The Finnish progressive power metal band Status Minor, recorded their debut album in 2009; it received rather good reviews. Its follow-up Ouroboros contains nine songs which are faster, stronger and sound better than their debut album. This is a true prog metal gem. So, be ready for some staccato and well-known riffs, bombastic passages and hooks, sparkling speedy guitar solos, piano passages and sometimes high-pitched vocals. Most of the songs on Ouroboros are rather compact with the exception of the two long tracks Stain, and the epic piece Sail Away which lasts almost twenty minutes. If you want an impression of this band then listen to the first two songs and you know what you can expect from the remainder of the album. Opener The Wind is a typical prog power metal song, but you have to like the high-pitched vocals of Markku Kuikka. The next piece Hollow even has a very catchy chorus, just as Glass Wall which reminds me of the Danish heavy metal band Pretty Maids. Some other songs and melodies bring back memories of Stratovarius, one of the best Finnish rock bands ever... So, if you like that typical Scandinavian sound then you can buy this album without fear of disliking it. By the way, Ouroboros is a concept album written around a love and hate cycle, which is of course not very original. Yet I think this is an outstanding album apart from the bittersweet ballad Like A Dream, a duet between Markku and female guest singer Anna Murphy. Although the guitar solo in that song is actually not that bad at all, it's a super cliché piece and in my opinion totally redundant, but judge for yourself... ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Peter Willemsen) Where to buy? |
