Search - Time Requiem :: Inner Circle of Reality

4 and a Half stars actually. Great stuff, not too original

D. Crain | NJ United States | 02/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First off, Richard Andersson can play his (...) off. This guy and his whole band are immensely talented. I am a massive pathological fan of Symphony X. It is a disease I have. I had no idea that Time Requiem set out to model themselves after SyX, but indeed, this is what Andersson states on his website. And he has succeeded. But they can do more....



The title track shows what these guys are made of, it is astounding, and integrates lots of styles, pieces, techniques and tidbits that all come together really well. To me at least, that is the standout track on the whole album. The rest are very good (very), but the writing style is too much Michaels Romeo/Pinnella and Russell Allen and not the Time Requiem guys themselves.



Even the title track, with its sweeping content and styles is very SyX influenced, but it is trully an awesome piece of music for lovers of classically influenced metalish rock. Great bombast and fanfare.



The 1 thing that makes me keep listening to this album is the great keyboards. Andersson simply cranks. Amazing. Sort of like a more irrational Derek Sherinian. The rest of the players are top notch. I love the keyboard led aspect of this band. If they can find their own sound, they will have a fan for life.



I can't wait till their next album to see of they evolve their sound toward what this one shows they can do. They just need the confidence to have their own voice and not rely too much on other influence. A solid 4.5 stars...."

Well Done Prog Metal

William McGuinnes | Arlington Heights, IL USA | 09/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm surprised at the lack of reviews that this album has (at the moment, anyway). This is my first taste of Time Requiem, and I am very impressed with it. For those of you who are new to this band, they play neo-classical prog metal and have a very similar sound to bands like Symphony X and Adagio (both of whom come highly recommended). The only thing I can find wrong with this band is that they sometimes sound a little too much like the previously mentioned bands, and don't have much of a distinct sound. I wouldn't go as far to say that they are a rip-off of those other bands, they just aren't bringing anything new to the table (but when it's done this well, it doesn't really matter). Aside from that, everything else about the album is great. The instrumental talent they possess is incredible, especially the keyboardist. Despite the skill level of the musicians, they still have a writing style that makes the songs memorable as well as technical, and don't get caught up in just showing off. They are very tight as a band, and most of the songs are fast, catchy, and very well played. They slow things down on occasion, but none of the songs can really be considered "ballads". Hearing the vocals on this CD was also a relief. Usually a very talented group can be ruined by a bad vocalist, and while not amazing, this vocalist is very good. He never gets annoying, and doesn't have any irritating habits (for example, James Hetfeild's tendency to say "yeah" 27 times per song). Although, he does sometimes strain a little on those high notes, but overall does a nice job. The obvious classical influence in the music throughout the album is also something I highly enjoy. Well, that's about all I can think of to say at the moment, but this is an album that will definetly be spending a good amount of time in my CD player. Is it breaking new ground? No. Is it high quality prog metal? Yes. Was it worth the money I spent? Absolutely. For me, that's all that really matters in the end. Recommended. I just edited a couple spelling errors, so I hope this review doesn't come up twice."

Fans of Symphony X take note!

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 03/29/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Time Requiem is another endeavor from songwriter/keyboard superfreak Richard Andersson, formerly of Swedish power metal band Majestic. I didn't care for the Majestic material I heard, but when Andersson strikes out on his own (see his excellent Space Odyssey album Embrace the Galaxy) I know it's worth checking out.



Time Requiem is essentially Andersson channeling Symphony X. If you can imagine Symphony X with Michael Pinella as the driving force rather than Michael Romeo, this is what it would sound like. It's a bombastic epic neoclassical progressive power (insert your favorite adjective here) metal album with intricate keyboard solos that would make Keith Emerson do a double-take. I remember vocalist Apollo Papathanasio from his Faith Taboo days, but I don't recall him sounding quite so much like Russell Allen back then.



Normally I'd shy away from something so obviously derivative of another band, but that's awfully hard to do when the music is this good. Like many technical metal albums, it's short on emotional resonance, but sometimes you just have to sit back and watch the pretty fireworks without worrying about what they mean.



Andersson and company absolutely dazzle the listener with this album. If you're a Majestic and/or Space Odyssey fan, you know pretty well what's in store. If you're a Symphony X fan, you're going to be pleasantly surprised by The Inner Circle of Reality.

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