With their usual penchant for creating absolutely wonderful sound-scapes coupled with thought provoking and emotionally driven lyrical themes, Porcupine Tree has created a near-masterpiece with their 2009 double CD release “The Incident” This review covers part one of that album.

Musically, “The Incident” is a tightly connected concept album that effortlessly and seamlessly flows throughout by using both contrasting movements and repeating themes. With the former, five tracks are acoustically driven, while four tracks are headlined by heavy guitar riffs. This applies to structures within some songs as well, like the soft/hard verse/chorus structure on “In The Blind House”, the acoustic 1st verse and heavy electric 2nd verse on “Time Flies”, and the spacey interludes that appear in a number of songs like “Drawing The Line” and “The Incident”. Concerning the latter, the opening overture, “Occam’s Razor” appears a second time on the later track, “Degree Zero Of Liberty” and “The Séance” is basically a part 2 to the prior track “Octane Twisted” by way of the same main theme.

What holds the entire project together (including the arguably filler tracks to round out the main musical pieces) is the expertise level of musicianship that all of the members possess. The result of these kinds of abilities not only transforms mere sounds into impressive music, but evokes such a wide range of emotional reactions that adds to the listening experience as well – from uneasy and moody to trippy, eerie, spacey, and other-worldly. The interlude “The Yellow Windows of the Evening Train” is a perfect illustration of that with its peaceful lull led by a synthesized female vocal line. Another impressive example is the variety of resounding percussional sounds on the third movement of “Octane Twisted”.

Lyrically, the notion of “The Incident” being a concept album becomes a little bit less clear. Although there are repeated lines and themes in some areas, other songs are a little harder to tie into a supposed main idea, which centers around the life of a man who joins a cult of the David Koresh variety. To be sure, many parts will whiz over the heads of those trying to understand the concept completely, but it isn’t confusing or misleading – just complex, perhaps to a fault.

What saves “The Incident’ from flying too far out of reach is the number of songs of simple construction that succeeds in hooking the listener with main choruses that resonates in the ear afterwards, including possible best track “I Drive The Hearse” with it’s finale type feel and “Drawing The Line” – possibly the most engaging song with its Hammond solo, muffled trumpet line in the intro, and spacey (once again) drum segments. Even “Time Flies”, with it’s obvious and possibly intentional echoing of Pink Floyd’s “Animals” proves it’s strength with it’s reverberating bass line, powerful lyrics, and aggressive acoustic strumming of which the main theme is delivered by.

The only legitimate criticism that can be made of “The Incident” can someday be it’s greatest aspect – that its an album of considerable genius by default due to the complex nature of the overall concept. However, if one were to just sit back and let the music of “The Incident” be the guide, Porcupine Tree will deliver in providing a most wonderful journey. Nonetheless, it is one of the most creative and amazing progressive metal albums to have come out in 2009.

The 1982 Tony award winning musical “Nine” was reincarnated as a film in 2009 of the same name. Sadly, the soundtrack to that motion picture not only failed to reach the standard set by the original cast recording, but has sunk this one proud work to a most abominable level.

Perhaps the only aspect of “Nine” that is clear is the obvious lack of wisdom behind casting actors into musical theater roles. From a business standpoint, an argument can be made that in order to sell the film, big name actors must play the main roles. What ends up being sacrificed; however, is a high level of singing talent and ability. “Nine”, the film soundtrack, can practically serve as the poster child for such a lopsided trade off. Daniel Day-Lewis is simply un-Italian as the lead role of Guido Contini and his voice is weak and undisciplined. The same can be said for Penelope Cruz, for even though she delivers an intentionally over-the-top, sexually charged burlesque sound on the quintessential phone sex number “A Call From The Vatican” she, too, reveals an untrained and weak voice when it comes down to actually singing (as opposed to heavily breathing some of the lyrics). Both Cruz and Lewis were unable to sing their song’s respective high notes, and both revised versions have them cheating in order to complete the numbers. Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard are better vocalists, but unlike trained musical theater singers they have failed in playing the character through their voices, so that in both “Unusual way” and “My Husband Makes Movies”, respectively, there is no sense of sadness that both these tracks should have delivered.

On the flipside, easily the best vocal performance on “Nine” comes from Fergie, who plays the sultry Saraghina. As an actual singer with reputable talent, she was easily able to deliver her character’s essence and message in “Be Italian” – a number slightly revised to play out a more old country Italian kind of feel. Judi Dench also does a commendable job on “Folies Bergere”, but that’s partly due to the amazing similarity between her version and the original.

Just as much as the casting produced some head scratching was the curious additions and subractions of tracks on this release. Lewis’ character, Guido Contini, is the lead, but one wouldn’t know it from only two tracks that feature his voice. To add, some of the very best numbers from the original broadway version that feature Contini are not included in the film soundtrack, like “Only With You”, “The Grand Canal”, and “The Bells of St. Sebastain”. Even worse, a couple of new songs that appear in the 2009 soundtrack, “Cinema Italiano” – a Latin style dance track with an nice bongo percussion track – and “Take It All” – a big band kind of sound – are simply pointless and nonsensical in relation to the musical.

The highly questionable casting choices coupled with the revisionist set list completely overshadows the rather decent musical offerings by the orchestra, including an awesome cover of “Io Bacio…Tu Baci” and a more Italian sounding “Finale”. The best way to listen to the 2009 film soundtrack “Nine” without wincing is by keeping it in the proper perspective – that the project was not made with any real intention of bringing back to life the magic, power, and emotions of the original cast recording.

Old Man’s Child, the side/solo project of Dimmu Borgir’s Galder, has really come up big on the creative end with their 2009 LP release “Slaves Of The World”. Under a template of contemporary black metal, the beauty of this album comes from Galder’s daring insistence on including a myriad of other metal styles to further embellish compositional themes already well pronounced and musically defined. On another dimension, the variants within each song isn’t just limited to style, but also includes speed, cadence, and instrumentation.

As much as Galder’s musical abilities have most undoubtedly shone on this album, a very special mention should be given to the only other musician to have been included on this work – drummer Peter Wildoer. Under Galder’s direction, Wildoer provides much more than the glue that keeps each track musically together – his willingness to dive into less traditionally black metal beats and cadences as well has ended up not only enhancing the creative results of a number of tracks but also serves as a highlighting showcase of his own talents as well (“Saviors of Doom”, “The Crimson Meadows”, and “On The Devil’s Throne”). Other tracks of note from a drumming perspective include his use of snare (“Path Of Destruction”) and limited use of double bass blast beats (“Slaves Of The World”) when it would be so easy to do otherwise.

Galder is the man, however. As writer, singer, and guitar/bass player, the most complimentary statement that can be attributed to him is that none of his tracks or lines suffer in relation to each other. The bass is well grounded (“Saviors of Doom” for example), the vocals are intentionally emphasized for sound rather than lyrical clarity, and all of his guitar outputs are well heard and delivered, including from his lead work his solos (“Unholy Foreign Crusade” and “On The Devil’s Throne”) fills (“Unholy Foreign Crusade”) and wails (“Ferden Mot Fiendens Land”).

As for the rhythm – this is the greatest aspect of the record. Speeds vary from slow to fast, sometimes within the songs themselves. Of course, within those songs there some very nice time signature changes (including possible best song “On The Devil’s Throne”) to be heard. As for the overall style, the range goes from classic black (“Ferden Mot Fiendens Land”) to contemporary black (“The crimson Meadows”) to a healthy dose of thrash riffs peppered throughout the entire project (“Saviours of Doom”, “Unholy Foreign Crusade” and the moshing rhythm line underneath the solo on “”On The Devil’s Throne”).

For most artists that break off an occasional solo project, the reasoning behing the attempt is often to make something different than what that artist is previously known for, but for Galder and Old Man’s Child, 2009‘s “Slaves Of The World” succeeds more than producing something simply different, but entirely better. It is a very pleasing record to the metal ear.

Although the overall sound of �Bloodstained Endurance� is an absolute pleasure to listen to, it is the songs themselves that make the 2009 release by symphonic/gothic metal band Trail of Tears an unsatisfying effort. Both in songwriting and band direction, there is a sense that variation is placed for variation sake, rather than because the piece calls for it. With the exception of �Faith Comes Knocking� and �A Storm at Will�, the decisions as to why what happens and where and when seems baseless and self insisting. The easiest area to identify this point comes from the vocal lines. Between the two vocalists, they both sing either the verse, introduction, chorus, or bridge. Whatever line up is drawn up on one song, it changes on the other. Include this with the lyrical content, and the whole becomes nonsensical. By itself, this is just one small aspect, but it appears everywhere and it does add up, and the results are a series of songs that no longer retain its connection with the audience.

The best track on the record, �Faith Comes Knocking� is really the only song that not just maximizes the band�s abilities without over-producing it, but creates a perfect match between its lyrical content and the song�s many tones and overall vibe. It has an epic sound coupled with a sharp, metallic riff and the lyrics paint a religious theme of which both angelic and devilish auras are presented. The song�s highlight comes from the eerie second movement complete with a very high piano track and some background screaming. The song ends with an ominous series of low pitched long notes that complete this highly emotive work. Unfortunately, most of the other tracks don�t deliver with that kind of power.

One thing is for sure, the sound of Trail of Tears is immaculate. There are two vocalists that play off each other in the style of most gothic metal bands (the male vocalist is guttural, while the female vocalist is clean with a register near angelic. Cathrine Paulsen is a little deeper with a more rich tone than pristine. Her performance on the soft �A Storm at Will� reveals her at her most operatic.) Although guitar oriented (and with two guitarists, it should be), there is a guest keyboardist that does contribute some significant playing time. Audun Gronnestad�s additions are sometimes as simple as a wash or background track (�The Desperation Corridors� and �Farewell to Sanity�), while on others he is more prominent if not more purposeful (the ballad �A Storm at Will� and the piano line on �Faith Comes Knocking� and �Dead End Gaze�). Finally, the rhythm section is faultless with only �The Desperation Corridors� (bass) and �Farewell to Sanity� (drums) as their featured tracks.

Still, the problem that does come up appears to be the sheer amount of post production work on the whole, especially when you consider the simplicity of most of the main themes of each song. Most main rhythm riffs are more closely related to hard, edgy rock than metal (�The Feverish Alliance� and �In The Valley Of Ashes�) which comes off as less cerebral. Secondly, the vocal lines, which is the main driving force of every song, are often overdubbed, multi-tracked, and effected (�Dead End Gaze� and the title track �Bloodstained Endurance�). The soloing contributions, although sweet (�Triumphant Gleam�, �A Storm at Will�, and �Take Aim. Reclaim. Prevail.�), are also simple, confining, and most of all – rare. Add the keys and the result only appears loud and bombastic but in reality is a lot less. �Bloodstained Endurance� is therefore not an over produced album, but it definitely is a studio creation, one that seems predicated on masking than showcasing the talent.

With less magic, more substance, and better direction, Trail of Tears has the sound to create great music. Their 2009 effort �Bloodstained Endurance� is not the destination, but it is on the right path.

It isn�t always a guarantee when a great band comes out with an album that it�s going to be spectacular. In the case of thrash metal giant Megadeth�s 2009 release �Endgame� it can make good on that promise. With three new members backing up lead guitarist/vocalist/band leader Dave Mustaine on this project, the winning formula for success comes not from direction but from respect – a sense that these guys know what it means and takes to make not only a Megadeth record, but a great Megadeth record. Mustaine is still the main songwriter and without question the creative force by which the other members take their cues from, but from this very small parameter between shelling out hollow product and overstepping musical boundaries this current team of band mates have amazingly come through with a very high level of quality thrash – the result of which is eleven songs very qualified to carry the Megadeth brand.

The best example of this notion of respect comes from the lead output of second guitarist Chris Broderick. He is an extremely complimentary number two to Mustaine. The opening track, �Dialectic Chaos� is an instrumental piece that primarily features the two guitarists trading off solos (for a total of seven). The surprising stat, though, is that four of them come from Broderick. Most of the songs on �Endgame� feature more spotlighted solos from Broderick than Mustaine. As with each solo; however, more attention to detail is paid to the larger body of work than just merely showcasing Broderick�s talent. The end result is not a cloning of past ideas but a healthy reinvention of what all parties would correctly call the essential Megadeth sound (the song �Endgame�, �1,320��, the slower �Bite The Hand�, and possible best cut �This Day We Fight!�).

Other aspects of �Endgame� that really work are nothing more than tweaks and tune ups to an already smooth running model. Lyrically, sociopolitical tones are Mustaine�s wheelhouse, but where old subjects could be rehashed new ideas are unearthed and exposed (�44 Minutes� with it�s stop/go verses highlighting the message, �Bite The Hand�, and the largely ambitious titular �Endgame�). To add, there is the introspective �Bodies� and an E.A.Poe influenced love song(?) �The Hardest Part of Letting Go�Sealed With a Kiss�. Of the latter, it should be noted that it is structurally two songs: one song is book ended within another. The louder �Sealed� plays like a second movement to the acoustic line over an ominous background wash that is ��Hardest Part��. It is one of the more creative and atypical songs on �Endgame�.

The better songs are the more aggressive tracks with very strong rhythm lines that either explode (�This Day We Fight!�, �1320��) or fire by way of machine gun chugging (�The Right To Go Insane�, �Head Crusher�, and �Bite The Hand�). The lead work is extraordinary throughout and really the central component of the album�s foundation. �Bodies� harnesses a very melodic solo break, and the dueling approach shines also on �1,320��. The solo on �Bite the Hand� remarkably stays within the confines of the bass/rhythm track which shows if anything else the band�s faith in the quality of the song�s main line.

At times, Mustaine will sing rather than snarl, and a couple of the songs fail to overly impress by playing elongated notes behind chorus lines (�44 Minutes�) as a sort of break from the more technically complex stuff, but here it�s OK because that is what they are – breaks – and not so much different as to redefine the whole of �Endgame�. The brand is intact, and the musicians assembled here have not only played as if that was the primary directive, but managed to give birth to an exceptional piece of metal. Megadeth truly have exceeded all expectations. It is a very well conceived, well written, and well played thrash metal album – truly one of the strongest albums to have come out in �09.

Sometimes a band super loaded with talent coupled with some notable contributions from well established artists will fail to make a connection with an audience by producing a self centered and egotistical album. The 2009 CD release �Gods of Vermin� by symphonic/progressive metal band Sons of Seasons is a classic illustration of this point.

Talent-wise, these four guys play like eight. Drum (�Fall of Byzanz�, �Sanatorium Song�) and Bass highlights (solos on �Third Moon Rising� and �Fallen Family�) reveal above average playing ability and creativity. Lead vocalist Henning Basse (along with contributions from other guest vocalists) takes his medium tone and delivers pitches from a number of styles from falsetto to death metal grunts (�Fallen Family�). The MVP of the group � keyboardist, guitarist, and music writer Oliver Palotai � offers up both some really aggressive metal riffs (�Dead Man�s Shadows�, �Gods of Vermin�, and the great �Fallen Family�) with some moody acoustic features (�Wheel of Guilt� and �The Piper�). The range of Palotai�s keys� is wide (like the spacey �Dead Man�s Shadows�) but more often than not stays within the vicinity of acoustic varieties like violin (�Wintersmith�) and piano (the duet on �Gods of Vermin�, �The Piper�, and also �Wintersmith� to name a few).

The central problem of the album lies in a fundamental failure to understand the core concept of song writing. From the entire album, only �Wintersmith� provides a signature part that provides the point of the piece � a more derisive word for this would be a hook. Hardly anywhere else is the audience invited to help themselves to the music � it�s all about them � and how can it not be? Spanning thirteen tracks, there are over seventy-two minutes of self indulgence, and with the passing of each song the whole album just becomes so brutally long. Within each song, the amount of notes and tracks that are crammed in between beats is asphyxiating. It�s not only too much, but forced, as if the directors of the band feared that by pulling back a little and simplifying things a bit, their playing skills would not be adequately recognized. Cuts like �Fallen Family�, �A Blind Man�s Resolution�, �Belial�s Tower�, and �Wintersmith� are the precious few realizations of the band�s writing potential precisely because so many of the wonderful riffs, sounds, and fills that make up the piece are more appropriately spaced. The most constructive criticism that can be given then is that, �Gods of Vermin� will evoke a most eager anticipation for their next release should their arrogance turn into confidence.

As it stands, Sons of Seasons has all the makings of a great band and it helps to have the likes of Alex Krull (Leaves� Eyes) and Simone Simons (Epica) contributing. �Gods of Vermin� will drain you, but it won�t bore you. So much of the album is good; if only there wasn�t so much of it. To reiterate, the potential for this band is sky high, but for now, �Gods of Vermin� is a just good work of progressive heavy metal.

In 2009, Epica released a 2 CD live album called �The Classical Conspiracy�. Part Two of this review covers the second CD.

The second CD from Epica�s 2009 live album �The Classical Conspiracy� is aptly subtitled �The Epica Set� because all of the songs are from past Epica albums. Beyond the compositional and technical brilliance of the music as it is written and played lies this recording�s greatest characteristic and that is the high quality of this production. It is simply magnificent. When you consider the sheer output that the band, orchestra, and choir combined delivers it must be noted above all else that not only was their total sound wonderfully captured but leveled in such a way that no contribution ever sounds muffled, smothered, or disproportionate. The electric power of the band does not drown out the orchestra and the choir doesn�t take away from lead singer Simone Simons, and so on and so forth. The result of this amazing capture of sound makes what is already an incredible body of work an all the more pleasurable experience.

Technical details of the live production aside, a big reason for this project�s success comes from the compositional structure of the songs themselves. Epica�s music by definition is orchestra and symphonic by design. The magic, therefore, of this project does not come from added parts allotted to the orchestra to provide a more ample contribution, but rather the substitution of what originally was the synthesizer parts for the orchestra to take over. The result is that these songs never, ever deviate from their original designs, nor are they new versions, either. They are enhanced, more organic, and more alive. Synthesized parts are now authentic. Keyboardist Coen Janssen plays piano (�Safeguard to Paradise�) for example. In general, with the symphony there is added power (�Blank Infinity�), depth (�The Phantom Agony�, �Sancta Terra�) and diversity (check out the glockenspiel in the verse line on �Beyond Belief� for instance. Little nuggets of added flavor like this are found everywhere).

As is the philosophical standard for Epica, the metallic personality of the band is well represented (�Consign to Oblivion�, especially with its explosive entrance) and out in front on all of the tracks. Percussion-wise and bass-wise, their low end sound reverberates with palpitating force (�Never Enough�, �Beyond Belief�, and �Black Infinity� to name a few) and is just an awesome backbone for every other tone and register that plays. Elsewhere, the choir is beautiful with slightly altered arrangements to maximize the new number of voices, as opposed to the single digit contributors on the original recordings, and lastly, the crowd is into it as well. An intimate setting, they are quite lively and heavily involved. There is one person that hoots just a little too much over one ill-placed microphone, but don�t lock into that. It�s a speck of imperfection on an otherwise perfect record.

The idea of a live orchestra combining with a heavy metal band for a night has been done before and more often than one might believe, but Epica�s �The Classical Conspiracy� should be considered among the best ever. At the very least, it is one of the most wonderful live musical experiences to have come out in 2009.

Although Flashback of Anger clearly possess some remarkably skilled playing attributes from a wide assembly of talent, their 2009 effort �Splinters of Life� mainly suffers from a conflicted sense of direction on the production side, with a small catch-22 situation by arguably the band�s greatest member, lead singer and keyboardist Alessio Gori.

There are two keyboardists in Flashback of Anger, but it is presumably Gori that provides the majority of the solo work, lead lines, and most importantly the synthetic piano parts (�Time Can Answer�, �Stars�, and �Outer World�). Those featured solos are the sweetest parts of the record for they are executed beyond normal playing with a level of dexterity that should be categorized as prodigious. Between Gori and Emanuele Giorgetti, the synth tracks everywhere are dominant, precise, and creative (the intro, �By the Gates of My Dreams� and the hooking �All I have�). They lead a rhythm section that isn�t highlighted much but no less able or appreciated (the full bodied and collaborative �Back in the Nightmare� and the very heavy �Flashback of Anger�). But for all the virtuosity of the co-keyboardists and the cohesiveness of the rhythm section, it is the vocal output by Gori that is by far the weakest element of the band�s sound.

There are three aspects that negatively reflect on Gori�s vocal output. One � either English is his second language or he has a very strong accent. Either way, it interferes with his diction and clarity. Two � his register is high but his tone is thin-bodied with little power. Notes sound squeezed out of this throat rather than belted. It comes off as weak. Finally, three � he has a lack of vocal command, which is indicative of a lack of voice training. �A Void Within Me� uses many special effects to mask technical flaws and the piano backed �Outer World� illustrates in one song both the asset and detriment that Gori presents to the band. Of course, to be fair, if Gori�s voice and vocal abilities is satisfactory then the most major obstacle is cleared in liking Flashback of Anger�s overall sound.

The main criticism of �Splinters of Life�; however, doesn�t come from Gori�s pipes but from the confused direction of the band. �A Void Within Me� more than any other track paints a �love metal� kind of picture that other tracks seem to emulate from (�Outer World� and �Stars�). Very peculiarly, lyricist Alberto Amadori is not a playing member of the band and while there is not an overt sense of separation between singer and lyrics, there is a romantic and emotional tone the lyrics set that isn�t wholly matched by the music (�Back in the Nightmare�, �Splinters of Life�, and the song �Flashback of Anger�). Within each song, there are parts that ride closer to that theme, but on other levels veer off to other tones altogether different from its intended center (�Off with My Heart� and �Time Can Answer�).

On �Splinters of Life� there are flashes of technical brilliance, including the yet-to-be-mentioned lead solo work by Giulio Cercato (�Splinters of Life�, �Strange Illusion�, and �Back in the Nightmare�) as well as some pretty cool creative ideas, like harpsichord (�Time Can Answer�) and some seriously smooth funky guitar on the best track of the album �Off With My Heart�. The make or break areas are debatable and up to the listeners discretion, of course, but the main feeling that will come from hearing �Splinters of Life� at best will be a sense of �nice try� over �good work�.

Dream Theater�s �Black Clouds & Silver Linings� is comprised of three CDs. This review covers CD number three.

The beauty, magic, and artistry of any song�s music can sometimes be unfairly overshadowed by the lead singer�s natural foreground position. Of course, the more there is to any song, the less individualized attention is given to any specific part or track. Songs are therefore received by the listener (and in an extreme sense � judged) based on the sum of its parts rather than the parts themselves. Dream Theater�s bonus CD on �Black Clouds & Silver Linings� is comprised of instrumental mixes of the original album. With all due respect to the great James LaBrie, this disc more than anything else they have ever released before showcases the sheer brilliance of their music�s beauty, magic, and artistry in the best way possible � by itself.

Of the many observations that can be made by listening to the instrumental mixes, a few should definitely be noted. One is what keyboardist Jordan Rudess calls �continuum�. What is so much more clearly heard on this CD is his seamless contribution on every track. Verse lines are almost the complete domain of the singer and with good reason. What�s amazing here is that there is depth after all and Rudess� constant contributions make it so. His featured parts on �The Count of Tuscany� is his best showing and interestingly enough, he is backed up on one part by John Myung�s bass line � something not easily caught on the original album.

Secondly, although Dream Theater is arguably influenced to a small degree by the sounds of seventies era Rush and Pink Floyd (�The Best of Times�, and �The Count of Tuscany�), it is not so much as to say that their signature sound isn�t their own. In fact, an oceanic size of this album�s music is firmly rooted with very many metallic riffs. �The Shattered Fortress� explodes out of the starting gate with some furious staccato rhythms, and �A Nightmare to Remember� is just as gargantuan in the size of its metallic element. More than anything else, what guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy, and bassist John Myung show here is that what really comprises the core sound of the band isn�t the progressive elements but the metal. Add Rudess� continuum and �Black Clouds & Silver Linings� becomes really a meeting of the two sounds rather than a merging. This is what really comprises their signature sound.

Finally, without lyrics to steer the listener towards a projected idea or subject, the imagination can run wild and with such a wide range of sounds, tones, speeds, and movements, one can really create their own themes to parallel what is being played. Take �Wither� for example. It�s sweeping and inspiring, light and emotional. Anything imagined that matches those moods will find a personal connection with the music of that track, and so on. If anything else, that little mind exercise can only enhance the overall musical experience Dream Theater provides.

In the end, the absence of James LaBrie doesn�t make the music of Dream Theater better, but by not hearing him a higher sense of appreciation for all that goes into their music can be attained. It is that good, and along with the original �Black Clouds & Silver Linings�, Dream Theater has made the strongest argument for metal album of the year in 2009.

By expanding the scope of their sound to cover many kinds of rock and metal templates, Lillian Axe has come up big with a very entertaining group of smartly written songs on their 2009 release �Sad Day on Planet Earth�.

For sure, there is a certain playfulness that can be sensed when taking in some of the more provocative tracks on the album, which is very welcoming if not outright impressive. �Within Your Reach� and �Blood Raining Down on Her Wings� matches some seriously dark poetry with tones and melodies that would be classified as quite light and cheery. �Cold Day in Hell� alternates between soft rock verses with metallic riffs for the refrain giving off an impression of split personality. Acoustic guitar will atypically appear on a lot of tracks like �Divine�, �Jesus Wept�, and the rhythm line late on �Fire Blood the Earth & the Sea�. Finally, what Lillian Axe appears to do most and best is transition from slow to fast and soft to hard with a very methodical and persistent sway (�The Grand Scale of Finality� and �Blood Raining Down on Her Wings�). At the very least, no track will bore you.

The album maintains a strong sense of balance, too, with no dominant instrument playing over implied weaker contributions (�Megaslowfade� and �Down below the Ocean� provide the clearest examples). What�s more, the tracks remain straightforward even though some various extra tones constantly make appearances like the title track �Sad Day on Planet Earth� with its acoustic verse and whistling background. It should be noted; however, that whatever does grab the spotlight will leave as simply as it enters so that at no time does the core sound of each song venture out of the hybrid boundaries of their brand. With this in mind, the glue that keeps it all together could be found in lead guitarist Steve Blaze. A virtuoso with impeccable discipline structurally and melodically, Blaze appears with solo segments on each track with much attention to keeping every song cohesive. Of all his appearances �Nocturnal Symphony�, �Blood Raining Down on Her Wings�, and the great ballad �Sad Day on Planet Earth� are just a few shining examples.

It may be that metal fans will find it too light and rock fans may find it too heavy, but for those who like and enjoy both, Lillian Axe�s �Sad Day on Planet Earth� should not disappoint. It�s a very strong and scintillating work of aggressive yet melodic hard music.