. My favorite part of it is the melody of the first verse.
Rating: 10/10
Martyr
The intro to this song just makes you want to listen to the whole thing. I really like the intro. Then the first verse is ok, but nothing special. In any case I like the song, it's catchy.
Rating: 9/10
Mirror of Souls
Ok, I'll say it straight out. The first time I listened to this song, it bored me. Honestly. I was on my computer, listening to it while doing other stuff and I though it wasn't great. Then, the next day (today) I listened to it on the bus to school, and this time around I really listened to the flow of the lyrics and the music. Wow. I was absolutely stunned. The way everything works together, the way the song directly attacks the view of the world, I'm blown away. The song has, without a doubt, the best text I've ever heard. I love the riffs, the melody, the flow, the chapters, the lyrics, the heart, soul and the devotion of this song.
Anyone who doesn't like the song is listening to it wrong in my opinion. The first time I listened to it, I thought "Oh, a long song, I like long songs, let's pit it up against Blind Guardian's
And then there was Silence." Thats the wrong way.
Mirror of Souls is a masterpiece in the message it brings across, whilst
And then there was Silence is a masterpiece in how it plays with wonderful melodies. I think next to BG's 14-Minute song, Theocracy has shoved its way onto the highest rank on my podium of music. Simply amazing song, and so true.
Rating: A scale of 10 isn't enough, so 11+/10
Edit: Oh yes overall rating.
Without the last song: 9/10
With the last song: 10+/10
Best album I own.
