Formed in 1991, and influenced by bands as QUEENSRYCHE and FATES WARNING, ELDRITCH has gone through their fair share of line-up changes and growing pains. But through it all, they forged ahead and kept creating new music. As far as I can tell, this is the band's 12^th studio album, and contains eleven tracks. "Dead Blossom" leads off the album. It opens with heavy guitar accents and some swirling keys, seguing into "Failure of Faith." This song features some super-fast lead guitar work and keys in passages that are very tight. It's clear that this band have been around for a while, as they are seasoned songwriters with a flair for grandiosity. The rhythms are so tight you could not get a dime between them.

"The Cry of a Nation" begins with a slower groove at first, and some brutal and powerful guitar rhythms. Some meter shifting shows the skills of the band. Are harsh vocals slowly becoming a necessity in Progressive Metal? "Circles" is a heavier affair with lots of sonority throughout. I can definitely hear some DREAM THEATER influence in this track, especially with the heavy accents and the meter changes, and in the backing vocals. The guitar solo is glittering affair as well. "No Obscurity" begins with some softer and more emotional and darker tones. Clean guitars work in combination with harmonized clean vocals, until the hammer is dropped. Vocalist Holler shows his range here.

"Sunken Dreams" is an eleven-minute opus, beginning with tight rhythms and some keyboard work. The odd meters are noticeable and indicate some high level understanding of structure and melody. As with many epic songs, it takes several directions before coming together at the end in a reprisal fashion. "Fear Me" is another heavy affair with some dark tones, and some Power Metal influence, especially with the galloping guitar and drum rhythms. The piano section is quite charming here. "I Can't Believe It" is a slower song that breathes easy with piano and clean vocal harmonies that are poignant and solemn.

"The Awful Closure" begins with more of those punchy rhythms and tight musicianship. Heavy rhythms plug away with might and power. Another fantastic guitar solo is laid down...Simone sure has the chops. The title track opens with lamenting lead guitar notes over a bed of slow and charming clean guitars. Keys come in and I must comment on the abilities of Smirnoff. He seems to know exactly when to crank up the keys and when to lay back in support of the melodies on the album. "Runaway" closes the album. Yes, it's the infamous BON JOVI hit from the early 1980's, and ELDRITCH sticks to the original sound with a bit of their own personality. Well done mates!

One thing you will notice right away is the high level of musicianship displayed on the album. The band are individually very accomplished musicians, and together form a cohesive unit that can finish each other's sentences. I am wondering why I have never heard of this band before, except for the fact that they are not an American act, and I've spoken many times before about how ethnocentric we are as a nation. But this was a fantastic listen with everything you would want from Progressive Metal...a siren-voiced singer, a heavy, pounding and in-sync rhythm section, plenty of keyboards both in support and taking the lead on the melodies at times, and a lead guitarist who is as sensible with his compositions as he is outstanding on the fretboard.