Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 09/19/2006
Technical
metal comes in many forms, ranging from
math metal to technical
death metal to
progressive metal -- and while
math metal and technical
death metal have the strong
punk element that is such a big part of post-'80s
metal,
progressive metal has, in most cases, stubbornly maintained a pre-'90s mindset. When it comes to '70s and '80s worship, it would be inaccurate to say that Norwegian
prog metal/tech
metal combo
Twisted into Form behave in a strictly old-school fashion on their first album,
Then Comes Affliction to Awaken the Dreamer.
"Manumit," for example, includes some
death metal-ish growling. But on the whole, one finds a very pre-'90s mindset on this 2004-2006 recording. Clearly, the members of
Twisted into Form (who include ex-members of the bands
Spiral Architect and
Extol) worship a lot of '70s and '80s artists, and their influences range from
Dream Theater,
Fates Warning, and
Queensrÿche to
Emerson, Lake & Palmer to
jazz fusion outfits such as
John McLaughlin's
Mahavishnu Orchestra and
Chick Corea's
Return to Forever.
Prog metal in general strives for complexity, but this album sounds technical even by
prog metal standards -- and
Then Comes Affliction to Awaken the Dreamer gives the impression that the band's members have heard their share of early
Al Di Meola albums along the way.
Twisted into Form's material can be undeniably angular at times, making this a disc that is not easy to absorb on the first listen. But for those who are not scared away by complexity and angularity, this 44-minute CD has a lot going for it.
Then Comes Affliction to Awaken the Dreamer is slightly uneven; some of the songs work better than others, but by and large, this is a promising debut from
Twisted into Form.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
;)
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