Suspyre
A Great Divide

July 2007
Released: 2007, Nightmare Records
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: MetalChick

This band needs to get noticed. Now. A GREAT DIVIDE is only their second album, and it is packed with progressive metal virtuosity. Their mixing of classical and jazz into metal is the perfect conglomerate performed in two 30+ minute 'opuses' that make up this album. They really do sound like opuses with the symphonic orchestrations and a couple lengthy instrumental tracks. Metal does dominate the songs, though, with riffs that rival Symphony X, Dream Theater, and even Iced Earth.



The first opus is titled 'The Alignment of Galaxies,' where the song "The Singer" introduces the flowing alternation between straight heaviness and intense prog changes. The heart of this first half is "Galactic Backward Movements," an entirely instrumental track complete with a unique saxophone section shortly before a few minutes of shredding guitar that precedes a brief part with a Middle-Eastern feel, etc. Opus two, 'The Origin of a Curse,' opens with the best song on the album, "April in the Fall," which features the best vocal lines, catchiest melodies, and heaviest riffs heard here. This second half also contains a short classical composition to show off the influences from that style.



Despite some similarities to well-known prog bands, Suspyre does have a sound and style all their own. They have the power and the skills to rise up from the bottom of the food chain, as they have already met the standards set by the greats of the genre. A GREAT DIVIDE will definitely be on my list of top albums this year.