Customer Reviews

Back to Times of Splendor

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Back to Times of Splendor may not be the best album of 2004 (although it's up there), but it does deserve some consideration for the title of "most criminally underappreciated". With this album Disillusion have created a work of stunning grandiosity and complexity, the kind of album that should appeal to just about all kinds of headbanger. These guys are all over the map, inviting comparisons to bands from such disparate segments of the metal genre as Opeth, Blind Guardian, and (early) Arch Enemy. They accomplish this none-too-easy feat with loads of brilliant musicianship and some of the most inventive and intelligent metal songwriting of the year. Everything about this album is epic, from the vocals to the melodies to the song lengths (yes, the three or four people who regularly read my reviews may notice that I recently made almost the exact same remark about Isis's Panopticon, but it may apply even more to this album).

It's also worth noting that while they're undoubtedly a "progressive metal" band, with all of the characteristics such a description generally entails, Disillusion are largely able to avoid the more negative connotations associated with the progressive label. While Vurtox's German-accented clean vocals can at times be a bit much, this album contains little of the excess for which such bands as Dream Theather and Symphony X are notorious (this is not to say that the foregoing are necessarily bad, but c'mon, we all know they can overdo things). There are no long-winded arrangements here, no keyboard solos, and no syrupy ballads. In other words, much like the aforementioned Isis, these guys manage to encapsulate all that's good about a progressive and eclectic approach while largely steering clear of the pretension that often accompanies it.

While it may contain a mere six songs, Back to Times of Splendor still has a lot of meat on it, as those six tracks add up to almost an hour of listening. For convenience's sake, the album be divided pretty neatly into two sets of three songs each. The opening And the Mirror Cracked, Alone I Stand in Fires, and Back to Times of Splendor all present a similar sound, and it's quite a sound at that. These three songs are all warp-speed metallic bludgeonings, containing some of the most devastating riffs and guitar harmonies EVER, with Vurtox's vocals occasionally reaching death-metal levels of intensity (but it should be noted that unlike most death vocals, his are good). Occasionally the band will tone down the assault and segue into more melodic territory featuring clean vocals and more of an Opeth-style jazz-folk sound, but even then there's a distinctly "metal" intensity to their sound, and the less claustrophobic nature of these sections merely serves to make it easier to hear the complexity of the band's musicianship, especially the rhythm section.

The other three tracks on the album aren't quite as monumentally good as the others, but they all still have something to offer. The dynamic-laden Fall starts out (relatively) slow and gentle before some head-banging riffs and harsh vocals kick in for a sound somewhat similar to prime In Flames. A Day by the Lake is perhaps the most interesting song here, with some intricate acoustic guitar work sharing space with a killer lead line and some head-spinning drum work from Jens Maluschka. At 17 minutes, The Sleep of Restless Hours is a mountainous, genre-bending epic, complete with strings, some more killer guitar solos, and vocals that run from orchestral singing to cavernous growls. It does get a bit overwrought towards the end, but hey, nothing's perfect.

Anyway, this is clearly one of the best metal albums of the year, and it deserves a lot more attention than it's gotten. If there's any justice in the music world, one day Disillusion will get some radio airplay, followed by videos on MTV, a series of platinum albums, and sold-out stadium tours. After all, if the Red Sox can win the World Series, anything can happen, right? Right?

Hmm, doesn't seem like anyway has heard of these guys yet. Well, they will soon, I'll bet. This is very impressive stuff, particularly for a debut album. Disillusion is basically a mixture of melodeath and straight prog metal. This sounds like a dangerous potential combination, as these aren't two of my favorite metal subgenres. However, Disillusion combines the best of each sides, while largely ignoring the bad stuff, and made one of the best albums of the year.

These guys are obviously very skilled musicians, but they tend to keep things under control. The solos, in particular, aren't as long or frequent as they'd often be, and tend to focus on melody and mood rather than speed. They work very well, I might add. Unlike lots of melodeath and prog metal bands, they write consistently strong riffs. They don't write riffs that are trying so hard to be melodic that they've got no punch, as often do the former, and don't write ones that are trying so hard to be complex that they don't go anywhere or do anything, as often do the latter. They've also got a rather nice, thick and bassy guitar tone. The production on this album, however, isn't so great. It's not terrible but its could have been both sharper and heavier, and is unusually distant and muddy for a modern recording. It certainly doesn't ruin it. but it's far from ideal. The vox are pretty good. Vurtox has got a fairly good growl, and his singing voice is pretty decent. It's not great, but they write good vocal melodies, which is what matters the most.

It opens with 'And the Mirror Cracked', which is a simply unbelievable song, and easily the best one on the album. It's an entry in the old 8 1/2 minute epic style of metal songwriting, meaning it's got your standard verse-chorus structure, but with an especially long middle break, which is typically much more mellow than the rest of the song. The best songs of this sort are 'Master of Puppets' and 'Flesh and the Power it Holds'. Well, you can place 'And the Mirror Cracked' alongside those two, now. It opens with a beautiful, epic guitar lead, giving way to some blast-beats and incredibly dense, breakneck riffing that still maintains a certain melodic edge. There are some rather good death vox during the verses and it's got a great melodic riff underneath the actual chorus, and an immediately memorable pre-chorus hook.( still wondering) The middle break is fantastic too, with several beautiful, sorrowful guitar leads and some nice piano and acoustic guitar work. They shouldn't placed this song first- it's too good, the rest of the album can't match it. Still, the rest is good. 'Fall' is next. It's another rocker, but quite a bit more subdued than the previous track, and w/o any death vox. It's still a very strong track, with lots of incredibly intricate rhythm guitar work. The opening riff is particularly awesome. 'Alone I Stand in Fires' picks up the intensity a bit again. The rhythm work is again quite powerful and very widely varied, with some faster grindcore-ish stuff going on at times. It's got some particularly prominent but well used synths/strings, and is very claustrophobic, with a thick rhythmic base combining a real drum with a drum machine.(some of the time, anyway) A very good song. It probably should have been the opener. The 14 minute title track is next. You have to listen to it pretty carefully to take it all in, but it's quite an excellent song. It's got a very pretty and surprisingly appropriate violin melody, and a very effective, sung chorus. Don't think it too mellow, as it still heavily consists of death-thrash riffing and growling overtop of pounding double bass. The mellow middle break is very good too, with some great, dueling acoustic guitars. 'A Day by the Lake' is a atmospheric, melodic track. It's got a lot of energy for this sort of song, and is plenty melodic, but doesn't seem quite complete. It seems to end about 3 mintues too early. Still, it's quite a good song. The closer, 'The Sleep of Restless Hours' is both the longest and the weakest track on the album. It's still pretty good, but it can get a bit overwrought at times, and just doesn't have as many interesting musical ideas as the rest of the album. It's still a pretty solid track, however.

Well, that's it. I expect big things from these guys in the future.

Don't count on every album you buy being your new favorite. Some albums take a few listens to grasp all the nuances that make it unique. Some albums have a handful of really strong songs but overall falters. I buy a lot of music and up to this point in my life have amassed a very substantial amount of music that mainly consists of releases that paint into every corner of all things heavy. Due to the amount of music I consume and listen to, I have had albums for over a year before really finding the truly special traits they contain. Once in a great while, I get something that instantly grabs me. "Back To Times Of Splendor" is the latest guilty party in that category.

On average, any band that plays progressive metal fits quite a lot of instrumentation in their songs and even the most intuitive listener will need a few listens to start to recall moments that a memorable. Disillusion is a unique animal in that despite having very intricate musicianship contained within, they have enough hooks to catch your immediate attention. They succeed in doing so by roping the listener in with aggressive melodies fronted by a combination of death metal and orchestral singing and once you are roped in, they expose the more intriguing and finite details of their rhythms. Everything flows and works in impeccable balance with the other instruments, making the players truly sound like they are playing as one entity rather than three individuals and proving that it takes more than simply playing in time with one another to be considered a tight unit. With the virtual soundscape that envelops the listener, one would be hard-pressed to assume that Disillusion is comprised of any less than 10 members when there are only three musicians.

Standing apart even from some of today's metal stalwarts, Disillusion becomes yet another example of the direction that metal is evolving in and adds their name to the long list of less-recognized bands that outshine the bigger acts without fail. This is one truly fantasic release that no one can afford to miss out on.

Disillusion is the name of a band that is probably unfamiliar to you, but I assure you upon placing this disc into your CD player and listening for even one minute, you will never forget them. In the first minute you will feel the melody mixed with focus insanity that is representative of Disillusion on a whole. There is perhaps more emotion in that one segment of music than many bands have been able to capture in entire CD's. Thus, Disillusion's "Back To the Times of Splendor," the first full length album for the band, is sure to leave you breathless by the time the last note hits.

It is very difficult to put a finger on Disillusion's musical style; you more likely need your whole hand in order to peg down every element of the band. It is hard, fast, and vicious on one end and melodious, heartfelt, and epic on the other. Entwined in the lush musical landscape Disillusion has created you will find shades of death metal, prog, folk and classical as the band takes the listener through this auditory journey. Flashes of guttural vocals and low-end guitar punishment resolve into moments of beauty laced with orchestral arrangements and sparkling vocals. Every member of Disillusion knows his role in creating this soundscape and each is balanced naturally into the whole ensemble; without one the overall effect of the band would surely be diminished. Even with all their technical ability, they do not fall into the trap of some metal bands of modern days and just give an exercise on technicality. The 6 songs found on this disc are beautifully crafted and will truly may the listener feel as if they are watching something develop on the big screen rather than hearing it come through their speakers.

Patience is required to get the full effect of Disillusion's masterpiece with two of the songs clocking in at over 14 and 17 minutes (the title track and the final track respectively), but anyone who would take a serious interest in this disc has probably long left the world of nu-metal and dumbed-down radio rock long ago. Those two tracks may be the albums strong points, if for nothing else than they show just how finely tuned Disillusion's songwriting can be. The other four songs are still spectacular in their own right and serve as the building blocks for the two epics, providing an essential foundation that completes this work of art. It is rare these days for music, especially in the metal genre, to be called a true work of art. However, Disillusion is so ambitious and creative on this disc that calling it a work of art may even be understating its value. This is easily my pick for Album of the Year for 2004 and surely will be yours too if you give it a chance. The words I have written here will never be enough to do Disillusion's masterpiece justice.

You have to hear it to experience it goes without saying. This trio from Germany takes you on a such a fantastic journey that you dont want to leave. I would compare this to other bands if it was possible, these guys are in a class of their own. They mix a lot of different genre's in their style to create a very unique experience. STOP READING THIS, JUST BUY THEIR CD!

Well after a few hundred listens I have to say this is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's epic, its serene and its explosive. This is an album you can turn off all the lights and listen to with head phones and its fantastic. It is for sure a progressive metal album but not so over the top from some of the other prog giants. From songs 1-6 I personally haven't found a weak song yet. Especially the last song. Over 17min the last 5 minutes are a perfect ending to the cd. In fact I ripped just that last part because it's so good. Though there new cd Gloria wasn't at all like this. I applaud them for going in a different direction but it would have been awesome to hear something like this from them.

Do not hesitate to pick this album up.

This album just blew me away! Every track is loaded with great musicianship and well written lyrics.

Its difficult to categorize this CD, but different parts of songs reminded me of a few different bands. A little Opeth, a little Mushroomhead and the lead singer's voice deffinitely reminds me of System of Down.

I highly recommend this CD. And itd be impossible for me to pick any favorite tracks... they are all excellent!

It really is a shame that this album has been overlooked by so many people. This is, in my opinion, one of the most important prog releases in some time. This is definitely up there with such stalwarts as Dream Theater's finest as well as Symphony X, Pain of Salvation and other tyrants of the prog genre. When I say Disillusion is "prog" they don't engage in sophist wankery like Dream Theater (or their clones) tend to do. What Disillusion do is they write damn good songs (much like Pain of Salvation). Also, they write something for everything. Vurtox is a very versatile singer and musician. One minute a passage has blast beats and he's growling, the next minute he's crooning softfully and then it goes into a Pink Floyd-ish breakdown. This album took two years to craft, and it definitely shows it. The title track and "The Sleep of Restless Hours" display some of the bands finest talents. Especially the latter of the two tracks. It definitely ranks as one of my favorite epic tracks ever (it clocks in at an amazing 17 minutes long).

What makes this cd so great is that, no matter how many times I listen to it, I can always come back and listen to it again. Why? Because as I said, these are extremely well crafted songs with emotion and feeling. The music, the lyrics, the atmosphere all come together to form an amazing record. Do not let this pass you by if you are an open minded metalhead

Disillusion may not have many fans yet, but be prepared to hear more and more about this awesome band. Their style is unique... A mixture of just about sub-genre of metal you can name. Despite combining all of these disparate sounds, they manage to craft a fantastic set of songs that never sounds forced or out of place. An easy pick as one of the top albums of 2004.

Well folks, groups like this one don't come up often, so do yourself a favor and buy it ASAP - it may open your eyes (and ears) to death/prog/jazz/power/metal mixture which will amaze you !!! I'll not evaluate any of the songs here - you've got to listen to it as a whole - exactly the same way you did on two best Opeth volumes (MAYH & Still Life )... I hope you did...
... otherwise I don't know why you're reading this :-)