Andrew Danso

Perhaps we’ve been made immune by the quality of Scandinavian progressive metal over the past decade, the formula being the Holy Grail for successive song writing on an epic scale. Surprisingly this lot are based in Chicago Illinois, that to any unassuming would swear this was the product of the Nordic plains. The Living Fields are convincing.

Layered in piano, violin, cello, acoustic guitar and electric guitar give it the kind of depth that such big ideas need for realisation. On the other hand their production, necessary for the entire piece to work as an epic lets them down – for all of their instrumentation the record simply doesn’t sound big enough. In another light it makes the checklist for anything progressive with a Nordic spin – no surprise then, to see Candlelight have fiercely hunted them down.

7/10 Powerplay issue #134