The Final Frontier
For a long, long time, there has always been a strong split in the world of progressive metal. There are efforts like Dream Theater, Threshold and Symphony X who endeavour to bring you the height of technical excellence veiled behind overriding track themes or stories. Then there are efforts like Liquid Tension Experiment, Star One and new addition Space Odyssey who make absolutely no effort in shocking you with musical brilliance. There is only one binding fact between the two; they're very, very good.
Richard Andersson and guitar wizard Magnus Nilsson between them have given birth to one of the best progressive concept albums I've heard in a long time, ranking right up there with Ayreon's "The Human Equation" and Dream Theater's legendary "Scenes From A Memory". But it's not fair to simply say Space Odyssey is another story, because it's not.
Andersson has clearly favoured musical innovation over the use of technicality throughout the album. Not to say it's not complex, but it sounds fresh and new. Too many metal bands have desperately been trying to do something new and just end up regurgitating the same album, or even someone else's. Thank the lord for Space Odyssey! One track to watch out for is definitely "Lord of the Winds", which is basically a big guitar solo over some fantastic drumming and keyboard work. A very, very strong album with no weak tracks or spots.
Space Odyssey unfortunately cannot quite stand up to the might of Ayreon or Dream Theater, but it certainly has the ability to stay in your CD player longer than Star One...