Time to say something about this album since I've reached that settling in stage after repeated spins- I think. Jeff Loomis set a very high standard in metal guitar technicalities when Zero Order Phase came to the fore. There are very few metal guitarists fortifying their finger gymnastics with memorable grooves- this is important because Loomis propels tunes not just blocks of solos. It's also an uphill climb trying to out-do Zero Order Phase, many listenings later, we should realize that Loomis isn't trying to surpass his previous efforts here, he moves on. As such we don't quite hear tracks trying too hard to impress, all the numbers are well-penned & balanced in terms of appeal. Guests musicians in this album:
- Marty Friedman: TRACK 1 Mercurial
- Tony MacAlpine: TRACK 2 The Ultimatum
- Chris Poland: TRACK 6 The Continuum
- Atilla Voros: TRACK 5 Requiem for the Living
- Ihsahn: TRACK 7 Surrender
There are 3 tracks with vocals, in addition to the Ihsahn featured song mentioned above, Christine Rhoades did superbly in Tragedy & Harmony (TRACK 4) & Chosen Time (TRACK 8). Don't expect an Arch Enemy type vocals here, it's more Ava Inferi than anything else.
I'm still listening to this release, paying special attention to Mr. Loomis' phrasings & riffing ideas. He's much overlooked in this aspect because to the rest of the world, Jeff Loomis was Nevermore's Mr. Technical but to me, Jeff Loomis is a musician, first & foremost.
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