Search - DGM :: Different Shapes

"Breaking these walls of silence built for you and me"

D. Knouse | vancouver, washington United States | 07/21/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"4.5 stars. There are only two songs on this CD that don't quite work for me. The first is "Fallen Angel" which is a mid-tempo balladesque tune that goes on for a minute too long and becomes tiresome as a result. Especially compared to the preceding songs which are filled with excitement and Progressive tendencies that keep the songs fresh and interesting. The second song is "Peace of Mind" which contains a harsh contrast of Death Metal shouting mixed with the "happy" vocals that crop up from time to time, and the whole thing simply does not work. As for the rest of the music here I am reminded of Pagan's Mind, Symphony X, Angra, and a glorious touch of Kansas. This is Progressive Power Metal front to back with solid performances from all concerned and a high production quality that I demand and appreciate. This CD will certainly grow on me the more I hear it as the Progressive elements are intricate and the musicianship frequently stellar. Highly recommended."

Must Have Album for a Prog Fan

Georgia Brown | 09/01/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album defines Prog in my mind because it comes with a variety of classic prog derived sounds combined in some cases with heavy metal and in others simple ballads. The first track that caught my mind was A New Life, which is really easy since it in the first song. You can truly hear the skill of all of the musicians in the band as they drive through these songs.



As with the other review I found Fallen Angel to be a Blemish on this album, it drags and becomes trite as it goes - but that still does not take away from the album on a whole. Also I personally love the song Piece of Mind because of the aggresive "death" metal (he attempts to growl) contrtast to the clean and clear chorus. I find the variety in that to be the essence of prog, because they are pushing a boundary that is unexpected. I'd liken the song Piece of Mind to songs such as Used or Scarsick by Pain of Salvation where Daniel Gildenlow transitions from a harsh rap like verse to a beautiful clean chorus.



This album kicks on all cylinders (exception is fallen angel) throughout listening to it. I found it to be a great combination of creativity with some of the shred stylings commonly found in this genre. They are more Neoclassical than a Pain of Salvation or Porcupine Tree yet less Shred (more pure rock) than a Malmsteen or etc while being less eclectic than a Thought Chamber. I would liken them to Magnitude 9 or ARK with more faster riffs."