Universe Calls is the second album of Swedish prog metal rockers Paralydium and they return with a new line up for their sophomore album, as singer Mikael Sehlin is replaced by Alexander Lycke (Astrakhan). Besides founder and guitarist John Berg, the rest of the line up consists of Jonathan Olsson (bass guitar), Georg Harnsten Egg (drums) and Mike Blanc (keyboards). Universe Calls, featuring seven new tracks, is a symphonic prog rock album; melodic and also quite intricate and especially the two longer epic songs - The Arcane Exploration PT1 and The Arcane Exploration PT2 - are truly complex indeed. The album kicks off with the short, almost cinematic Prelude, an instrumental piece with excellent rhythms, keys, and guitar parts. Follow up Sands Of Time, the first single, starts in high gear, reminding me of Dream Theater; indeed, as the song stands out due to the great chorus and the excellent guitar leads. Caught In A Dream also has a ferocious musical introduction and it is filled with great harmonies, impressive guitar hooks and catchy melodies indeed. The main tracks of this album are of course the epic The Arcane Exploration PT1 and The Arcane Exploration PT2, where the instrumental passages give this band their unique sound design. The Arcane Exploration PT.1 starts rather delicate, evolving into a "speedy" mid-section with formidable keys and great vocals, while PT.2 is definitely more dynamic due to the excellent guitar work, evolving into an awesome final symphonic prog rock crescendo. However, I also find that these two songs are maybe a bit too long as sometimes the overextended solos fall a little bit flat, but that is something personal, I guess.... But, overall, Universe Calls is an excellent album, although Paralydium does not break any new ground, but the instrumental sections are really worthwhile and solid enough to convince the listener to buy this album. A very pleasing album indeed for fans of melodic prog metal, so give it a shot. Listening tip: Caught In A Dream. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
