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Imaginary
is the brainchild of Greek keyboard wizard Bob Katsionis who together
with Tears of Anger vocalist Bjorn Jansson and a feast of talent on the
guitars, Gus G of Dream Evil, the Dutch master Marcel Coenen of Sun
Caged and Michael Harris, with Mark Adrian on drums, all who bring this
melting pot of an album to the boil.
The
album opens up with the massive ‘Hypnotized’ from the keyboard and
booming drum intro you instantly believe this album is going to be
something special, and when Jansson lets loose, the scene is set for
what is much more than just another power metal album, this album is
more a bench mark for all others to aim for.
You'd think that after that first assault on the senses the songs
couldn't get any better. However, the album not only gets better, but
the whole album seems to evolve right before you.
The next track ‘The Sign Of Today’ is another powerhouse song with
the pulsating drums of Mark Adrian being the dominant feature of the
track combined with some very tasty guitar riffs thrown into the mix.
‘When All Is Gone’ is another immense track with Jansson vocals at
their very best as he shows the more gentle side of his voice.
The other end of the spectrum of his vocal talents are showcased on
‘The Nightmare Of Kain’, as the momentum increases several notches
on this guitar shredders dream.
By now the album will have you well and truly hooked, just as it has me,
but the best is yet to come. The album continues with ‘Roughly
Scratched But Alive’ is very Jorn Lande sounding and the guitar riffs
again are superb.
A walk on the dark side is next with epic ‘Korozon (The Lord of Evil)'
from the opening theatric horn to the pounding bass make this a
larger-than-life track very much in the Stratovarious mold.
But the track that gets my vote for best track on the album has to be
‘Peace of Mind’ with its varying tempo changes and complexity make
it outstanding.
‘Blind Eyes’ is next a much heavier track than what has come before
but still Jansson’s vocals are still the heart of the album and on
this track he still is up to the task.
The album feature one bonus track ‘Dark Angel’ a guitar and keyboard
strewn track with some thunderous drums. The album closes with ‘In My
Life’ a track that ends an all too short album for me.
This for me is one of the most outstanding melodic power metal albums
I’ve heard for some time and a must for all fans of the genre. No
collection would be complete without a copy of Long Lost Pride. I can
only wait with baited breath for their next release.
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