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Rating:
When it comes to prog metal, the first name that springs to mind is certainly Dream Theater, but I'll try to reassure you by saying that there's nothing further from the Boston band. Ark, and mind you NOT The Ark, are five Norwegians coming from glorious bands, but with a suitcase full of unexpressed ideas.
In the ranks of Ark we see Jorn Lande (ex-The Snakes) on vocals, Tore Ostby (ex-Conception) on guitar, John Macaluso (ex-TNT) on drums, Randy Coven (Steve Vai, Steve Morse) on bass, and Mats Olausson (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keyboards.
The product of this combo is something exquisite because it is one of the rare times a prog metal band not only showcases enviable technique and superlative arrangements, but also emotion and goosebumps for over an hour of recording.
The album starts with the powerful Heal The Waters, with a highly inspired guitar/keyboard counterpoint and the sampled sound of a falling coin that (who knows where it came to mind) ties the solo and chorus together in an unexpected way. The album continues with Torn, rich in tribal rhythms, then proceeds with the Title Track, Resurrection, and Absolute Zero, where singer Jorn Lande seems to surpass himself with a voice as versatile as Bjork's.
Track number 6 and a radical change of style: Just A Little is a track in perfect Latin American style (Ostby's time in Conception can be felt). The album continues in total panic for those who love assigning labels to styles, touching deeply the heart until the concluding ballad Missing You; profound is the atmospheric keyboard of Olausson and the guitar of Ostby: the high and highly inspired voice is just the apotheosis of success.
An album to buy blindly and listen to a few times to understand it and hundreds to fall in love with it.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
02 Torn (03:51)
Do You Feel The Pressure Overpowering
A Universal Force
Asking You For More
Cutting To The Core
An Unspeakable Surrender
I'm Drifting On A Summer Wind
I Pray To God Here.i Pray To God
In Trance From The Very Beginning
Dancing On A Dream
Asking For More
Eyes Getting Soar
Under The Starlight
I'm Drifting On A Summer Wind
I Pray To God Here
Thrown To The Sun
No Warning Came
Visions Of Light So Clear
But I'm Torn
So Many People Falling Down
Frustrated Masses Crawl
The Blood Of The Earth
A Planted Seed
The Tolling Of Bells Revealed
I'm Drifting On A Summer Wind
I Pray To God Here
Thrown To The Sun
No Warning Came
Visions Of Light So Clear
Torn
04 Resurrection (05:31)
High On You
I Feel Love Again
There's No Pretending Here
It's Long Ago Since I've Had A Reason
So Strong And True
It's All Because Of You Girl
I Used To Be A Bird Of Prey
Crying To Be Heard
A Heavy Heart
Carrying The Weight Of Sorrow
Talking About It
You Were There Saving Me From Darkness
Life Has Never Been - Ever Seemed So Bright
Ooh On The Day You Came To Me
The Way That You Paralyze - No Disguise
I Realize The Power
Lost In A Sea Of Love
Don't Wake Me If I'm Dreaming
I Used To Be A Bird Of Prey
Crying To Be Heard
A Heavy Heart
Carrying The Weight Of Sorrow
Solitude And Broken Hearts
Living All Around Us
Centuries Of Asking "why The Wind Blows Here"
Search A Solution To Save Us From Pain
From Falling To Pieces
I Survived A War With Demons
And I've Erased The Past
It's A New Beginning.waking Up
Waking From My Sleep
I Feel Alive.and We're Gonna Dance
You Woke Me From My Sleep
I Feel Alive Baby
And We're Gonna Dance Tonight.it's Alright
I Used To Be A Bird Of Prey
Crying To Be Heard
A Heavy Heart
Carrying The Weight Of Sorrow
And The Piper Plays The Call
Come On. Come Marching On
08 Noose (05:03)
Walked Through The Crowd
My Head Hung Low
Their Sending An Innocent Soul
As The Angels Circle Dragon Hill
And Satan Sets His Stage
It's A Sacrifice For The People
An Act Of Evil
No One To Hear You Cry
Only There To Watch You Die
Soon You'll Be Breathless
Dealt Is The Card Of The Hangman
I Stared Into The Crystal Full Of Prophecies
Human Characters In The Book Of Change
As The Angels Circle Dragon Hill
And Satan Sets His Stage
A Sacrifice For The People
An Act Of Evil
Pleading To The Stars
Deliver Me From Madness
No One To Hear You Cry
Only There To Watch You Die
Soon You'll Be Breathless
Dealt Is The Card Of The Hangman
We Are Moving Towards Time Untold
In For Infinity
Forever Endlessly
Building The Tower Of Knowledge And Power
No One To Hear Us Cry
There's No Time For You And I
Soon We'll Be Breathless
Dealt Is The Card For The Hangman
No One To Hear You Cry
Only There To Watch You Die
Soon You'll Be Breathless
Dealt Is The Card Of The Hangman
So Much For The Future
Flooded With Sorrow
Will We See Tomorrow
No One Will Hear You Cry
Only There To Watch You Die
Soon You'll Be Breathless
Dealt Is The Card Of The Hangman
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