Xystus - Receiving tomorrow 3.5/5
Reviewed: 10-14-05
Tracklist:
1. Journey: Shadow of today
2. Into the void
3. Elements theme
4. Elements of the truth
5. A tale of the heart (Lost in misery part l)
6. Will to live on (Lost in misery part ll)
7. Why me? (Lost in misery part lll)
8. Everlasting burden
9. The luring red
10. Forgotten years
11. Tide
12. The prophecy
13. A waste of compassion
|
'Receiving tomorrow' is the debut CD for Xystus and it is a good CD in its own right and even better than that for a debut CD. Everything about this is high quality, the playing, the production and, to a decent degree, the songwriting and the originality. The sound of the band is power metal with a touch of progressiveness. Parts of the CD feature speedy, double bass while other parts are slower and still other parts feature some creative stop and start guitar parts. The CD is guitar driven but there are plenty of keyboards to be found, both backing keyboards and some keyboard leads. While the singer isn’t unique, he is extremely competent with a smooth, pleasant voice that is easily able to cover the needed range.
The songwriting is mostly competent, but nothing to get excited about. There are no real low points in the songwriting and it is all pleasing to listen to, but for the band to take the next step forward they will have to have more material that is excellent. There is only one track on the CD, “Into the void” that is truly exceptional. This track is melodic, speedy, has some nice instrumental sections and is simply a top quality track by any band’s standards. If this CD had more tracks that were as well written as this one, it would be an exceptional CD with all the other positive attributes this band has. Other notable tracks include “Everlasting burden”, the most riff oriented track on the CD and the “Lost in misery trilogy” which has some nice slow parts and also has some background keyboards reminiscent of the band Skylark.
This is a very successful debut CD. There is nothing about it that is below average and it has many things which are far above average. It is a superior sounding CD, has some similarities to other bands while still sounding unique, and has solid songwriting. This is a band that could definitely make an exceptional CD in the future if the songwriting can be more consistently excellent versus the mostly good songwriting found on this CD. For listeners looking for an expertly crafted CD, there will be very few who are disappointed with this one.
DAVID
MORE REVIEWS... FULL REVIEWS
MORE REVIEWS BY DAVID... DAVID
MAIN -
A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -
MISC
Email: metalcdratings@yahoo.com
