Ark
Burn The Sun

THE REVIEW

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.