Positive Progressive Perfection
Ah, progressive metal. Confusing the hell out of reviewers for years, as it comes in many forms, and rarely do two progressive bands collide. Spanning from from the emotion fused techincal perfection of Dream Theater, to Opeth's death metal music storming, progressive metal has always sounded fresh and unique.
Shadow Gallery are, by all accounts, another excellent progressive metal band. Their slice of the progressive cake offers the listener what can only be described as positive music. There's no screaming here. No ear-crunching metal riffs, and no speed of light drumming. Vocalist Mike Baker is incredibly clean, his voice soaring and looping and never seeming in any way challenged. Not to say the vocals aren't impressive - singing along to this album proves most enjoyable.
Room V is split into two chapters, each encompassing seven songs. The first act, which is Act III (Acts I and II can be found on their 1998 album "Tyranny"), is a delightful progressive romp, ending with the musical opus "Lamentia". However, the one problem with the album - the transition between the acts. The start of Act IV, "Seven Years", is somewhat poor in comparison to the excellence experienced at the end of Act III. However, do not let this put you off - "Dark" and "Torn" are absoloutly excellent, and Act IV is another excellent musical feat, the highlight of which is the guitar mastery in "The Archer Of Ben Salem".
Overall, an incredibly strong album from a consistantly excellent band. Very optimistic, there's nothing to upset here, and no musical gripes. The step down between the acts is short and quickly made up for, and this is overall a delightful album.