Perfect Balance [U.S. Version]

Balance Of Power

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 11, 2001)
• Original Release Date: September 11, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nightmare Records
• ASIN: B00005Q4K9
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #263,273 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Higher than the Sun

2. Shelter Me

3. Fire Dance

4. One Voice

5. The Pleasure Room

6. Killer or the Cure

7. House of Cain

8. Hard Life

9. Searching for the Truth

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Features: metal vocal legend Lance King The UK based power/progressive metal band Balance Of Power came together in the mid-nineties before releasing its full length debut When The World Falls Down in 1997. Subsequently acquiring a new lead vocalist in Lance King from the USA, the band recorded its sophomore effort Book Of Secrets in 1998 prior to following up with Ten More Tales Of Grand Illusion a year later. On its fourth full length release, appropriately entitled Perfect Balance, Balance Of Power takes a foundation of double bass driven power metal and infuses it with elements of catchy melodic metal and sweeping progressive metal. The end result is by far the bands strongest effort to date. Lance King proves one of the finest vocalists in the power/progressive metal genre in contributing a classic tenor voice with abundant power, range and dynamics. Pete Southern and Bill Yates form a strong guitar team in which the two combine for a solid rhythm guitar sound and an abundance of technical lead guitar work. Drummer Bill Yates literally buries the album in super tight double bass, while Tony Ritchie remains a steady presence on bass. Perfect Balance showcases an immaculate production job highlighting just the right amount of polish. A more than adequate amount of rhythm guitar underscores a mix of crystal clear lead guitar and punchy bass lines. The album, at the same time, features perhaps the finest drum sound this reviewer has heard. (What else would you expect from a project produced by the bands drummer!)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Talent In A 3 Chord World, April 16, 2003

By	Vince Wylde "vincewylde" (Lancaster, MA United States) - See all my reviews

With all this NU Metal [STUFF] polluting the American music scene, it's nice to discover a rarety like Balance of Power. Lance King has an amazing voice and layers rich harmonies on most of the tracks on this release. Tunes like "One Voice" and "Shelter Me" get that classic Guitar / Double Bass Pedal groove completely void in American Nu Metal. This is a band that delivers 110% of it's energy to the music. Fans of TNT looking for something a little harder in edge will love Balance. Definatly a must have for any TRUE metal fan.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Balance of Power...a top notch band!, November 21, 2002

By A Customer

I have recently started listening to power/prog metal, but I have been listening to hard rock/metal for a long time. Balance of Power is one of the most appealing bands that I have heard in a long time. Their latest effort, Perfect Balance, is packed with great guitar, drum, and vocal riffs! The band seems to have great chemistry, as far as playing and writing songs. Their lyrics deal with everyday life that bring forth a great positive message, unlike most of the bands within this genre that only sing about dragons and wizards! Lance King's vocals are some of the best I have ever heard, without a doubt! BOP's vocals are the quality of Queensryche's or Europe's, but the music has the crunch of King's X or even Metallica! If you are like me and like hard hitting music with great vocals, this is the band for you!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Balance of AOR Melodies & Power Metal., June 10, 2002

By	Joe White (Layton, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

Balance of Power is a most unusual band. The vocals and vocal melodies nail AOR legends Journey, Boston and Styx almost perfectly. But the music is all power metal. It is very much in a European power metal vein only without the speed. There are some progressive touches here and there as well (Queensryche comes to mind). The combination of AOR and power metal is very unusual. The results are very effective.

1. "Higher than the Sun" - A great, vocally soaring tune that conjures up images of Boston, Journey and, musically, a plethora of European power metal bands. Great song!
2. "Shelter Me" - This beautiful piano driven piece (at least early on) combines the best of Styx and Journey but also contains plenty of power metal intensity. This may be the best song on the disc.
3. "Fire Dance" - A slower song but still intense, "Fire Dance" reminds me of Queensryche and Styx. Not my favorite song on Perfect Balance, but it is still okay.
4. "One Voice" - Another song much like the first two tracks. This tune showcases the bands musicianship a bit more as guitars and keyboards duel during the bridge. I don't know how Balance of Power comes up with all these catchy vocal melodies, but they do. Another good song.
5. "The Pleasure Room" - Balance of Power has a habit of always including a song or two on every album that has slow, almost melancholic verses that shift to a soaring chorus. This is one of those songs. Good stuff.
6. "Killer Or the Cure" - Like track five, this song starts off fairly slow but picks up as it goes. There is some really nice crunchy guitar work present, too. The chorus soars as the song is a bit darker in tone than the previous tracks. Balance of Power may be one-half AOR, but they do know how to be dark and ominous from time to time. This track shows BOP's diversity but it also never quite captures this listener.
7. "House of Cain" - This song is dark. But unlike track six, "House of Cain" is a song that captivates me. The verses feel deep and dark and the chorus is ominous and powerful. Good tune.
8. "Hard Life" - This song opens with some really cool guitar riffs. Unfortunately, the chorus is a bit too unimaginative and sappy for my tastes. A slower paced song, this piece really could of used some better vocal melodies.
9. "Searching for the Truth" - This mid-paced rocker ends the album well enough. The song has some cool machine gun guitar riffs and some very unusual but beautiful vocal melodies. The song, in its own way, sums up the band and this album perfectly. Good song.

My song reviews were short but I hope they were descriptive enough. Balance of Power is a great band and with Perfect Balance, their fourth release, the recipe of tasty AOR vocal melodies coupled with power metal continues to produce some delightful results. Are their AOR-type melodies groundbreaking? No. Is their brand of power metal earth shaking? Not at all. But the combination of the two is innovative. Or, at the least, it is refreshing and unique in a world where nearly all of the European-style power metal bands sound the same. Perfect Balance isn't a perfect album, but if you're looking for a band that balances melody and power, try Balance of Power's Perfect Balance.