Return to Heaven Denied

Ever since Rhapsody's 1997 classic Legendary Tales, it turned out that Italy housed some incredibly talented bands - Heimdall, Drakkar...and Labyrinth of course, this one being especially pertinent since Fabio Leone did the vocals on their first album. Well, some time has passed by since then, and here's album #2 - excellent speed/prog in the vein of Finnish speedsters Stratovarius. But there are key differences that many people don't tend to notice; for one, Labyrinth is more technical musically (and I mean this as literally as possible), and secondly while Stratovarius makes their choruses intensely melodic, Labyrinth goes for a more full out, epic kinda deal; oh yeah, and Labyrinth's slow songs aren't nearly as good, which is a damn shame.

In terms of the members, it's a very talented crew - excellent twin guitar attack, great double bass drum work, and vocals that would put Fabio Leone (or as he was known in this band - Joe Terry) to shame. Rob Tyrant, who unfortunately left the band not too long ago, puts forth his amazingly deep and soaring voice throughout the entire album; and for an Italian, his pronunciation techniques are second to none - how about that, Fabio??

Finally, I should note that this is a concept album - pretty simple, albeit clean, lyrics without the ridiculous childish word usage Rhapsody so often relies on...the story deserves better though - a tragic romance in a supernatural world, as a soul which has entered heaven defies the law of the Master in an attempt to go back for his lost love...when this venture fails and he tries to get back, well, let's just say that nothing pleasant comes out of that. The album in it's entirety, and by this I include the booklet cover and the intense usage of light purple throughout it's pages - this has a very airy and mystic kinda feel to it which helps further convey the heaven, love, & death symbolism. Interesting stuff...

Oh yes, one more thing - the disc takes a while to fully kick in - at least a week; so if you're slightly disappointed at first (like I was), give it some time, and it'll most certainly grow on you...

1.) Moonlight - 5:43

A most impressive opener indeed - relaxing keyboards give way to an intense double bass verse, ala Stratovarius; but then comes along the chorus and that's where the similarities end - as I mentioned before, Labyrinth goes for a full-out epic approach, as opposed to a fast melody + hook, and it's totally evident here. Some other memorable moments include the slowdown section after the first chorus, the blazing solo, and Rob's vocals on the last chorus - awesome stuff!!

2.) New Horizons - 6:22

A great song that alternates between fast and mid-paced tempos; a very progressive edge is predominant here as well...

3.) The Night of Dreams - 4:47

A good, solid, mid-paced track with a really catchy chorus; not much more to say really...

4.) Lady Lost in Time - 5:32

Another fantastic track, very much like the opener - slow, soothing piano in the beginning, intensely fast double-bass in the verse, and a great, epic chorus which really stands out. One of the three best tracks on the disc, no doubt about it...

5.) State of Grace - 3:08

The only track on the disc that has that special style predominantly used on the first album - it's mildly fast, with a technic melody. Some nice keyboard work in the beginning, and the song just flows freely from there on...excellent track.

6.) Heaven Denied - 4:57

The title track...it's a very relaxed and laid back piece, with a mildly thick chorus and a keyboard dominated solo. Nothing too special, but a pretty solid song nonetheless.

7.) Thunder - 4:21

The fastest and heaviest track on the disc, and incidentally the first song I heard by the band (which immediately put the album on my must-have list), this is a definite highlight - ultra-fast verse with a catchy-as-hell little keyboard section. The chorus is blazing fast as well, but more melodic and epic; great solo too...

8.) Feel - 4:22

A very melodic but painfully repetitive instrumental. The melody is good when you're hearing it, but it doesn't stick in your head - this lacks catchiness and feels totally out of place on the disc. On the contrary though, it's not too bad when you're hearing it, just...weird.

9.) Time after Time - 5:07

Now this I like. A true power/progressive masterpiece, not to mention THE highlight of the album (at least for me), the song just left me breathless from start to finish - bass driven verse, fast and flowing chorus, and a multi-layered keyboard/guitar solo which uses a well known classical melody towards the end (same exact melody Therion had on their "Nightside of Eden" song, by the way)...

10.) Falling Rain - 6:24

Well, here we have another slow song, and it definitely fails to impress - sloppy verse format, although the song does thicken up for the pretty adequate chorus. Quite boring throughout, and the poppish fadeaway melody at the end is simply pathetic. NOT one of my favorites, as you can imagine...

11.) Die for Freedom - 7:02

The ending cut turns out to be a very solid song with a heavy and punishing riff used throughout; this is one of those songs that in my terms 'liquefies' - the verse is a bit dry, the bridge is slightly smoother, and the chorus just flows! A marvelous chorus it is too - heavy and intense, with some great drum work. A very good song overall that rounds up an excellent album.