Maximum Metal Rating Legend
5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

Demos and independent releases get some slack since the bands are often spent broke supporting themselves and trying to improve. Major releases usually have big financial backing, so they may be judged by a heavier hand. All scores can be eventually adjusted up or down by comparison of subsequent releases by the same band. We attempt to keep biases out of reviews and be advocates of the consumer without the undo influence of any band, label, management, promoter, etc.

The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Suspyre
Title
When Time Fades
Type
LP/EP
Company
Sensory Records
YOR
2008
Style
Progressive
8/12/2009 - Review by: Raising Iron

Suspyre
When Time Fades

Company: Sensory
Release: 2008
Genre: Progressive
Reviewer: Raising Iron

  • Leaves the average listener overwhelmed and fatigued



  • Suspyre's third and newest release, When Time Fades, finds the band continuing to delve deeper into their ever-expanding and exasperating compositional forays. As is wont of those toiling within the progressive metal framework, the band throws everything conceivable into their song structures, upping the style variation quotient to nth degree.

    Hailing from NJ, it's not surprising to hear some similarities to fellow statehood stalwarts Symphony X - although not quite as heavy or thrashy - Suspyre instead opting for more vociferous keyboard proclamations than the heavier X-men. Even founding guitarist Gregg Rossetti throws in periodic doses of saxophone solos (see "Siren"), and frequently used jazz/fusion guitar stylings are infused and abused (think To-Mera and their latest effort, the grandiose Delusions) amongst keyboard orchestrations, programmed bits, and plenty of intricate vocal melodies liberally peppered into the mix. Vocalist Clay Barton even sounds a bit like Russell Allen, opting for that soulful, throaty, mid-tone mewling born out of mid-‘70's R&B, adding another dimension to the already complex music on display. And complex is the word for it, the longer songs moving into several different styles, speedy scales and virtuosic arpeggios being the building blocks for the larger keyboards layered above, there's no denying the band's musical acrobatics.

    Having said all that, what will one walk away with after spending several hours absorbing When Time Fades (it'll take that long, trust me; remember though, that's part of the joy for hardcore fans of the genre)? Being a progressive metal band with predilections for showcasing adroit technique and at the same time keeping the songs focused is always a tough balancing act, and its one that song-focus usually loses. I wouldn't necessarily say that's the case here, but there is an overall feeling of just a little bit too much thrown into this seventy-five minute effort, leaving the average listener overwhelmed and fatigued; just not getting it.

    True prog-heads (most of which are themselves musicians) will readily eat this up, and rightly so, Suspyre turning in a semi-cohesive effort with plenty on display, and despite my earlier descriptions, comparatively speaking they do dwell at the heavier end of the progressive metal spectrum versus many other bands in this field, and that can only help their cause.

    Note: my score reflects the imprint left on the average listener, add a half a point if you're a Dream Theater/Redemption/SUE/Dreamscape/Symphony X et al fan!


    • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
      3.5 :AVE RATING

    ALL REVIEWS FOR: SUSPYRE
    TITLE
    DOR
    COMPANY
    REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
    When Time Fades
    2008
    Sensory Records
    Raising Iron8/12/2009
    3.5

    ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: SUSPYRE
    INTERVIEW INTERVIEWER DATE TAGLINE


    << back >>