Ian Parry
Visions

June 2006
Released: 2006, Escape Music/Zink Music
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

Maybe Ian Parry is mostly known for the progressive rock opera trilogy “Terra Incognita Consortium Project” and the band Elegy. VISIONS is Mr. Parry’s first solo album in 10 years, and he’s worked on this album for 2 years. Members of Elegy, Kamelot, Within Temptation and Vanden Plas have helped out Mr. Parry. VISIONS is all about Mr. Parry’s vocals. He’s a completely amazing singer that can hit the higher notes without any problems. You can hear similarities with Elegy but the more progressive metal parts are faded down and Mr. Parry invites the listener on a grand musical journey.



The musical foundation is still power metal, but it is blended with classic heavy rock and I can assure you all that Mr. Parry has put in a lot of hard work on the material. He has also produced the album, and the sound picture feels and sounds full and a bit mystical. In addition, he’s put the main focus on the lead vocals, choirs, guitars, and keyboards.



The album is brilliantly constructed and enfolds a lot of unexpected turns and a lot of tempo changes. He’s arranged the choirs so that they sing towards him instead of backing him up, and that brings more life to the production. Overall this is a great album that gives you a good feeling, and if you’re a previous fan of this artist’s work I’m sure you’re not going to be disappointed. My favorite tracks are “Innocent Minds”, “Fools Don’t Cry”, “Smiley People”, “Lovin’ a Stranger”, “Visions”.



http://www.zinkmusic.com