Customer Reviews

Underworld

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What can I say about this album that has not already been said? I think I'd agree with all the positive reviews so far and add something about the atmosphere, because the ambience is albeit an intagible, a very important element in the music. A criticism I have towards a lot of good prog bands these days is that they lack atmosphere. Well look no further than Adagio's sophomore release Underworld and you'll be crushed with atmosphere. The magestic orchestral arrangements, very heavy guitar riffs and powerful vocals give this music an edge few bands have. Multi-coloured arrangements with beautiful soaring harmonies and discordant atonal passages with choirs in the background blend here to form an atmosphere that is in overall pretty damn dark for a prog band. The orchestrations and interplay between guitars vary between a very technical Dream Theatery style to a more sombre and aggressive almost black metal vibe. In overall this album is an epic and multi-faceted pieace of music that will please the fans of Symphony X and Craddle of Filth alike and is a must have for any metalhead or musician.

First of all, this is music done with passion and dedication.
Why? Because you can hear it.No slouch can make this music.A lot of thought is put in the arrangements of every single instrument, all the musicians shine in their own right, not just the guitar player (and he is the brainchild behind all this).A musician friend of mine told me that the only thing that he misses are more catchy and powerful choruses.Well, in my opinion these qualities are here.
The style is sort of Symphony X (circa Divine Wings era) mixed with Star Wars soundtrack meets Castlevania 3 game soundtrack.The results are awe-inspiring.You just can not find anything else in the music world so classy and tastefully done.How can the band make something as good as this again?
Can't wait.

It's not that the neo-classical side of metal is bloated or overpopulated. Its just that, like it or not, there is that "you've heard one, you've heard them all" tendency. Fortunately, Stephan Forte understands that just having lush orchestras and choirs doesn't make music good by itself - compositional skill is required. Thus Underworld is an album that offers up some really good, epic songs. The link to Sanctus Ignis is evident, while at the same time two songs feature blast beats and screams, without pounding you over the head with it.

Overall, Underworld is an intensely orchestral experience; I actually have the feeling of being in a concert hall watching a symphony performance accompanied by distorted guitars and drumset, as opposed to the usual formula of metal augmented by strings. The effect is subtle but it leaves its mark on you when you really listen. I can't get enough of the ballad "Promises," and the closing instrumental is fantastic from start to finish as well. There is no filler here. If your diet is neoclassical and metal, this is the main course.

These guys have very obviously listened to a lot of symphony x -but they are great. The musicianship and vocals are first rate here -not a cheap copy. They do sound very much like x though-with more of the symphonic element-which I like very much.I wish x would stick with this format instead of going for the more guitar dominated sound on many of the tracks onThe Odyssey. That is what sets this band and X apart from the rest. There is no cheese here-just excellent heavy symphonic metal at its best! This is the best band since Symphony X and Pagan's Mind!

It seems like everywhere I turn there's some kind of comment claiming that Adagio are a cheap offshoot of Symphony X. Well, even though both bands are quality, it's sort of like comparing a chocolate cake to a giant turd - sure, they're both moist and brown, but that's about where the similarities end. That's also the first and last thing I'm going to say about Symphony X here.

Adagio are essentially a neoclassical metal band with heavy progressive tendencies and leanings to the dramatic and elaborate. Stephan Forte, Adagio's guitarist and primary songwriter, is perfect for the job - not only does he have amazing aptitude in composition, making his arrangements come across soundtrack-like in scope and cinematic in execution; but he also possesses an immaculate sense of melody, making for highly memorable riffs, leads, and solos. The synths, strings, pianos, choirs, and orchestral elements are integrated seamlessly, making Underworld play out almost like theater. Indeed, while metal and orchestra are often found side by side, the progression of this album sees the two trade off in a far more distinct fashion - upon the end of a song, the band will depart the stage, allowing the orchestra and choir to arrive in their place for a transitionary performance, only to have the band move in once more for their part, and so forth. This approach does wonders for the album's sense of scale and really refines the entire concept of "orchestra meets metal".

Both sides of the coin are equally plausible. The orchestral portions are authentic-sounding, powerful, and enveloping... featuring strings, classical piano, brass, and other forms of classical instrumentation. The choral portions are performed by an actual professional choir, and sound very rich. The metal is highly complex from a compositional point of view, is arranged elaborately, and executed flawlessly. As already mentioned, guitarist Stephan Forte puts heavy emphasis on melody, which melds wonderfully with the classical elements... just listen to that solo towards the end of "From My Sleep... To Someone Else" - wow. Keyboardist Kevin Codfert maintains a role in the background for the most part, providing symphonic backing, though he also performs some beautiful piano pieces (such as in the intro to the opening track "Next Profundis", or throughout the ballad-esque "Promises"), and also has his share of proggy keyboard leads. Bassist Franck Hermany doesn't exactly indulge himself, but he does an admirable job of working with drummer Dirk Bruinenberg to establish a dynamic rhythmic pulsing, and actually does have several moments throughout the album where he shines (check out "The Mirror Stage"). Speaking of Dirk - he is the real highlight for me. I tend to be very picky about my drummers, but Dirk's playing here is phenomenal. Specifically, his footwork. I'd be lying if I said that Underworld is completely devoid of typical double-bass marathons, but far more often you hear Dirk working out some very intricately crafted double bass patterns with his feet that add considerable depth to the music. Impressive performance on his end.

That leaves vocalist David Readman, who's sort of the odd man out here as he came into this project from a hard rock background. Considering that, I must say that he performs here effortlessly. He brings all the brooding power, mid-range aggression, and dramatic delivery without the over-extended histrionics you find in many metal bands of this sort. There's also a guest vocalist who rears his head for some throaty screaming on several occasions... he isn't anything special, and doesn't really detract from the overall experience as his appearances are few and far between.

...and that's Adagio's Underworld in a nutshell. A dark concept album with a brilliant balance of orchestral and metal elements that should satisfy neoclassical fanatics, prog lunatics, and orchestra enthusiasts.

While it may take a few spins to 'really get it', Adagio's Underworld is simply the best music of its genre, ever. Underworld will never be a mainstream success, as it happens with real good music. Adagio's compositions and musicianship blow away all competition. For instance, Dirk Bruinenberg's insane yet crafty drumming makes all-revered drum god Mike Portnoy look like a novice. But while most fans have bought into DT, Symphony X, Pagan's Mind, et al... Adagio takes this kind of music several levels above. It is THAT good!

I just wish this line-up would record again. Adagio, you have earned your stripes.

Adagio ~ "Underworld"
Die Band um Stéphan Forté, der bereits im Debütalbum "Sanctus Ignis" aus dem Jahr 2001 bewiesen hat, daß er dem ständigen Vergleich zu Yngwie Malmsteen durchaus Stand halten kann, demonstriert mit dem aktuellen Album "Underworld" daß sprichwörtliche "As im Ärmel".
Auf dem Weg in die "Unterwelt" begibt sich der Hörer auf eine abwechslungsreiche Reise, durch die schillerndsten musikalischen Gefilde. Geleitet von klassischen Elementen, in beinahe verwirrend komplexer Form, führt der Weg über spektakuläre Gitarrenriffs, und sanfte akustische Klavier,-bzw. Keyboardeinlagen bis hin zu monumentalen, chorälen Gesängen.

Der kompromißlose Wechsel bombastischer Sounds, zu leichten Tönen in fast filigraner Harmonie, zeigt eindrucksvoll, daß die musikalische Welt keine Grenzen kennt und unterstreicht nachhaltig die genialen, virtuosen Innovationen sowie die Detailverliebtheit der Kompositionen, vom ersten bis zum letzten Ton.

Perfektioniert wird diese großartige Fusion verschiedenster Stilrichtungen, durch den Gesang von David Readman, der einmal mehr durch eine fantastische Darbietung an Vielfältigkeit und Klasse überzeugt. Der Brite verzaubert mit der Ballade
" Promises " ebenso wie er es versteht in den übrigen Tracks zu begeistern.
Der "Magie dieser Stimme" kann sich selbst der kritischste Zuhörer nicht entziehen.

~ Fazit: Alles andere als Seicht und auf einem Niveau welches seines Gleichen sucht, ist Adagio mit diesem Album ein fantastisches Werk auf höchster Ebene gelungen, das sämtlichen Ansprüchen an qualitativ hochwertiger Musik gerecht wird.


Shayenna
(special thanks to David Readman for "Promises"

Adagio's "Underworld" deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as genre classics such as Symphony X's "Divine Wings Of Tragedy" or Yngwie Malmsteen's "Marching Out". Amazing, epic, intelligent and well-produced, "Underworld" also reveals more and more complexity and nuance on subsequent listening sessions. Adagio have created a nearly perfect neoclassical opus here, one that is certainly equal or better than anything else out there...

The two cornerstones of this style of music, guitar and vocals, are extremely well-represented here; which is the true strength of this band. Guitarist Stephan Fort is ridiculously good, and manages to inject his own sense of modern, progressive style into the proceedings, pulling off some absolutely incredible solos, instrumental "duel" and harmonized melodic interludes (with equally proficient keyboardist Kevin Codfert), and cutting-edge prog-metal riffs. Vocalist David Readman shines as well, with an alternately powerful and warm vocal style which is also very melodic and well-delivered, paired with intelligent and philosophical lyrics which actually avoid "power-metal" cliche'. Honestly, there is no real misstep at all here, and I have written this review after listening to this album about 8-10 times. For guitar fans, especially, look out for Stephan Fort....the guitar work on this album is just fantastic! One of the best in the genre, and worth looking up despite it's rarity. Incredible!

must buy for prog fans- this is some great stuff- fresh music- tight- just get it

One thing is for certain: Adagio know exactly what they want to sound like. Underworld continues the classical-influenced, darkly-themed, progressive metal begun on Sanctus Ignis. The production quality sounds a little bit tighter here, and the composition of the songs is slightly improved.

What I find to still be lacking (though not quite as much as the first album) is variety of sound. The exception here is the beautiful ballad "Promisses" (sic). Even though the lyrics are just a bit over the hill into the realm of the sappy, David Readman's voice lends itself very well here, and Forte plays a subtly glorious solo, demonstrating the full capacity of emotional power the electric guitar is capable of.

There are a few other tracks that stand out. "From My Sleep... To Someone Else" has a great riff that picks up a few times in the song (and is repeated once in variation in the album's title track that follows this song). Stephen completed his instrumental "Niflheim" (which was released on the debut as a rough demo, shorter in length). It is a pleasant song with a decent climactic buildup.

Why only three stars? My complaint still stands that there is a general lack of variety. Most of the songs on both albums are fairly interchangeable. I don't feel like they are trying to push many new boundaries with this album. Also, the thematic content of the lyrics is starting to get a bit cliche.

Besides that, people on this site are generally too liberal with their grading systems, and as a result, every album has the same average rating. I give this album 7.3/10 or 3 stars (A recommended purchase, even though you may not listen to it all that often).