(Rated this album with 8 out of 10) Reviewed by
Matt from www.prog.web.com
When I first got this cd I was expecting something more like Savatage (I don't think any such band exists) and was a little disappointed to find that they sounded a lot more like Helloween. After a few listens though, the album began to grow on me (all but the most inane, double-bass driven songs that appear on the album). It is a concept album, but it is a rather poor to mediocre one at that. These criticisms aside, there are a few gems amongst the average which are simply glorious. The band does show its ability to write very good and interesting melodic arrangements (with great Kiske meets Dickinson vocals) on a few points during the album. Most notably on the rocker "Babylon," the Savatage-esque "Land of the Miracle," the piano driven ballad "Another Time," and the 10 minute epic closer "Theater of Salvation." In truth, I would no longer consider my collection complete without these songs, despite the album's tendency to be a little homogeneous in other places. Songs such as these lead me to consider this album a near-essential.
