I was up in the mountains with my boys since Wednesday night of last week, and once we got back, I had a tough time actually tracking down a physical copy of the album in my local record shops, so I am a bit late getting this album.
My reaction after one listen (and in the middle of my second): Wow. I like this a lot more than I was expecting. Part of that is due to the fact that the album seems to have gotten somewhat of a lukewarm response from more if its "built-in" fanbase than probably expected. Part of it is Derek's and Mike's online conduct souring some fans on the album before we even got to hear it. And part of it is simply that, while the album has many moments that may not be what fans like me were expecting, it's just a flat-out good album.
God of the Sun is an interesting choice to start off the album. It is a risky choice for several reasons. It opens with a sitar and keyboard intro that are reminiscent of both Home and Lines in the Sand. It tries very hard to be an epic album opener. And that alone is a risky move. Is it epic or is it cliché? I'm not really sure. Perhaps a bit of both. But I think it mostly works. And as the song progresses, I find myself asking that same question several times, whether it be in connection with the instrumental section, the abrupt transitions between disparate segments of the song, or other things. But I keep arriving back at the same answer: maybe a bit of both, but I think it mostly works.
For those that heard the two promo tracks (can we even really call songs "singles" anymore?), we are in familiar territory for the next two songs. I liked both of them initially anyway, but it was nice to get to crank them on a good system and really hear them. But I was also anxious to get past them and really see what the album had to offer that I hadn't heard yet. And, to me, the big payoff on this album was yet to arrive.
Labrynth REALLY had some cool moments, and I felt like the album was really starting to hit its stride with this song. I think those expecting big, "proggy" epics should feel like their needs were catered to with God of the Sun and Labrynth. And I was staring to feel at this point in the album that, despite it maybe feeling a bit clichéd at the outset, there was definitely sufficient variety and depth to give this album its own identity and credibility rather than it simply being sort of a "progressive metal-by-numbers" album, as some fans feared it would be. But it is really the three more "straightforward" tracks that came next, Alive, Lost in Oblivion, and Divine Addiction, where the album really takes off for me. Prior to that, although I was liking the album, one thing that I felt was a bit lacking was a dearth of fun, memorable riffs. These last few songs bring that, as well as melody, hooks, and just fun songwriting. Divine Addiction in particular, with its obvious nods to Deep Purple, is incredibly catchy and is a cool "false ending" to the album before wrapping it up with the big instrumental.
As far as the individual member playing and contributions, I think everybody does a pretty solid job. There are definitely times when I feel like Derek's keyboards are too upfront and flamboyant. But, hey, it's prog metal. Really, I feel like each member brings something good to the table and does a nice job on this album. There is a lot of variety here, and each one of the guys shows he is more than capable of doing a fine job of being bombastic, subtle, or whatever else the music requires of him in the moment.
Overall, I think this is a pretty strong debut. There is definitely room to improve. And as these guys spend time touring and writing more together, I fully expect that they will become tighter and more cohesive. But this is a solid album, and I am pretty happy with it. Initial impression: 8/10