Although this band has released 5 albums so far, this is the first I bought. The three musicians in Songs Of The Exile all share the vocal duties, and play drums, basses and Taurus pedals, or guitar with (guitar) synths. Judging by the album, that will prove a lot of hard work live.
And as you will have guessed by now, SOTE are a progressive band, mainly situated in metal. But not limited to that.
The songs on this album all are named after a certain year. Not chronological though, but as it states it is a concept album, they are linked together. Some tracks are influenced by Rush, others lean more into Dream Theater territory.
The vocals take some time to get used to. As is the case with Geddy from Rush, I can imagine some people disliking them. Tastes vary…
The music is varied but sometimes I feel the lyrical content dictated the music. A flow is not that apparent at times because of this. Nevertheless, repeated plays reveals some really beautiful pieces of music. For instance fret-less bass playing is always special in case someone is doing it right!
Guitar solo´s are mostly melodic, so those create atmosphere. As I said in my opening, because of all the arrangements, it must be tough to recreate this live. It is at times complex, with a lot going on.
To sum it up, I think this is a record which you have to grow into. But for the progressive metal fan I recommend this!
Personal play tips: 1962, 1965 (part 1), 1964.
