The abstract drawing along with the elegant logo made me do one of those buy without listening first impulse-purchases. I had no idea whatsoever what to expect and I knew not who Winds were.
As I put it in the cd player and the soft music began (violin and vocals), I told myself that perhaps this isn't a metal album after all and it was in the wrong section. As the piece went on and the decisive but pleasant guitar riffs came into play, my mind was not only eased a little that I made no mistake, but it was also filled with wonder at the beauty of the music.
For this album is a portrayal of elegant metal. Mostly mid-paced songs with the guitar and drums providing the backbone as a string quartet and the occasional piano stride along the forefront painting abstract but clear brushes of sound.
For a metal album, the music contained here is refined, delicate and intimate. You still have the power of metal but it is scaled-down and made to work for the music, the melody and not that other way around. This lets the music breathe, as each instrument is heard clearly and one gets a sense of being in the studio with the musicians.
The vocals are clean and pleasant, though at times a little monotone; still they match the pace and mood of this album extremely well.
At the beginning, it took me some time to penetrate this album's style and peculiarity, as I was not used to hear things of this sort, but it was a welcome change and I relished in the rhythm and beauty of songs like Visions of Perfection, Under the Stars and Time Without End.
A wonderful album to put on and relax and contemplate to on a lazy Friday afternoon...
Links:
Official website
Prog Archive Entry
YouTube
Song 1
Song 3
Song 5
Song 8
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