When Time Fades... reviews

Progarchives:

Combining elements from many types of music seems to be a specialty of these guys, and although they have a solid foundation in prog metal as a style there's a lot more to this release than just ordinary prog metal.

Highly classical influenced symphonic segments is a key addition to their sounds, most often with a distinct orchestrated sound rather than the standard multilayered synths. Jazzy moments and sax solos are a natural element of the sound on this CD too, even a violin solo unless my ears deceived me. All of this elements in mostly quirky, technical guitar dominated compositions where dissonant and decomposing riff patterns are found just as often as regular prog metal chops. Good vocals further enhance the listening experience.

The general atmosphere of this album is rather grim and dark though - this is not a CD suitable for depressed people - but it's a strong release nonetheless, and one of few prog metal releases I've come across with a unique and distinct sound that can't be mistaken for anyone else. Highly recommended of course.
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http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=3455
 
From ectomag.com:


Wednesday, 24 September 2008 05:08
Suspyre
When Time Fades
Sensory Records
5.0


There are bands that are considered Progressive Metal and then there is Suspyre. Their new album takes the genre of Progressive Metal to places that I never knew existed. You could spend weeks, months even days getting lost in the intricate layers of overlapping soundssynth and strings. Celtic and Spanish style folk melodies are draped over 80's styled hip hop drum beats. Only to be crushed by waves of seductive guitars before being ripped apart by layers of searing vox . When Time Fades takes influence from everything from folk to hip hop and beyond, but its done in a way that creates a sound that is distinctly Suspyre. Everything is done to enhance the over all sound. The way Suspyre has managed to blend so many powerful elements without over whelming you is brilliant. The light dusting of operatic vox in Lighted Endryme and Siren are absolutely divine. There is a power in the restraint used in the song. When your working with elements as strong as the folks the make up Suspyre it can be so easy to go over the top with it and just let them blow the entire song out, but by holding back a bit it makes the song and the vocals behind it even more powerful. Leaving your ears in a constant state of anticipation because you know there is so much more that can be done there and you're not sure where the music is going to take you. The same can be said of the use of strings,synths, horns and vocal effects. Suspyre gives you just enough to perk up the ears and draw you in. And before you know it your sucked into a world of vibrant color, crushing misery, waves of hope and dramatic melody. Fucking Kudos!
 
I will be posting my full review at Living for Metal tonight but I just wanted to add a small bit of what I have written.....

After listening to When Time Fades… quite often over the past 10 days or so it is quite clear that Suspyre is not a band for the faint of heart, or for those put off by tricky patterns and rhythms. This is a progressive band, after all. But at the same time they are a metal band with influences from both the jazz world, from classical composers and the usual metal suspects. With a lesser band it would be very easy to fall victim to those various sources of influence and release a chaotic, unrefined mess of an album. However, Suspyre corrals them all and delivers a focused, coherent package. Both the songwriting and the performance are masterful. When Time Fades… is not to be overlooked, and if I were to make any comparisons for anyone not familiar, look no further than Dream Theater and Symphony X. Kind of cliché to use those 2 bands, I know, but it works.
 
So far on rateyourmusic.com suspyre's When Time Fades... has 4.46/5 from 13 ratings, which on that site is very good, although I expect it to go down when the metal haters there find it. Here's a praising review on RYM:
Well this is my 400th review since joining RYM a little over 7 months and my 1111th rating.

When Time Fades... by the American band Suspyre is the single MOST IMPRESSIVE RELEASE I have listened to! It is an ABSOLUTE MUST LISTEN for ALL PROG METAL FANS. In fact I believe prog rock lovers will enjoy it, too.

Notice I did NOT say it was my favorite release. It is extremely impressive and you will respect Suspyre for what they have accomplished, here. They have stripped most of their power metal sound and created a very distinct prog metal sound that you will not mistake for ANY other metal band. In doing so they have created a technical masterpiece. All instrumentation is technical, especially the guitar work and drumming. It is obvious Suspyre is a band of perfectionists. Everything is done for a specific purpose and done so well.

We are treated to several sax leads, flute leads, a violin lead, a few melodeath vocals, phenomenal orchestral work (not overblown or overly grand, though), several beautiful vocal & choral passages. Windhawk hits it right on the head with their overall sound. Because of this I quite often found myself in awe of what I was hearing even when I didn't completely feel what they were trying to accomplish because it was so well done.

I played the last track, Let Freedom Ring, in the car for my 12 year old daughter. I asked her if she knew what technical drumming was. She said no and I said this song certainly demonstrates this. I then asked her if she knew was syncopation was. She said no and I told this extreme syncopation. I had her try to play the drums on her leg along with the song and she said it was impossible! On first listen you wonder how in the heck the drummer knows what the beat is. After several listens you realize this same drumming is found on and off throughout the entire song with the rest of the band joining in on several occasions.

I do not know what it means but Let Freedom Ring lasts 11'11" and this is my 1111th rating. Hmmmmm.....


Without a doubt Suspyre has elevated their music to the level of the great prog metal bands of these days, Opeth, Symphony X and Dream Theater and deserve plenty of accolades for this Impressive release. I urge you to go out on September 30 when it is officially released and buy this cd. I will be there friday evening when the local music store gets his UPS shipment of it. You will not be disappointed with this purchase!

Edit 9/26/08:
Sounds even better with the cd than the download!

Let the destruction BEGIN....BEGIn.......BEGin......BEgin.......Begin.....begin
Click to expand...

http://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/suspyre/when_time_fades___/
 
Hey everyone!

I figured that I would add my review to this list as well. Here's the link to the full review--and a little excerpt below.

http://www.progressivemelodies.com/2008/10/suspyre-when-time-fades-review.html

As always, Suspyre offers some of the best and most complex instrumentation of any modern progressive metal band. Gregg Rossetti is an instrumental genius, constantly offering up new surprises. While mainly handling the guitars alongside Rich Skibinsky, he also picks up the fretless bass, Chapman Stick (a personal favorite of mine), the saxophone, and so on. The guy knows how to play, but he also knows how to create complexity that remains incredibly listenable. This is largely due to the aforementioned influences of other musical styles. After a furiously fast passage of metal guitar, as on the third track, "Lighted Endrhyme," the listener is presented with a classically influenced symphonic passage. After that, the song switches back and forth between brand new guitar-driven passages, the vocal verses, and a softer midsection with some great jazzy guitar fills. There's truly a lot to hear in these songs, and despite the frequency of the changes, the songs never feel disjointed or unfocused.
 
Here is a review in German from http://www.prog-rock.info/neuecd-kritiken.htm (Maybe ich_bin_besser can help us translate ..haha):

Suspyre - When Time Fades ...

Obwohl 'When Time Fades ...' schon die dritte CD der Prog-Metal-Band aus New Jersey ist, habe ich von denen aber noch gar nie was gehört. Und das ist wirklich sehr schade. Und nach mehrfachem Hören von 'Whe Time Fades ...' werde ich mich sicher auch noch um die Vorgänger-Alben kümmern. Größten Einfluss auf die Band hat sicher 'Symphony X' gehabt, denn schon der Opener 'Possession / The Negative' könnte locker auf einer S-X-Scheibe bestehen. Und das liegt nicht nur alleine an der Stimmer von Sänger Clay Barton, der aber sowas von nach Russel Allen klingt ... der könnte stimmlich echt sein Zwillingsbruder sein. Nein, auch die Songs gehen voll in die Richtung. Fetter Prog-Metal, zwischendurch ein paar kurze klassische Parts und dann gleich wieder mit einem Gitarren-Gewitter voll auf die Zwölf. Auch die ganzen Song-Strukturen sind sehr ähnlich zu Symphony X, ohne jedoch eine 1:1 - Kopie zu sein. Dafür sind 'Suspyre' dann doch wieder zu eigenständig. Enzelne Songs herauszuheben würde dem Album eigentlich nicht gerecht werden. Doch die 2 Longsongs (jeweils mit über 10 bzw. 11 Minuten) möchte ich doch besonders erwähnen. Da wäre zuerst 'Siren (One Last Breath)', der ganz sanft und locker beginnt (zuckersüßer Gesang, nette Flöten im Hintergrund, nach 2 Minuten wird's ein bißchen schneller, dann eine kleine orchestrale Einlage, nach 3 Minuten setzten dann die ersten fetten Gitarren ein, dann ein Refrain, der nicht mehr aus dem Kopf geht (grad hier ist das ja nur Symphony X), dann ein bißchen Gefrickel, ein paar Breaks ... besser geht's kaum. Und dann noch 'Let Freedom Ring (The Heart Of It All)', ein weiterer Prog-Metal-Knaller mit überraschenden Wendungen.

Fazit: 'When Time Fades ...' ist eine der besten Prog-Metal-CDs, die ich in den letzten Jahren gehört habe. Ich bin restlos begeistert und kann nur empfehlen, sich die Scheibe zu besorgen. Eindeutig ein Anwärter auf meine Jahres Top-10. Allerdings müsst Ihr bis zur Veröffentlichung noch bis zum 14.11.2008 warten ... aber das Warten wird auf jeden Fall belohnt. Den Veröffentlichungs-Tag gleich mal im Kalender notieren!! Das Cover wurde übrigens von Gustavo Sazes gestaltet, der auch schon für Firewind und Mystic Prophecy gearbeitet hat.
 
Wow, I didn't even know that site.

A short summary of what he wrote:
"When Time Fades" was his first CD from Suspyre - a fact he regrets now! The band's biggest influence obviously is Symphony X. The opening track could easily pass with flying on a SX CD. Even Clay sounds a lot like Russel Allen. Fat prog metal, with a few short classical parts, followed by guitar thunderstorms. The song structures are also comparable to SX, but without being a 1:1 copy.
Picking out single songs wouldn't do the album justice. But he points out the 2 longtracks and shortly describes their structure.
"When Time Fades" is one of the best prog metal CD's he's heard in the last years and it should be in his top 10 of 2008.
At the end, he mentions the release date (November 14th) and the cover artist.
 
Okay, in return you could tell something more about ProgPower. What about your gig? Did you guys enjoy it? Any problems? Any comments on the song choice? Stuff like that. ;)
 
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