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Band Name: Pagan's Mind
Album Name: Enigmatic : Calling
Rating: 4 / 5 User Rating: 3.8 / 5
Label: Limb Music Productions
Buy Album: Amazon.com
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Tracklist
1. The Celestine Prophecy
2. Enigmatic Mission
3. Supremacy, Our Kind
4. Entrance To Inifinity
5. Coming Home (instrumental)
6. Celestial Calling
7. Taken
8. Resurrection (Back In Time)
9. Appearance (instrumental)
10. Search For Life
11. New World Order
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Pagan's Mind are a top-notch progressive metal band hailing from the frigid land of Norway. They manage to combine all of the typical Dream Theater and Fates Warning influences with melodies and arrangements that are uniquely theirs, giving them a very different feel from any other progressive metal group out there. Oftentimes with progressive metal bands have a tendency to definitively separate slower songs from faster songs. Even when both types are done very well, a certain lack of creativity towards that aspect of the music is glaring. On "Enigmatic Calling," however, Pagan's Mind have managed to integrate the paces of song sections, with beautiful results.
One of the other main strengths of "Enigmatic Calling" is that for most of the time, no one instruments stands out above the others. Instead of the music being dominated by keys, guitars, or even the vocals, a nice equilibrium exists in the majority of their songs. The different instruments (along with Nils K. Rue's voice) blend together in such a way that one does not overshadow the other, but the benefits from each can still be aurally reaped. The album's first track, "The Celestine Prophecy," does just this, overlaying guitar and keyboard patterns with vocals and the band's rhythm section to induce an energetic yet thought-provoking tune.
Another highlight that this release has to offer is its instrumental tracks. The first, "Coming Home," brings to mind Dream Theater's "Metropolis pt I" in that both songs embody all that is good about instrumental progressive music. The guitars are rhythmic and intricate and the keyboards provide some stunning melody for the listeners. "Appearance," on the other hand, is a slower track that provides a bride into "Search for Life." Its easier pace provides an excellent setup for the song following it, as it sets a good tone for what is to come. "Search for Life" is easily the album's softest song, but like all good progressive songs, it has a heavier melody that picks up nearer to the end of the song, rounding off the ballad-like track with a bang.
"Enigmatic Calling" contains all the necessary elements to truly please all sorts of progressive metal fans. It has a Dream Theater feel combined with Symphony X-like energy, yet they are still able to maintain a strong atmosphere of originality. Fans of progressive and melodic metal would be smart to add this one to their collections.
Review by: Andrew Sudano
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