Keeping in
mind that this is my first introduction to the band, 4th Dimension
sound like a cross between Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica and early Labyrinth. So the
music places a significant emphasis on catchy melodies and is very much reliant
on keyboards. What 4th Dimension do they do well but a few songs into
the album the sing-along tunes start to sound overbearing. Overall the album
suffers on a homogeneous level, the sound is a bit too polished and the band
seems unable to bestow a personal edge to the music.
And yet I
couldn’t get myself to dismiss 4th Dimension’s validity as proponents
of the European Power Metal genre. ‘Memoirs Of The Abyss’, for instance, is an
excellent power ballad featuring acoustic guitar and flute sounds accentuated
with occasional bursts of energy. Amongst other things, I also liked the intro
to ‘Extra World’ where the band mixes electronic music with Metal to create an
interesting effect.
“Dispelling
The Veil.....” is 4th Dimension’s sophomore album and its striking
artwork comes from the talented Claudio Bergamin (Ayreon, Battle Beast, Tierra
Santa, Circle II Circle).
If you’ve ever
enjoyed an album by Sonata Arctica there’s a good chance this album will end up
squatting inside your CD player for a while. Now if you’ll excuse me, I really
need some rough music to realign my sanity...
