专辑英文名: Carpe Diem
专辑中文名: 及时行乐
歌手: Heavenly
音乐风格: 摇滚
资源格式: MP3
版本: 320kbps
发行时间: 2009年12月19日
地区: 法国
语言: 英语
简介:
法国老牌力量金属乐团Heavenly的最新大作，2009年Power类作品中备受瞩目的一张作品，强烈推荐。毋庸置疑的09年压轴大作，专辑保持了一贯的大气恢弘的风格，旋律也是依旧相当出色！
About 2 years ago the French power metal act Heavenly set their careers on fire with the highly progressive concept album “Dust To Dust”, which saw the arrival of axe man Charley Corbiaux and a series of amazing dueling guitar solos between 2 rather talented lead players. However, not long after the entire band essentially splintered into 2 separate bands, which left front man Ben Soto with the daunting task of replacing fellow founding member Maxence Pilo and 2 other exceptional musicians who had supported his project for several years. I was among the doubting fans who thought that the band would lose its way and eventually fold up the tents the way “Destiny’s End” did a few years back, but after reading Ben Soto’s optimistic tone regarding the issue of reforming the band, I decided to give this album the chance that it obviously deserved. My expectations were high, and further inflated by the fact that I decided to blow an extra $8 on this release by getting it imported from Japan. Surprisingly enough, this album did not only surpass my expectations of something near the caliber of the previous album, but actually surpassed them and listens slightly better than “Dust To Dust” in many respects.
There is only one advantage that this album has over “Dust to Dust”, and that is the issue of accessibility. Their last album scarcely had a song under the 6 minute mark, as it was geared towards a more progressive sound, particularly in terms of song structure. Although many of the songs on here are equally as complex as the longer epics on the previous release, many have a more straight-forward approach in terms of form, and all of them have highly catchy and easy to sing along with choruses. I would say that “Dust to Dust” was a more extravagant and original piece of art that only the more intellectually geared metal head could truly understand, while this album is an instant classic that can appeal to a much more universal audience.
As far as the replacement musicians that Soto and Corbiaux came up with, somehow they actually managed to come out with a better group than what was before. Most notable is the addition of guitarist Oliver Lapauze, who’s highly complex and agitated soloing style, is reminiscent of Roland Grapow and provides a good technical foil to Corbiaux’s more melodically driven leads. Thomas Das Neves is equally as proficient behind the kit as Pilo was, and his sound has a bit more depth to it. Mathieu Plana is a solid bassist and keeps the bottom in tact, which is the exact role that Pellison played in his long tenure with this band.
The songs on here exhibit the same signature sound that Heavenly has been developing since their inception, fast paced power metal with a strong keyboard and vocal presence. But on here, we see the role of the guitar branch out quite a bit. The intro riffs to “The Dark Memories” and “Virus” are heavy and aggressive, to the point of sounding like late 80s thrash. “The Power and Fury” is a high octane speed metal with a rather catchy guitar melody that reminds a bit of “Illusions Part 2 (Call of the Wild)” off the last release, which was probably the most memorable track on there. “The Prince of the World” has one of the more active guitar intros, and reminds me a bit of Yngwie’s heavier tracks such as “Déjà vu” and “Never Die”. “Wasted Time” has a gloomy Iron Maiden inspired clean guitar intro, something which Heavenly had not previously bothered doing as Ben Soto’s keyboard work pretty much dominated the cleaner ambiences. “Liberty” is probably the most riveting guitar driven song on here, loaded with fast “Painkiller” inspired lines, complemented by another catchy guitar melody.
The album’s single “Spill Blood on Fire” is quite catchy, and highlights Ben Soto’s amazing singing range and ability to play multiple characters with his voice. It has many varying sections, yet it stays a very straight-forward song with a good collection of lyrical and musical hooks. We also see one of the best dueling guitar solo between Corbiaux and Lapauze. The Japanese release, which I possess, also contains a music video that is a good deal more pleasing to the eyes than the collection of garbage that MTV insists on vomiting out of the television set.
The contributions of the guest musicians on this album is also worthy of some high praise. Tony Kakko adds an emotionally neurotic element to “Wasted Time” that makes it a standout track amongst other more anthem-like metal songs. Kevin Codfert’s keyboard work on “Bravery in the field”, particularly at the beginning and middle section, is high reminiscent of players such as Jens Johannsen. But the highlight of this area of the album is the duet between Soto and Tanja on “When the rain begins to fall”. I am a fairly steady fan of Lullacry’s work, and I was taken aback when I learned that their tantalizing vocalist was going to grace this album with her Joan Jett/Stevie Nicks approach to singing. To put it bluntly, I used to hate this song before I heard this version of it, now I don’t feel like an idiot singing loud as all hell that “you’ll ride my rainbow in the sky!” For those who want a basis of comparison, if you own Gamma Ray’s “Power Plant”, Heavenly did for this song what they did for the Pet Shop Boys song “It’s a Sin”.
Another rather interesting surprise that came along with this version of the album is the bonus track “The Joker”. In addition to being powerful mid-tempo rocker with some solid riffs, we are treated to a rare vocal performance by Charley Corbiaux. His voice, ironically, reminds me a lot of Adrian Smith whose lead vocals can be heard on the B-side of Iron Maiden’s Somewhere in Time under the song title “Reach Out”. Fans of more traditional metal will like this song as it has a more straight-forward structure and has a stronger emphasis on the guitar.
There is so much excellent music on here, it’s all but impossible to say that one song is better than all others, but I do have one favorite out of the bunch and that is “Liberty”. In addition to having the most amazingly fast drum beat and an unforgettable chorus, it carries a rather optimistic lyrical message that underscores the triumph that this album is. Ben Soto essentially depicts the way of the world as it is, ailing with the virus of hatred and destruction, yet at the same time worth fighting for and saving. After going through a barrage of pessimistic releases out of bands like Gamma Ray’s “Majestic” and Dio’s “Master of the Moon”, this song is a much needed breath of fresh air.
I will have to revise a previous statement that I made on my review of Axel Rudi Pell’s “Mystica”. That album is now tied with this one for my pick of greatest album of 2006. While ARP reminds us of where we come from, Heavenly is telling us of the amazing places that we can continue to go. Although we will always come home to the grace and simplicity of traditional metal, we can be bold and explore new territory. This album is an equal split of Progressive and Power Metal, it can appeal both to fans of Gamma Ray and Dream Theater. However, I will state once again as I don’t want to mislead anyone, I am a man who loves melody and speed in my music. Fans of Black Metal and other brands of darker music should steer clear of this album, at is unapologetic in its light nature, particularly in terms of the lyrics. But to all who want to gaze out into distant horizons with a strong sense of optimism, I invite you to hear the music that I have come to love.
