Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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4.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Shadow Gallery..., 6 April 2009
Somewhat inevitably you could draw the conclusion that this album sounds like a side project from Shadow Gallery just from the line-up, vocalist D.C.Cooper, guitarist Gary Wehrkamp, drummer Nick Di Virgilio and bassist Kurt Barabas.
Very similar of style and sound, but it would be unfair to just label it as such.
There are many "progressive metal" bands around right now, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you can get lost in the long list of clones.
But this isn't a clone; it has a nice fresh direction, with great musicianship, but with more than a nod to Shadow Gallery.
If you like challenging yet digestible progressive rock, then I'd suggest you try these guys out.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Members from - Silent Force, Shadow Gallery, Under the Sun and Spock's Beard., 15 Dec 2008
I purchased the `Voice in the Light' by Amaran's Plight for the simple reason that it was a collaboration between some of my favourite musicians and by all accounts, it was going to be a masterpiece. Well almost a masterpiece, but after reading some varied reviews regarding this album, many of them swayed more towards the pessimistic side for some strange reason. For the sake of this review, I will remain the perpetual optimist, as I certainly do not share the same sentiments of others that have an aversion to this release - which is fine as we are all entitled to express our own opinions. The four main players in Amaran's Plight are vocalist D.C.Cooper (ex Royal Hunt and currently Silent Force), guitarist Gary Wehrkamp (Shadow Gallery), drummer Nick Di Virgilio (Spock's Beard) and bassist Kurt Barabas (Under the Sun).
Certainly a line-up of seasoned veterans, so how does the music measure up? Bearing in mind, we do not have anything to measure this release against so it must be viewed on its own individual merits. Despite the music, the lyrics are a key ingredient here and were written by writer John W Crawford in conjunction with the help of Wehrkamp. The story is a concept based and is in reference to a man's search for answers following a near death experience. Wehrkamp has certainly has had his work cut out with this project and has written all the music, which for the most part must have been an arduous task. He is a professional musician, so he is doing what he does best by creating provocative progressive music. Stylistically the music of Amaran's Plight cannot be categorised, as it is multifaceted and non-specific due to the complexity of the music.
It is a fusion of progressive rock/metal, symphonic rock/metal and everything else in between. Call it what you will, Amaran's Plight are a revelation as they aspire to play well-structured music with a specific focus - to relay the story to the attentive listener including the emotively laden music. There are many great elements here for a musical journey, as there is something in it for everyone - that is as long as you adhere to the progressive side of music. Overall, the best interpretation of the music should be left to the respective listener to make their own mind up as this music evokes many different emotions and feelings. Vocalist D.C. Cooper has an amazing vocal timbre and is highly regarded as one of the genres shining stars. I feel that with this project he has been given the creative licence to push his vocal ability even further than before, flirting openly with different styles that we have not heard before. If you need any further clarification of his ability, then check out his back catalogue with Royal Hunt or more recently with Silent Force. He is an absolute favourite vocalist of mine as he explores all facets of his voice.
Without a doubt, his selection for this project was the right one and I cannot think off-hand another vocalist that would have done a worthier job than D.C. himself. Wehrkamp's acoustic and electric fretwork is a nice tasty gourmet of aggressive and subtle guitar pieces, rising crescendos, combined with cascading guitar runs, which are breathtaking fluid. Being the sole guitarist with this project, Wehrkamp doubles up as the keyboardist by laying down some sophisticated piano pieces, which greatly contribute to the lush layer of the music. Together with some of the shorter transition pieces, everything here on this project creates a kind of soundtrack or even rock opera aspect to the concept behind `Voice in the Light'. Wehrkamp's guitar playing is parallel to the music of his main band, Shadow Gallery, so fans of this band will most definitely lap this release up with pride. Drummer Di Virgilio is rock solid behind his kit and beats out some amazing drum patterns, but the bass support from Barabas is right up there with the drums. Just listen to the track 'Incident at Haldeman's Lake' to see how there two musicians play as one interconnected unit - spectacular musicianship.
With a story as demanding as what has been laid out, the music runs for close to 76 minutes and this band is unafraid to incorporate a piano solo or acoustic guitar run within the complexity of the music. Standout tracks are `Consummation Opus' with the eerie church-like organ, the `Incident at Haldeman's Lake' which clocks in at 11:28 minutes and travels through a plethora of many different tempo changes by giving off an emotional vibe. Then there is the progressive rock tinged `Room 316', which again is a solid and memorable track. My favourite track is `Tragedy in Truth', which travels at a mid-tempo pace, but displays what a prominent vocalist Cooper really is. Each song on this album takes on its own persona and never is there a repetitive feel with the music as there is just too much going on for this to happen. Overall, a stunning release that will appeal to broadminded people that indulge in and out of progressive rock/metal as well as for fans of the previously mentioned bands. I would seriously urge you to source a copy for yourself, as this project is a worthy album in any progster's music collection.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Prog Metal Delight, 10 Mar 2008
Knew nothing about this immensely talented band till a friend lent me the CD. This is a beautiful melodic prog metal album with great songs and musicianship. If you like bands like Dream Theater and Floyd you'll be sure to love this. A real revelation.
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