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If
you like I have been following Arena since their excellent debut
album 'Songs from the Lion's Cage' then this best of album doesn't
offer you much. If you on the other hand are looking for an
introduction to the universe of Arena, then this might just be the thing
you are looking for...
During
the 10 years they've released 6 great studio albums, and this best
of album offers us one song from the debut album ("Solomon"),
1 from 'Pride' ("Empire of a Thousand Days" in a
re-recorded 2006 version with Rob Sowden on vocals), 2 from 'The
Visitor' ("The
Hanging Tree" & "Crack in the Ice") - an album, which many fans still consider
to be their best, 1 from 'Immortal?'
("The Butterfly Man"), 2 from 'Contagion' ("Skin
Game" & "Salamander"), 2 from their latest album
'Pepper's Ghost' ("Smoke & Mirrors" & "Bedlam
Fayre") as well as a previous unreleased live-version of "Chosen"
(the original is off course from "Immortal?").
I
think it's a cool collection of some the finest moments of Arena,
but if you like me have their entire back catalogue, then this album
doesn't offer much. But it still makes great fun to listen to
their excellent and fine pieces of music...
The
songs are as they were back when they were released, and that alone
makes the sound varied, so does the various vocalists, who has been
involved down the road - but that just makes it more interesting to
listen to...
As a fan I think it's cool to get a run-down of Arena
like this!
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