Customer Reviews

Reality in Focus

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

THE BAND: Corey Brown (vocals), Rob Johnson (guitars), Kevin Chown (bass), Joseph Anastacio Glean (keyboards), John Homan (drums).

THE DISC: (2000) 10 songs clocking in at approximately 59 minutes. All music written by Magnitude 9 with the exception of "Flight Of Icarus" (written by Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson and Dave Smith, 1983). All lyrics written by Corey Brown. Included with the disc is a 6-page booklet with song lyrics and thank you's. The only band picture is on the back of the CD case. Label - Inside/Out.

COMMENTS: I read impressive reviews here on Amazon and on the band's website, however this album does not jump out at me like I had hoped it would. A few very good songs mixed in with simply to much filler. Don't get me wrong, the band members are extremely talented musicians, but the song writing just doesn't strike me as anything overly impressive, addicting or memorable for that matter. Best songs are the opener "No Turning Back" and their redention of Iron Maiden's old classic "Flight Of Icarus"... good job. Rob Johnson can shred, but in my opinion he grandstands too much (remniscent of Jack Black's character Dewey Finn in "School Of Rock")... untamed and unstructured. Corey Brown can definitely sing, but he's nothing original. He's absolutely somewhere between Ray Adler (Fates Warning) and Geoff Tate (Queensryche). Perhaps too much emphasis on the keyboards in too many songs for my liking. You'll be thinking the music in general reminds you of some of those 2nd tier progressive rock bands like Enchant, Vanden Plas, Ice Age, Evergrey, Fates Warning, etc. For me, I still enjoy the mainstream (1st tier) progressive acts too much - i.e. Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, Symphony X, Porcupine Tree - in order to give bands like Magnitude 9 a lot of time on my CD player. It's a good change once in a while, but not an every day or an every week album. The other drawback to this release is the below average sound production. The hiss of the snare drum lingers to long, and the bass is simply non-existent at times. Good progressive album (3.5 stars), just not a great one.

I bought this after reading some reviews. Now that I own it - I went back to the reviews...they are right on - this is GREAT PROGRESSIVE METAL...some of the best I have ever heard. I don't think the guitarist chops too much - its metal after all...I do think though if these guys had a better producer and recording process - they would be one of the best progressive metal bands. Play this CD after listening to Evergrey or SymphonyX and you can tell the production is weak. They try - oh do they try.

The good news -the music is to darn good. Once listening to the CD after about the 3 songs the production won't kill you as much. The Lyrics are great, the guitars, drums, keyboards, base, and arrangements all TOP NOTCH. I would love to see these guys in a different studio or have someone else produce it.

This well worth a buy and continuous listening.

Magnitude 9 are a truly great prog metal band. The songs are very well written and produced. The obvious strength of the band is guitarist Rob Johnson. Rob has impressive technique. However, he does shred a little too much at times. His melodic playing needs some work. The keyboards are very strong. Corey Brown is one of the best singers I have heard. He has a very unique sound and he sings with passion and feeling. This band should be placed up there with Dream Theater, Symphony X, Shadow Gallery, and Ice Age. My favorite tunes are "Afterlife" and "What My Eyes Have Seen". This album is worth every penny and will never get old. You owe it to yourself to buy this disc.

Magnitude 9's latest offering, Reality in Focus, is a definite "must buy". Everything about this disc, and this band, is a breath of fresh air. While it seems that so many other progressive metal bands, are embroiled in a holy war over who can write the longest, most complex song, Magnitude 9 never loses sight of the obvious; music is about writing good songs.

For those of you who have never heard Magnitude 9, I feel that their sound can best be described as a combination of Fates Warning, Dokken and Yngwie J. Malmsteen. They arrive at this sound through the incredible vocal talents of Corey Brown and the guitar wizardry of Rob Johnson. However, the band's talents run much deeper than just Corey and Rob. Keyboard player Joseph Anastacio Glean is excellent, and the drummer, whose name escapes me, is absolutely superb.

Reality in Focus starts off with the aptly titled "No Turning Back". This track kicks off what is nearly an hour of audio bliss. All of the songs on this disc are melodic enough to enjoy on the first listen, but complex enough to enjoy at infinitum. And while the boys in M9 aren't shy about showcasing their respective talents, their displays of virtuosity never come at the price of compromising the integrity of a song.

I won't bore you with highlights, as I truly love every song on this disc. Truth be told, I haven't listened to anything else since purchasing this opus. If you are a fan of progressive metal, or just a fan of good music in general, I highly recommend Reality in Focus.

After buying the new Magnitude 9 cd "Decoding The Soul" I wanted to hear more from this band that I just recently stumbled upon. So I bought the bands 2nd release "Reality in Focus".

Boy, am I glad I did!!!!

This CD is another pleaser. My take on this cd:
The songs are a bit more complex and a bit more prog metal I guess. Still they are lined with the qualities I listen for.
MELODY, HOOKS and TALENT.

The best being:

Far Beyond Illusion
What My Eyes Have Seen
End of Days
Afterlife

This CD is a good combination of prog metal, neoclassical and power metal. More along the lines of Symphony X, Artension and Dream Theater.

Another must buy!!

WOW how good are these guys i mean i have listened to so much prog metal form Black jester to Dreamtheater and these guys are up there with the best of them. I personly think this CD is most compatible to (perfect symmetry) Fates warning but it has a bit more emotion. This CD has so much going for it, the songs are very well writen ,the music has power, with a great sense of melody, the lyrics are good, the vocals are similar to Ray Alder and it is so consistant that it is a should own for any good prog metal CD collection. I ADVISE TO BUY THIS CD
and give it three plays to get into it.

I first heard Magnitude 9 "Chaos to Control" and was blown away by Corey Brown's incredible vocals and Rob Johnson heavy yet very progressive style of guitar playing. On "Reality in Focus" the band adds new dimension,plus keeps it's heavy prog influences. If you like Dream Theater or Enchant this is a must have! I also recommend Chaos to Control and the band Psycho Drama (Corey Brown on vocals). Any serious prog/metal fan should add Magnitude 9 to their collection.

In these troubling economic times, as a music buyer, I'm looking to spend my rare extra money on original and thrilling albums. That's why the tone of this review is a little more acerbic than usual - I'm deeply disappointed with Magnitude 9 for releasing such an amateur, pedestrian piece of work, and equally disappointed in myself for buying it sight unseen. Should have known better.

If someone calls Reality in Focus "progressive rock", they've lied to you twice. One, it's not progressive, either in the sense of being forward-looking or in the sense of songs having movement. There isn't a single riff or lick here that wasn't written between 1985 and 1990 by either Queensryche, Iron Maiden, or Yngwie Malmsteen. This was not cutting-edge stuff even upon release in 2001. Second, it does not "rock" in any sense I recognize. Every track has a single mid-range tempo, which doesn't change up throughout the album, and the production sound is so thin and weak that none of the riffs that there are have any impact.

Out of 9 original tracks, only one has a decent hook. The opener, No Turning Back, has a durable main riff and a chorus that sticks in the craw despite its lack of originality. The second-best track is Flight of Icarus, an inferior cover of a song by a far superior band.

There are a couple of good things about this record - Magnitude 9 can certainly play their instruments, and this album was clearly made for the love of creating music, but there's nothing else to recommend it. Look to a more original band to get your virtuoso fix. Not recommended, at all.

At first I thought this was just an average disc, but like most reviewers, after several repeated listens I began to realize the inspiration behind the melodies and vocals. The guitaring is excellent and the choruses are very melodic, if not catchy. I find myself enjoying this CD longer than most because it challenges the listener to soak in melodies that don't sound recycled. Every song has an excellent, intense rhythm that's a shot of nitroglycerin. My only complaint is that maybe the band should have put in a couple of cool ballads to balance out the song variety--this way it doesn't sound as if every song is similar in tempo--otherwise, excellent effort!

There are some good tunes, but I can't seem to get in to it. Rob Johnson could have done a much better riff and solos, instead, he decided to let them rip without any melodic structures like John Petrucci could have done. I don't mean to compare two guitarists. Needs more work.