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May 17, 2012 |
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01. The Parallel Otherworld
02. Arcturus #9
03. The Eternal Call
04. Ghost World
05. Thousand Winters Old
06. Spirit Sanctuary
07. Order Of The White Light
08. Astral Flight
09. Shadowanderer (Ferdamannen)
10. The Oath
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Canada's EIDOLON have gone through some important changes in the past two years, which largely began with a "necessary" lineup shuffle. In May 2004 the band announced the departure of vocalist Pat Mullock, who had appeared on the two previous EIDOLON albums, "Coma Nation" (2002) and "Apostles Of Defiance" (2003). Mullock's vocals did give EIDOLON's music a hell of a lot more depth than original vocalist Brian Soulard's did, but something was still missing. The Drover brothers (Glen - guitar, Shawn - drums), along with Adrian Robichaud (bass), have always been more than capable of driving the musical foundation forward, but in order to reach their full potential, EIDOLON desperately needed more arsenal in the vocal department.
So what do they do? They make a wise choice and enlist PAGAN'S MIND vocalist Nils K. Rue, which was not only a good decision musically, but also from a technical standpoint. When you look at the big picture, Mullock's voice was quite limited and one-dimensional, whereas Rue's abilities are stylistically diverse and innovative on many fronts. In short, Rue has been the missing piece of the EIDOLON puzzle, and in my opinion is absolutely the perfect fit for this band.
Obviously with a new vocalist on board, the music itself is most likely going to sound somewhat different than before, but in this case it's not so much different, just better - A LOT better. Think of it as like taking an old, beat-up Chevy convertible that you would sooner see being driven off the cliff, then dropping $30, 000 to have it fully restored, only better than its original form. EIDOLON have done exactly this with their latest album, "The Parallel Otherworld", a new, refined piece of work that's been almost two years in the making.
The result is astounding and it only takes a minute or two to realize that this album is arguably the most diverse, sophisticated offering EIDOLON has ever created. Sure, the trademark monster heavy distorted riffs, technical prowess and blistering leads are all present, but "The Parallel Otherworld" features a lot more progressive elements than on previous albums. For instance, the opening title track begins with a keyboard-led intro with a guitar/drum march, all lasting about 2 1/2 minutes before shifting into a very prog-filled selection going back and forth in between several time changes. "Arcturus #9" speeds things up considerably while "Ghost World" has a guitar riff that will have you slamming your head up and down in no time. Rue's capabilities are proven effortlessly thus far, but here we are treated to some real impressive vocal ranges. It's also important to mention "Spirit Sanctuary" and "Shadowanderer (Ferdamannen)", both crushing varied masterpieces indeed. While there really isn't a weak track to be found anywhere, the album's most inspiring moment has to be the MERCYFUL FATE cover of "The Oath". Talk about recreating a classic! The scary thing is that you'll instantly think that it's King Diamond singing, only to find out that it isn't King at all - it's Nils actually performing a stunning impersonation of King himself. Simply unbelievable!
In spite of the long effort to release this album, it was well worth the wait. It would seem that the Drovers' initial plan to not rush the recordings and just let it flow paid off greatly. "The Parallel Otherworld" is EIDOLON's most gripping release to date - no doubt about it. Part of the credit can be given to Rue, who was given full control over the lyrical content and subsequent vocal recordings. Nothing would make more sense than to see EIDOLON and its current lineup continue moving forward in this direction, even though most of the members have their places in other bands (Glen and Shawn Drover are half of MEGADETH and Nils K. Rue is PAGAN'S MIND's mainman). That's fine. Day jobs are necessary, but when your other gig is this good, moonlighting would be a terrible thing to waste.
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