Search - Sagittarius :: Sanity of Madness

Progressive metal with its ups and downs

Murat Batmaz | Istanbul, Turkey | 05/15/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know much about Sagittarius mysely. All I know is they're a band from Norway and are no longer musically active. Sanity of Madness is the only disc I own from them and surprisingly it is a 1994 release and the third album from them. Obviously they are far from a being any of those bands who jumped on the prog metal bandwagon just because a few people encouraged them of their technical prowess or cerebral songwriting.The references to Dream Theater's Images & Words are inevitable, however they have also brought some of their own musical ideas to the table. The general vibe of the disc is mostly guitar and keyboard-laden with the vocals sitting in the focal point of the compositions. The drummer and bassist are both pretty good at supporting their friends with some remarkable rhythmic patterns. The production could have been better because when you produce this kind of music that branches out from the typical songwriting attitude you also need a solid production and well rounded out mix. The guitar tone is a bit thin for my tastes and the singer doesn't necessarily come from the Geoff Tate or James Labrie school. His range is relatively more limited, therefore he refrains from attempting to hit high notes or show off with uncalled for screams. The melody and articulation he puts behind his singing make up for his loss, however. He sings passionately and each word he speaks is very clear and understandable.I think some of the lyrical work on Sanity of Madness could have needed some help to enhance the artistic statements of the band. Honestly a few of the tracks contain superficial lyrics and don't go hand in hand with other 'serious' lyrics. With that being said, there are still songs on this album that have valuable statements and explore the darker side of human life without getting arrogant or preachy. "Child Molester" exemplifies this quite well. The guitarist's style is a bit reminiscent of Ritchie Blackmore's playing in the 70's. There are plenty of Egyptian scales incorporated in his writing and he is backed up by subtly keyboard melodies and atmospheric orchestration. This doesn't hold out through the entire disc but some tunes have the Eastern elements in them.I give this disc a high rating cause for a 1994 release what these guys have done is pretty good and far from any sort of commercial expectance. There are definitely better prog bands from Norway like Ark, Conception, Pagan's Mind and Divided Multitude, but Sagittarius isn't unlistenable either. Actually they're quite good, but not great in my opinion.There's no tracklisting on this page, so here goes: Explorer . Elements . Child Molester . Believe Me . Sanity of Madness . Nameless Man . Silvertear"