Review by Brian Cassidy for Celestial Entrance Rating:
Well, one day I just happened to come across this band and I am very glad that I did. The first thing that came to mind as I was listening to this album was, “wow, I can’t believe how mature this is for only the second album.” The next was, “this is for sure going to take a couple listens to fully appreciate.” I think that the label describes it well as being power progressive metal. In this respect, it is similar to the type of music that Evergrey is. To avoid missunderstandings, they do not sound like Evergrey, but you know how Evergrey can be classified as both progressive and power metal? Well the same is true here. This is not dark music, it is actually very upbeat sounding. Its technicallity can be compared to the likes of Dream Theater. It is sort-of a concept album that deals with spiritual realms and life’s big questions, very interesting. Keyboards are used throughout, but seem to focus more on synths than your typical strings and such. This creates a ton of atmosphere, which I can’t really explain well; you would just have to hear it. The musicians are VERY talented. As a matter of fact, the music actually sounds like it was not humans that played it, but machines, it is SO precise. I have to mention the guitar solos; amazing! They do involve very fast runs but also very melodic parts that are beautiful. The singer…Well I read many times that he sounds a lot like Geoff Tate, yes, I can see the resemblence. To me though, I think that he sounds more like Tobias Sammet, only his voice is much more powerful. This may sound odd, but I also hear some Ozzy Osbourne in his voice. You may not agree, but hey, I hear it; not much, just a bit. The production is very good, very clear. I do think that it sounds a little thin though. I think that this is merely caused because the guitars don’t seem to have quite as much distortion in them as most rock music you hear. Very minor thing. All in all, VERY strong release. On a last note, this is music for the mind. It takes you into the realms that the lyrics are describing. What this means is that in order to fully appreciate it, you have to be able to dedicate your entire attention to it. I have found it to not be very meaningful if I am listening to it while I am driving or concentrating on something else. It is very…deep. So get it, but don’t be hesitant to look deeply for something that is beyond just notes and words.
Review by Masked Jackal for Celestial Entrance Rating:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It took me a few listens, but I’m now highly convinced that Pagan’s Mind will be one of the next great Metal bands on the planet. This is a masterpiece, and is an easy five star effort…I like reviews that compare bands with other bands so the buyer has an idea of what to expect. With Pagan’s Mind, that will be a pleasure. I hear another Queensyche in Pagan’s Mind, and this sounds like a futuristic version of “Rage For Order”. It’s incredibly produced, being crystal clear, the vocals are some of the most impressive I’ve ever heard. He sounds like an upgraded version of Geoff Tate. The guitars are also incredible, they’re very melodic in nature, and being the huge Iron Maiden fan that I am, I simply love them…This whole band is highly talented, and from start to finish, “Celestial Entrance” just gets stronger and stronger. If you like Metal with a futuristic edge, “Celestial Entrance” is one of the best releases you can but these days IMO…Norway has a new Metal God with Pagan’s Mind. These guys are the furure of Heavy Metal, and considering how powerful “CE” is, they could go straight to the top…UP THE IRONS!!!
Review by for Celestial Entrance Rating:
I picked up this CD on a whim, which I rarely ever do, and to my surprise and pleasure, I was hooked from the first track. Produced by promiscuous producter Frederik Nordstrom, the album’s overall sound is progressive power metal, drawing elements from both euopean power metal acts and from bands like Dream Theater, though the first few songs on the CD definately have a more power metal feel to them.The album starts off with the instumental introduction “Approaching,” with a nice organ melody line, before breaking into a catchy guitar and drum riff. Then the keyboards come in to flesh out the driving introduction. This track is full of energy and really sets the mood for the first half of the CD.The intro leads nicely into the first vocal track “Through Osiris’ Eyes.” Yes, there is a bit of a concept album going on here, or at least a recurring theme through several songs. The songs starts with a fairly crunchy guitar riff, before the keys take over the melody line. The vocalist (Nils Rue) comes in, sounding like a cross between Geoff Tate from Queensryche and a slightly lower pitched James LaBrie…and like them he seems to have some pitch problems sometimes. It could be intentional, and one you get used to it, I find the unique inflections add to the music. His voice isn’t extremely high, but remains firmly in the tenor range. The crunch comes back here in the bridge, where the vocals get raspy nearly to the point of a growl, before leading into the catchy, melodic chorus. Which is another thing the band does very well, catchy as hell choruses. The guitar solo does it’s job, but it’s nothing you havn’t heard before.The next track, “Entrance: Stargate” seems to borrow lyrically from the movie, but it also contains similar references as the previous track. Anyhow, the song starts off with a nifty riff, and is a bit more drum driven, with a very percussive sound. It slows before the entrance of the vocals and a soft melody line comes in. The first verse is almost lilting, but when the bridge rolls around, they kick it up a notch. The vocal range goes a bit higher on this track, especially on the chorus.”Of Epic Questions” is one of my favorite songs on this album. Again they have a small organ intro, before going into a drum and guitar groove. You can tell this song is a bit different than it’s predecessors from the vocal entrance; they are quite deep, before transitioning back into the previous range. I’d say that overall, the vocals are much more aggressive on this song. This is especially seen in the second verse, where they again approach nearly death metal growls, before returning to melodic power metal vocals on the chorus.”Dimensions of Fire” has some interesting vocal parts (“construction madneeEahesss”). The music is midpaced through the verses, and comes in strong for the chorus. Solid track, nice chorus. Around 4:30, there is a nifty raspy vocal line, and then the songs repeats the chorus again. Which is one of my only complaints about the CD, and it is a minor one. They repeat the choruses a lot. I don’t mind so much, because they sound good, but it can get to be a bit much in repeated listenings (ie, having your CD player on repeat).In “Dreamscape Lucidity” we have what I’d call the first ‘epic’ song on the CD. Though not as long as “Dimensions of Fire,” which clocks in at a respectable 7:30, there is a certian variance in the music and a sense of a quest to the lyrics. It is a little bit cheesy at points (“We protect these dimensions with our eternal souls…”/”I was sent by Aurora”/”Enter the gate and move on”), but overall pulls off the concept nicely.For me, things started to slow down around “The Seven Sacred Promises.” Which isn’t to say the song is slow…merely that it didn’t hold my attention as much as the other songs did. Verse, bridge, chorus, verse, rinse, repeat.And now the instumentals “Back to the Magic of Childhood.” I’m not one for long instumentals, so I don’t trust myself to give an unbiased opinion here. Let’s just say that my intrest wanes at this point, and doesn’t completely recover until the last track.”In Brilliant White Light,” “Aegean Shores,” and “The Prophecy of Pleiades” rounds out the rest of the CD. The final track (at least from 1:30 to 2:30, including the first two verses) is complete and utter Dream Theater worship. In fact it borrows/steals heavily from “Learning to Live” from Images and Words. The song totals nearly 10 minutes, yet is interesting enough so that you don’t notice how long the song actually is.So, if you didn’t want to read through all of that writing, and want to skip to the overall recap here it is: Good, solid proggish power metal with catchy choruses and a singer you’ll either love or hate. I give Celestial Entrance an 8.5…out of 10.
Review by Mr. Sean A. Mccabe for Celestial Entrance Rating:
I have to admit to being really disapointed with this album. When I purchased it, I was expecting a prog metal album. What I got was power metal album with some very slight prog elements.It’s not a bad album, but even as a power metal album, it doesn’t really measure up to some of the better recent releases from bands such as Sonata Arctica. Having said that, it really isn’t power metal either, it’s standard heavy metal with more keyboards. The arrangments are standard and obvious and there’s not a lot of variety, something that good prog will normally offer.Some of the choruses aren’t bad, the production is solid, the vocals are good (as someone else said, a bit like Geoff Tate) and every band member has the same little beard. Must be a Swedish thing. I almost forgot to mention that the ballad is the weakest power ballad I’ve heard since Dream Child’s “Fly Again” off their Reaching The Golden Gate album. That was bad enough to ruin the Dream Child album and the one hear is almost bad enough to completely ruin this album.Anyway, it’s a sold album, maybe made to sound worse than it actually is because it isn’t what I expected. This isn’t for someone who’s after an album in the vein of Dream Theater or Threshold, even though those two bands aren’t all that similar to each other either, but regardless, Pagan’s Mind pale in comparison to both.Not essential at all.
(out of 19 reviews)
Review by Brian Cassidy for Celestial Entrance
Rating:
Well, one day I just happened to come across this band and I am very glad that I did. The first thing that came to mind as I was listening to this album was, “wow, I can’t believe how mature this is for only the second album.” The next was, “this is for sure going to take a couple listens to fully appreciate.” I think that the label describes it well as being power progressive metal. In this respect, it is similar to the type of music that Evergrey is. To avoid missunderstandings, they do not sound like Evergrey, but you know how Evergrey can be classified as both progressive and power metal? Well the same is true here. This is not dark music, it is actually very upbeat sounding. Its technicallity can be compared to the likes of Dream Theater. It is sort-of a concept album that deals with spiritual realms and life’s big questions, very interesting. Keyboards are used throughout, but seem to focus more on synths than your typical strings and such. This creates a ton of atmosphere, which I can’t really explain well; you would just have to hear it. The musicians are VERY talented. As a matter of fact, the music actually sounds like it was not humans that played it, but machines, it is SO precise. I have to mention the guitar solos; amazing! They do involve very fast runs but also very melodic parts that are beautiful. The singer…Well I read many times that he sounds a lot like Geoff Tate, yes, I can see the resemblence. To me though, I think that he sounds more like Tobias Sammet, only his voice is much more powerful. This may sound odd, but I also hear some Ozzy Osbourne in his voice. You may not agree, but hey, I hear it; not much, just a bit. The production is very good, very clear. I do think that it sounds a little thin though. I think that this is merely caused because the guitars don’t seem to have quite as much distortion in them as most rock music you hear. Very minor thing. All in all, VERY strong release. On a last note, this is music for the mind. It takes you into the realms that the lyrics are describing. What this means is that in order to fully appreciate it, you have to be able to dedicate your entire attention to it. I have found it to not be very meaningful if I am listening to it while I am driving or concentrating on something else. It is very…deep. So get it, but don’t be hesitant to look deeply for something that is beyond just notes and words.
Review by Masked Jackal for Celestial Entrance
Rating:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It took me a few listens, but I’m now highly convinced that Pagan’s Mind will be one of the next great Metal bands on the planet. This is a masterpiece, and is an easy five star effort…I like reviews that compare bands with other bands so the buyer has an idea of what to expect. With Pagan’s Mind, that will be a pleasure. I hear another Queensyche in Pagan’s Mind, and this sounds like a futuristic version of “Rage For Order”. It’s incredibly produced, being crystal clear, the vocals are some of the most impressive I’ve ever heard. He sounds like an upgraded version of Geoff Tate. The guitars are also incredible, they’re very melodic in nature, and being the huge Iron Maiden fan that I am, I simply love them…This whole band is highly talented, and from start to finish, “Celestial Entrance” just gets stronger and stronger. If you like Metal with a futuristic edge, “Celestial Entrance” is one of the best releases you can but these days IMO…Norway has a new Metal God with Pagan’s Mind. These guys are the furure of Heavy Metal, and considering how powerful “CE” is, they could go straight to the top…UP THE IRONS!!!
Review by for Celestial Entrance
Rating:
I picked up this CD on a whim, which I rarely ever do, and to my surprise and pleasure, I was hooked from the first track. Produced by promiscuous producter Frederik Nordstrom, the album’s overall sound is progressive power metal, drawing elements from both euopean power metal acts and from bands like Dream Theater, though the first few songs on the CD definately have a more power metal feel to them.The album starts off with the instumental introduction “Approaching,” with a nice organ melody line, before breaking into a catchy guitar and drum riff. Then the keyboards come in to flesh out the driving introduction. This track is full of energy and really sets the mood for the first half of the CD.The intro leads nicely into the first vocal track “Through Osiris’ Eyes.” Yes, there is a bit of a concept album going on here, or at least a recurring theme through several songs. The songs starts with a fairly crunchy guitar riff, before the keys take over the melody line. The vocalist (Nils Rue) comes in, sounding like a cross between Geoff Tate from Queensryche and a slightly lower pitched James LaBrie…and like them he seems to have some pitch problems sometimes. It could be intentional, and one you get used to it, I find the unique inflections add to the music. His voice isn’t extremely high, but remains firmly in the tenor range. The crunch comes back here in the bridge, where the vocals get raspy nearly to the point of a growl, before leading into the catchy, melodic chorus. Which is another thing the band does very well, catchy as hell choruses. The guitar solo does it’s job, but it’s nothing you havn’t heard before.The next track, “Entrance: Stargate” seems to borrow lyrically from the movie, but it also contains similar references as the previous track. Anyhow, the song starts off with a nifty riff, and is a bit more drum driven, with a very percussive sound. It slows before the entrance of the vocals and a soft melody line comes in. The first verse is almost lilting, but when the bridge rolls around, they kick it up a notch. The vocal range goes a bit higher on this track, especially on the chorus.”Of Epic Questions” is one of my favorite songs on this album. Again they have a small organ intro, before going into a drum and guitar groove. You can tell this song is a bit different than it’s predecessors from the vocal entrance; they are quite deep, before transitioning back into the previous range. I’d say that overall, the vocals are much more aggressive on this song. This is especially seen in the second verse, where they again approach nearly death metal growls, before returning to melodic power metal vocals on the chorus.”Dimensions of Fire” has some interesting vocal parts (“construction madneeEahesss”). The music is midpaced through the verses, and comes in strong for the chorus. Solid track, nice chorus. Around 4:30, there is a nifty raspy vocal line, and then the songs repeats the chorus again. Which is one of my only complaints about the CD, and it is a minor one. They repeat the choruses a lot. I don’t mind so much, because they sound good, but it can get to be a bit much in repeated listenings (ie, having your CD player on repeat).In “Dreamscape Lucidity” we have what I’d call the first ‘epic’ song on the CD. Though not as long as “Dimensions of Fire,” which clocks in at a respectable 7:30, there is a certian variance in the music and a sense of a quest to the lyrics. It is a little bit cheesy at points (“We protect these dimensions with our eternal souls…”/”I was sent by Aurora”/”Enter the gate and move on”), but overall pulls off the concept nicely.For me, things started to slow down around “The Seven Sacred Promises.” Which isn’t to say the song is slow…merely that it didn’t hold my attention as much as the other songs did. Verse, bridge, chorus, verse, rinse, repeat.And now the instumentals “Back to the Magic of Childhood.” I’m not one for long instumentals, so I don’t trust myself to give an unbiased opinion here. Let’s just say that my intrest wanes at this point, and doesn’t completely recover until the last track.”In Brilliant White Light,” “Aegean Shores,” and “The Prophecy of Pleiades” rounds out the rest of the CD. The final track (at least from 1:30 to 2:30, including the first two verses) is complete and utter Dream Theater worship. In fact it borrows/steals heavily from “Learning to Live” from Images and Words. The song totals nearly 10 minutes, yet is interesting enough so that you don’t notice how long the song actually is.So, if you didn’t want to read through all of that writing, and want to skip to the overall recap here it is: Good, solid proggish power metal with catchy choruses and a singer you’ll either love or hate. I give Celestial Entrance an 8.5…out of 10.
Review by Mr. Sean A. Mccabe for Celestial Entrance
Rating:
I have to admit to being really disapointed with this album. When I purchased it, I was expecting a prog metal album. What I got was power metal album with some very slight prog elements.It’s not a bad album, but even as a power metal album, it doesn’t really measure up to some of the better recent releases from bands such as Sonata Arctica. Having said that, it really isn’t power metal either, it’s standard heavy metal with more keyboards. The arrangments are standard and obvious and there’s not a lot of variety, something that good prog will normally offer.Some of the choruses aren’t bad, the production is solid, the vocals are good (as someone else said, a bit like Geoff Tate) and every band member has the same little beard. Must be a Swedish thing. I almost forgot to mention that the ballad is the weakest power ballad I’ve heard since Dream Child’s “Fly Again” off their Reaching The Golden Gate album. That was bad enough to ruin the Dream Child album and the one hear is almost bad enough to completely ruin this album.Anyway, it’s a sold album, maybe made to sound worse than it actually is because it isn’t what I expected. This isn’t for someone who’s after an album in the vein of Dream Theater or Threshold, even though those two bands aren’t all that similar to each other either, but regardless, Pagan’s Mind pale in comparison to both.Not essential at all.
Review by PAUL K. ORTH for Celestial Entrance
Rating:
Celestial Entrance just gave my ears a massive orgasm!!!!!!!!!INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said!