Colonising the Sun [Import]

Theory In Practice | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 27, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Listenable
• ASIN: B00006JNFQ
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #968,013 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Colonizing the Sun

2. Conspiracy in Cloning

3. The Psychomantum Litany [Chronicle Excerpt]

4. Shapeshifter

5. Ashen Apocrypha

6. The Clockwork That Counts Aeons

7. Illuminati

8. Replica Dawn

9. This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars spectacular, September 27, 2002

By 

silenus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colonising the Sun (Audio CD)

i disagree with the previous reviewer on a few points. firstly, i think the solos on this album are masterful. they are a good contrast to the spastic, violent riffing and serve to hold the listeners interest while simulatneously giving direction (as much as one can in death metal) to the song. this is by no means a straight death metal work. if progressive death metal is a genre, this is it. if its not, they just created it. other than that, i think his enthusiasm is a pretty good indication of this album's incredible energy. if you like cryptopsy, sprial architect or emperor's new one (promotheus), this is right up your ally.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible!!, August 31, 2002

By 

ManWithTheDogs (Frankfurt, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colonising the Sun (Audio CD)

The moment i heard the first riff from the song "Colonizing The Sun" i knew i had to buy this album. This album is amazing. I haven't heard any of their other stuff so i can't compare this album to their past works. I gave this album 5 stars. There are some things i would change on the album if i could but it's still incredibly awesome. The vocals are very good and full of energy. They get buried a little too much sometimes but this is no problem. The chaotic and fiery guitar riffs are what makes this album truly worth the money. I'm very happy with this album. My only complaints are the solos and the occasional death metal feel. The solos are great don't get me wrong...it's just that with riffs this crazy i would have expected more chaos in the solos as well. They do not do the riffs the justice that they deserve. The death metal feel i don't care for either. I like death metal and all but i was disappointed to hear some of the super heavy powerchords chugging away. It just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the album. All in all, still a great buy. I couldn't accurately explain to anyone how great this album is. You MUST listen for yourself. BUY THIS! And finally: DON'T DOWNLOAD YOU'RE FAVORITE CDS!!! BUY THEM!!! SUPPORT THE ARTISTS THAT YOU LIKE!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts off great, but unfortunately does not last..., April 7, 2007

By 

Boris Kaplun "asmox" (Reston, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colonising the Sun (Audio CD)

Theory in Practice play technical death metal of the melodic kind, laying down a complex and frenetic rhythmic foundation and saturating it with an endless barrage of crushing riffs, throat-ripping vocals, sweeping guitar solos, and guitar/keyboard unisons and duels worthy of the mightiest keyboard metal bands of this day and age. The execution is flawless - guitarist Peter Lake knows what the people want, and he does an exceptional job of twisting his riffs through bizarre meters and making them sound exceedingly heavy. His solos soar above the mayhem in such ways that they might seem more at home on a Andromeda record than anything that's associated with death metal. Keyboardist Mattias Engstrand is apparently there to keep Peter on his toes, as the two often indulge in massive harmonies and occasionally trade off solos that would please even the guys in Dream Theater. Drummer Henrik Ohlsson is what you'd expect from a tech death drummer - irregular foot work, spastic cymbal crashes, and off-time patterns. The bass, as far as I can tell, was not exactly a major concern for this album - because it's basically inaudible. Not that big of a deal, since the focus here is on guitar pyrotechnics.

So, what's the damn problem?

I don't really know. I should love this album. In fact, I should have long since crafted an altar in its name and set up a nightly worship routine, but something consistently gets in my way every time I try. Maybe it's the awful production, or the inability to decide on a solid direction, or the monotonous songwriting... whatever it is, it irritates me to no end to watch a band oozing with such sheer amounts of potential put out an offering that's so painfully mediocre.

The production is... fuzzy. I cannot think of a better word. The drums have zero dynamics and sound utterly lifeless. If you weren't paying attention, you probably wouldn't even be able to tell the difference between snare hits and kick drums... and forget about differentiating kick drums from tom hits. The guitars are mixed in incredibly uneven fashion - the riffs sound reasonably powerful and heavy, but the leads and solos are completely drowned out by the drums (mostly the cymbals, which actually sound decent), and even when the leads are halfway audible they still sound scratchy and thin. This annoys me especially throughout the title track, "Colonizing the Sun", which contains several solos throughout its duration that I can tell would probably really impress me if I could only hear them clearly.

The songwriting on here suffers as the album moves forward. The first two tracks contain plenty of good ideas... interesting riffs at breakneck speeds, striking melodies placed against soul-ripping sonic rage, killer sweep-picked solos, and bizarre time changes. From there, each song seems to become more and more mundane. The riffs begin to grate on the nerves, the drums cease to do anything interesting and merely serve to give you a headache, and the great melodic leads that had originally set this band apart from the legions of other bands doing the exact same thing slowly fade into the mess of indecipherable riffs. To be honest, this might be the result of the dreadful production slowly wearing away at my ears more than anything else.

I have listened through this album from start to finish several times since I first purchased it, but more often than not I find myself listening to the first two songs and then putting something else on. Occasionally I'll listen to the fourth track, "Shapeshifter", as it has some awesome leads throughout, but that's all. I'm simply unable to make it through any of the other tracks without rubbing my temples in frustration.

Perhaps next time around the guys can find a sound engineer who knows how to properly mix instruments.