CREATION'S END

The brainchild of Zandelle guitarist Rudolph Albert and drummer Dario Rodriguez, Creation's End also features onetime vocalist of Riot and Masterplan, Mike DiMeo, as well as guitarist Marco Sfogli from James LaBrie's band and Chris Caffery/ex-Zandelle bassist Joey Bones, so the level of expectation for the debut offering from this new venture is high to say the least considering the calibre of musicians involved. Add to that equation producer John Macaluso (renowned drummer from James LaBrie's band and onetime sticksman for Ark, TNT and Yngwie Malmsteen), and a mix by Neil Kernon (Hall & Oates, Queensryche, Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Macabre etc), you have yourself a recipe for something with great potential. Production and mix-wise, we're talking fantastic quality here with every instrument and element produced and mixed with resonant clarity. Music-wise, however, the results are varied. Apparently, the songs were originally born from Albert and Rodriguez's jam sessions over a three year period between 2003-2006 whereupon the resulting compositions were originally demoed. Here we have reworked versions for eight of those demos and, while one can't criticise the execution in terms of an evident high level of musicianship, the music alternates between fairly generic and not very engaging, to quite innovative and more demanding of your ears. Unfortunately, the former is true more often than the latter. This has been branded 'Dark & Intense Power Metal' in the press blurb, which I guess it is in parts, but we're also dealing with a discernible progressive vibe during some passages, in the same way that Pagan's Mind combine prog and power elements. Pagan's Mind, however, engineer that stylistic fusion much more proficiently. There's nothing inherently bad about 'A New Beginning', it's just that the dull and uninteresting parts (usually where the band are guilty for virtuosity for virtuosity's sake) overshadow the more original, musically engaging passages. Special mention must go to Mike DiMeo as he delivers a superlative vocal performance here. I'm certain that many will disagree with much of what I've said and revel in Creation's End's debut album, but now we're a decade into the twenty first century, I demand a lot more originality from my music. There are hints of such, but not enough to warrant a higher score.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Sensory

Album

A NEW BEGINNING

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

65:02

RELEASE DATE:

17th January 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) Of Shadow and Flame
2) World Holocaust
3) Hollow
4) Dissociate
5) Still Life
6) Forsaken
7) Relic
8) Creation's End

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

USA

"...the music alernates between fairly generic and not very engaging, to quite innovative and more demanding of your ears. Unfortunately, the former is true more often than the latter."