MISTBORNE is new. Formed in 2020 during the pandemic, they are a Symphonic Metal band with Cinematic and Progressive influences. The Cradle Of Time is a concept album dealing with a nation losing its' collective identity, something that rings at least partially true around the world in recent years as many nations have severely polarized political outlooks. Cradle is their debut album, released independently on November 18, 2022. The album opens with an epic, almost eight minute track, "Sandstorm." This song sets the tone for the rest of the record, musically and lyrically. The theme will be revisited and the tale will unfold from here. The guitars are strings weave around each other, creating an elegant tapestry of sound. The keyboards and orchestration amplify this, bringing additional colors and tones into the tapestry, while the words and rhythm create the picture. Layer upon layer is stitched together in order to give the listener a good base to understand the story told.

"The Fields Of Sand" open with howling winds. Having been in a sandstorm, those winds are ominous, scary. The inability to see more than a few feet can be terrifying. Sand through an hourglass is like watching a controlled sandstorm in a bottle. This continues the symbolism of time passing. Our protagonist is introduced and his journey truly begins. In "Visions," the blind now sees, but what they see is the past, present, and even future. This is not "sight" vision, rather it is truth, history, the way forward. The hero gains clairvoyance, giving him this different sight. Musically, the track is subdued, never stepping up to the guitar heavy Power Metal standard of the previous songs, instead carrying itself like a true ballad.

"Dark Waters" is an interesting study in music influencing words and vice versa. Having read up on the song, the melodies and harmonies are written in a descending pattern, representative of the nation dropping into ignorance and losing their identity. The vocals mirror the music and all of it is such a cool effect. I've heard a few vocalists say they find it easier to take a note up than down, yet here we get a series of lowering tones and timbres. The execution of this track is divine. The next two songs tell of the "echo chamber" of ignorance. The people stop asking questions and work on getting their children to do the same. Some in the US are arguing that this is happening before our very eyes. "Lullaby Of The Abyss" is the willful descent into ignorance. "The New Order" is passing that on to future generations. I now have to wonder if this is a fantasy tale or a commentary on the current state of the world. I feel the forlorn violin fading out at the end of "Lullaby Of The Abyss" in my soul.

"Awake" is the turning point in the story. All epic tales need a point in which the hero begins to prevail, and this is ours. The music again reflects the mood, the tone of the lyrics. There is finally hope. The vocalizations are more positive, the texture of the song more optimistic. The strings are sublime, creating something akin to hope in the mind. "The Mystic" then takes the fight directly to those who would live in perpetual darkness willfully. Going back to the sand metaphor, "The Hourglass" brings the story to a close. Humans are but a single grain of sand in the timeline of the universe. There is an Arabesque feel to the music on this one, bringing the desert back to mind, looping the story back, tying up the loose ends, musically and lyrically.

MISTBORNE did something very special with this album. They took the world as it is and put it to music, created a world where the listener is compelled to hear a point of view. Whether you agree with their assessment or not, you cannot deny they've captured the essence of this moment in time. This album is not just sounds and words, it is a work of art, a necessary piece made to be seen and heard, ingested, digested, and processed. What an incredible record this is!