Zitat:You know those moments when you heard milestones like Iron Maiden´s The Number of the beast, Dream Theater´s Images and words or Queensryche´s Operation Mindcrime. True hallelujah moments that doesn´t happen that often nowadays, until the release of Italian symphonic metal band Infinita Symphonia´s debut album "A minds chronicle". This is nothing but a modern classic, singer Luca Micioni sounds like a young Bruce Dickinson, without doubt one of the best metal vocalists I´ve heard lately. They announce on their website that Tim Ripper Owens is guesting on "Only one reason" but this band doesn´t need him to shine, Infinita Symphonia does it superb all by themselves. The music can be described as mix between Iron Maiden, Queensryche and Pagans Mind. There´s not a single weak moment on this album, all songs stand tall like new metal anthems. The mighty "The illusion" is ridiculously good, but then again, all songs are stunning. I take off my hat and I suggest you do the same too.

Das Album läuft bei mir derzeit im Auto rauf und runter ... vielleicht kanns ja noch jemanden begeistern

Zitat:Selten habe ich dermaßen gefesselt vor einem Debüt-Album gesessen und meinen Augen und Ohren kaum trauen gekonnt. Und dafür gibt es jede Menge Gründe.

„Elinoire“ ist die vertonte 80-minütige Geschichte eines scheinbar glücklichen Familienidylls, das in der totalen Katastrophe endet und am Ende gar wie ein zum Klingen gebrachter Kriminalroman erscheint. Nur dass in diesem Falle kein Film entsteht, sondern ein Konzept-Album, das im Vergleich zu ähnlichen Musikwerken nunmehr seinesgleichen sucht!

Bereits das Cover illustriert in seiner Düsternis, dass einen hier bestimmt kein Gute-Laune-Pop-Rock erwartet, sondern die Musiker sich in die Abgründe der menschlichen Seele begeben. Wie selbstverständlich erscheint es da, dass sich metallischer Rock mit düsterem Metal und verspieltem Prog vereinen. Die Erwartungen sind hoch – und sie werden nicht nur erfüllt, sondern deutlich übertroffen. Schon beim Lesen der an „Elinoire“ beteiligten Musikernamen, die als Gäste tragende Rollen in diesem Werk übernehmen, überfällt einen ein ungläubiges Kopfschütteln:

BILLY SHERWOOD von YES
GARY WEHRKAMP & BERNDT ALLMAN von SHADOW GALLERY
JIMMY KEEGAN von SPOCK'S BEARD & SANTANA
und als integriertes Band-Mitglied sogar MAREK ARNOLD von TOXIC SMILE, SVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR, GABRIA und der STERN-COMBO MEISSEN!

Da läuft einem glattweg das Wasser im Munde zusammen und der Ohrschmalz verflüchtigt sich.
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FAZIT: „Elinoire“ ist genau das Album geworden, auf das ich nunmehr schon seit Jahren sehnsüchtig von AYREON warte. Nein – es ist besser als das geworden. Ein grandioses Debüt, das die Latte für einen Nachfolger auf ungeahnte Höhen legt und nicht umsonst haben sich wohl Musiker von SHADOW GALLERY, YES, SPOCK'S BEARD, SEVEN STEPS TO THE GREEN DOOR und TOXIC SMILE zur Mitarbeit mit FLAMING ROW bereit erklärt. Hier kommt der klingende Beweis dafür!

Zitat:Andrew "Mac" McDermott, the former lead singer of U.K. progressive metallers THRESHOLD, passed away in England on Wednesday, August 3. He succumbed to kidney failure after spending four days in a coma. He was only 45 years old.

McDermott had "serious health problems" in the months leading up to his death, according to a June 2011 statement from the German melodic metal band POWERWORLD, with whom McDermott recorded the 2010 album "Human Parasite".

Commented THRESHOLD guitarist Karl Groom: "Mac played a large part in the story of THRESHOLD and appeared on five studio albums. He also sang on numerous fan club releases and live albums. Although I have not seen him since 2007 for the last video shoot in Leipzig, he still remains in our minds and there is a big sense of loss. I have spoken to and seen ex-members of the band over the last two days who are all very saddened by this turn of events. We remember Mac as being so vibrant and full of life, so find this news is hard to accept."

Added THRESHOLD keyboard player Richard West: "Mac had such a big personality and one of the world's greatest rock voices, it's so very sad that we lost him so young. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones."

Stated Ilker Ersin of POWERWORLD: "A friend is gone! We are very sad about our big loss. We can't find the right words in this moment. Our sympathy and condolence goes to his family. The world lost a gently, nice, honest and warm-hearted person. We will miss him."

A condolences page has been launched at this location: http://rememberingandrewmacmcdermott.webs.com/

McDermott performed in clubs in England and tried to establish a band there in his early years before he moved to Germany to join the band SARGANT FURY. After three albums, the band dissolved and in 1998 McDermott joined THRESHOLD as lead singer, replacing Damian Wilson.

Shortly after the release of THRESHOLD's 2007 album "Dead Reckoning", McDermott left the band, resulting in Wilson's return to the group.

McDermott's most recent musical project was SWAMP FREAKS, which "took some of the cool 'n' heavy from the '70s [FREE, LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH] and mashed it up with some '90s anarchy [PEARL JAM, NIRVANA, ALICE IN CHAINS] threw in some RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and a sprinkle of punk rock," according to the band's Facebook page.

Zitat:With an album title that only hints at the unbridled chaos that has engulfed Dream Theater”™s world over the last year, this first album without drummer Mike Portnoy is a pivotal moment in the band”™s twenty six year history. With an expectant fan base, Dream Theater quite simply had to deliver a “classic” Dream Theater album. If they moved too far away from their blueprint, or stacked the album with “filler”, they would be immediately be castigated for letting Portnoy leave in the way he did and for rebuffing his attempt to rejoin the band a few weeks later. The central reason Portnoy cited for his departure was that he felt that the band had become stale and that they needed an extended break to recharge. Put simply, he felt that if the band were to survive, something needed to change in order for them to create truly special albums once again. The ultimate irony here is that by leaving, Portnoy has provided that spark, and indeed Dream Theater have returned with a fresh and frankly stunning album in A Dramatic Turn Of Events.

For all the drama of the acrimonious split and the bitterness that is understandably still evident on both sides, eventually it comes down to the music. And no matter which side of the argument your loyalties lie, it”™s the music that the band will ultimately be judged on. The most startling aspect of this album is the vigour with which the band have applied themselves. The attention to detail is noticeable – both in the songwriting, the production and the mix – with all members of the band (including the normally reserved John Myung) contributing strong melodies and lyrical concepts. Keyboard player Rudess has talked of how he would write sections to fit snugly around John Petrucci”™s riffs, and this careful craftsmanship has provided a fresh edge to the album”™s sound that at times is spiritually reminiscent of such standout albums as Images And Words or Scenes From A Memory. Progressive metal as a genre has a sliding scale between the two poles, and the material here veers more towards the prog, which many would say was no bad thing. The growling vocals have vanished to be replaced with typically complex DT musicality and countless melodies, and critically the album is not immediately gratifying, and requires several listens in order to fully grasp exactly what the band have achieved here.

Build Me Up, Break Me Down contains some epic riffs, along with a incredibly catchy chorus, and the same can be said of Lost Not Forgotten – the finale of which has some truly blistering interplay between Rudess and Petrucci. Such a description could be viewed as being Dream-Theater-By-Numbers, but that would be missing the point. This is the sound of a band having fun, playing to their strengths and infusing their sound with an energetic new edge without at any point resorting to prog metal cliché. It”™s also easy to fall into the trap of viewing the lyrical content of the album as perhaps hinting at their recent turmoil, and This Is The Life falls into that category. With lines such as “Some of us choose to live gracefully/ Some can get caught in the maze and lose their way home/ This is the life we belong to” reading almost like a revised mission statement, it remains one of the most wonderfully tranquil pieces of music the band have ever created, and guitar solo is on a par with Dave Gilmour in his pomp. The same can be said of the similarly mellow Beneath The Surface, which is another beautifully constructed song that”™s propelled by a string section.

Harking back to Scenes From A Memory, Outcry contains the type of musical dexterity that drove The Dance Of Eternity but is combined with a striking vocal melody. Similarly engaging is Bridges In The Sky, even if the unexpected sound of an Aboriginal battle cry that opens the track does sound a touch like The Simpson”™s Barney Gumble cracking out a hearty burp down in Moe”™s Tavern. Far From Heaven is another lilting, heartfelt piano led track that provides a continued balance to the album. Perhaps the most audible contrast with previous albums (and no doubt for the DT hardcore the most widely anticipated song) is Breaking All Illusions which contains John Myung”™s first foray into lyric writing for many a year. It also showcases Myung”™s talent as a bass player – which many have claimed has been left in the background in the recent past – and it”™s a pleasure to hear him so prominent in the mix once again.

Ultimately, this is a breathtaking album that Dream Theater fans will adore. It”™s just such a crying shame that it took such cataclysmic change within the band for them to create it.