Nightmare Records
2011
1. Bloodline
2. The Curse
3. Dying Force
4. Faith Renounced
5. Aftermass
6. From The Womb
7. Soul Sacrifice
8. Red Rain
9. Haunted Saga Part II - Infinite Trance
10. Haunted Saga Part II - Lost, Plagued, And Redefined
11. Haunted Saga Part II - As I Embrace The End
Origins is an album I had to approach with some skepticism from the beginning. There are some vocalists out there which are just hard to replace and I'd consider Michael Grant to be one of them. I absolutely love his voice and when I heard the new album would not include him I couldn't help but be nervous. I really enjoyed the debut and I feared this just wouldn't be the same.
After listening and while I do miss Michael Grant's presence, it's probably not the biggest problem here. The new singer Zerno Rodrigo isn't half bad. He has a fairly powerful voice in fact, though I can't help but think the actual vocal melodies and his use of his voice is not as strong as Grant's. Another vocal problem springs up though in the sprinkling of harsher vocals in the music which doesn't seem to belong. Also, a larger gripe would be the constant erratic beats and upbeat pace. I find this album started to wear on me quickly as much of the music sounds the same and never builds a steady, strong rhythm. The music here is heavy power metal that seems like it's trying just a little hard to constantly be heavy. I think part of the erratic feel comes from the fact the guitar and the drums often seem like they're not exactly on the same page either. Even when the guitar slows down a bit the drums are all over the damned place at times.
In the end, I think this album is an OK heavy power metal release with a bit of a Euro sound about it (even though they're from New Jersey), but this doesn't really have the personality/originality to be great and comes off as just a little sloppy at times. I find that every song has a certain little something that bothers me whether it's some ill placed harsh vocals or some bad drumming. I also much favored Michael Grant's melodies at the helm and the somewhat more paced approach on the first album.
Highlights: Dying Force, Soul Sacrifice
Rating - 2.5/5
2. The Curse
3. Dying Force
4. Faith Renounced
5. Aftermass
6. From The Womb
7. Soul Sacrifice
8. Red Rain
9. Haunted Saga Part II - Infinite Trance
10. Haunted Saga Part II - Lost, Plagued, And Redefined
11. Haunted Saga Part II - As I Embrace The End
Origins is an album I had to approach with some skepticism from the beginning. There are some vocalists out there which are just hard to replace and I'd consider Michael Grant to be one of them. I absolutely love his voice and when I heard the new album would not include him I couldn't help but be nervous. I really enjoyed the debut and I feared this just wouldn't be the same.
After listening and while I do miss Michael Grant's presence, it's probably not the biggest problem here. The new singer Zerno Rodrigo isn't half bad. He has a fairly powerful voice in fact, though I can't help but think the actual vocal melodies and his use of his voice is not as strong as Grant's. Another vocal problem springs up though in the sprinkling of harsher vocals in the music which doesn't seem to belong. Also, a larger gripe would be the constant erratic beats and upbeat pace. I find this album started to wear on me quickly as much of the music sounds the same and never builds a steady, strong rhythm. The music here is heavy power metal that seems like it's trying just a little hard to constantly be heavy. I think part of the erratic feel comes from the fact the guitar and the drums often seem like they're not exactly on the same page either. Even when the guitar slows down a bit the drums are all over the damned place at times.
In the end, I think this album is an OK heavy power metal release with a bit of a Euro sound about it (even though they're from New Jersey), but this doesn't really have the personality/originality to be great and comes off as just a little sloppy at times. I find that every song has a certain little something that bothers me whether it's some ill placed harsh vocals or some bad drumming. I also much favored Michael Grant's melodies at the helm and the somewhat more paced approach on the first album.
Highlights: Dying Force, Soul Sacrifice
Rating - 2.5/5
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