enigmatic : calling

From the opening bars of the first number "Celestine Prophecy" you no this is going to be good or at least you hope so !! No fears this album kicks from start to finish. Great power surging songs from Norwegian metal masters Pagans Mind. The problem most New Metal seems to sufer from is nice ideas shame the songs are so unrememberal crap, not this lot & certainly not this album. Great songs that you`ll actually find yourself singing after you`ve played them !! If your a fan of 80`s style Power Metal or bands such as Sanata Arctica, Power Quest then this lot are going to be right up your street. Don`t worry there aren`t any of those Cheesey lyrics going on & absolutley nothing about Dragons Etc !! Musically this albums more remenisant of bands like Queensryche espiecially because the singers voice is a dead ringer for Geof Tate`s but that`s no bad thing. Personal fav tracks ""The Celestine Prophecy" "Enigmatic Mission" "Coming Home" "New World Order" & "Resurrection" [ Back in Time], but there all good. if you buy one album this year based on these review things on Amazon then make it this one as it`s a sure fire winner ! Trust me !!!

Pagan's Mind have progressed into a force to be reckoned with by taking the title away from fellow Norwegian bands Conception and TNT who have previously been sparking like stars in the metal sky for a number of years. Nils K. Rue (vocals), Stian Kristoffersen (drums), and Thorstein Aaby (ex-rhythm guitar) founded the band during the Norwegian summer of 2000. Shortly afterwards Steiner Krokmo (bass), Jörn Viggo Lofstad (lead guitar) and Ronnie Tegner (keyboards) completed the line-up.

The music of Pagan's Mind is entrenched in the power progressive genre with an array of influences as some band members also come from diverse musical backgrounds as; jazz, classical, rock and heavy metal. The musicians are all acutely talented and showcases their prowess in full on this album. Stian Kristoffersen's brilliant drumming, Steinar Krokmo's complex basslines, Ronny Tegner's perfect keyboard soundscape that are no way overpowering or out of place and Jørn Lofstad's skilled guitar-playing creates the perfect backdrop for Nils Rue's pretentious and resourceful vocals.

The first thing that grabbed me were Rue's impressive vocals, and his extremely diverse range compared with other singers from this genre. If any of these members in Pagan's Mind had to leave the fold, then an essential piece of the puzzle would be lost for good, leaving an incomplete picture of what the band represents. I also hope that Rue's addition to Canadian band Eidolon's line-up late last year does not make him decide to abandon Pagan's Mind permanently. His style is better suited for Pagan's Mind than Eidolon's dark, ominous style of power/thrash metal.

The lyrics are philosophical and based on the writings of Erich von Däniken, offering an enigma regarding the origin of mankind. Was modern humankind created by an alien intelligence thousands of years ago? Are we the result of genetic experiments? Pagan's Mind does not answer these questions, but just delivers the message and rewards the attentive listener with a lot to ponder. While Pagan's Mind does not claim to have any answers to the interesting questions life throws at us, they are at least asking these questions and hoping to get people thinking about it.

With Enigmatic Calling, Pagan's Mind has somehow both matched and eclipsed their last effort, the appropriately acclaimed 2002 masterpiece, `Celestial Entrance'. Looking in retrospect, it really set the stage for what we have here today, if `Celestial Entrance' was a passage through time and space then `Enigmatic Calling' is the next leg of that same journey. It is virtually impossible to choose the best tracks as all of them are excellent from the opener `Celestine Prophecy' to the closing track `New world Order'.

If I were to recommend one song to a person who had never heard Pagan's Mind before, I would choose `Supremacy, Our Kind'. This just encapsulates the Pagan's Mind sound completely with the high up-tempo intro, catchy riffs that lead into a slower part, opening with piano before Rue's stunning vocals kick in. With not one note sounding out of place, not one passage feeling redundant throughout, they have managed to form an almost perfect album. They are wholly original, and are nothing like some of other progressive power metal bands around these days. Without question, there is a bright future for Pagan's Mind as they have so proved over the past three releases, and I would encourage anyone that relishes in progressive metal to check out Pagan's Mind.

I found this band by accident.....I took a chance to buy this and was really pleased this purchase....Enigmatic mission is 5 star on it`s own....Great singer great band, buy this??? A sure winner.....