Eleventh Hour
Memory of a Lifetime Journey
Type: CD
Company: Independent
Release: 2016
Genre: Gothic/Symphonic
Reviewer: Greg Watson
Published: 8/26/2016
Italian symphonic metal outfit Eleventh Hour's debut album, 'Memory of a Lifetime Journey', reminds me of Rhapsody and Symphony X melded with a little bit of Epica. Incredible arrangements, epic sound, Malmsteen-esque solos and solid lead vocals make this a good first effort but, the album still stays confined to this genre. That's not to say that it doesn't have its merits. Some of the arranging and instrumentation on the album, such as "Sleeping in my Dreams" and "Long Road Home", are outstanding and very moving and the vocal performance of Alessandro Del Vecchio is pretty damn impressive. But I just found myself feeling as though I had heard these songs somewhere else before. Unfortunately that's a pitfall of this genre with so many bands sounding very similar to one another and very little, if any, digression or individuality present. This isn't something that people will snap up for its originality but it will definitely be well received by fans of this genre as it is still a quality album and a helluva a debut.
About this Writer:Greg Watson // Greg Watson has been hooked on the loud and heavy sounds since the summer of 1994 when he first heard the opening notes of "Operation: Mindcrime" by Queensryche. Since then his tastes have expanded and grown like the ever evolving heavy metal tree of genres. He has been an active member of Maximum Metal off and on for 10 years. In his spare time, Greg enjoys deciding the fate of his loyal subjects in the realm of Skyrim and secretly playing air keyboard to "Separate Ways" by Journey when no one is watching. He currently resides in Roanoke, VA with his wife and his metal wannabe beagle.