Dan Swanö

The musical mastermind does it again. It no secret that progressive rock is a major influence to Mr. Swanö, and Moontower is the perfect homage to that forgotten era of rock. Hard to describe, but imagine a solid base of metal with layers of keyboard and synthesizer on top of everything. I do hear some old Edge of Sanity in here, but mostly it's Marillion, Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, and even The Who pops up in here! Beware to those who crave the pure, and cringe at excess, for this harkens back to the days of ego, when musicians had chops and weren't afraid to use them. Personally, I love progressive art rock, so for me, this is the perfect combination, but I can imagine someone taking this from a completely different perspective. Complaints I could see arising? Well, one is that the whole album contains synth work which some will consider too cheesy, and some of the work may be a little too derivative from the afore mentioned influences. It's also not Edge of Sanity, and while it will compared from those expecting another Swanö based EOS album, that's unfortunate, for while the voice is recognizable, there is a degree of experimentation which was never attained in that near-perfect band. What just blows me away though is that I can't fault the musicianship at all! While the drumming may lack some dynamics, I am just in awe at Swanö's control over every facet in this recording. I did wish for more "clean" parts in the vocals, but it's the rasp which, along with some killer distortion, keeps this "metal" enough for the hordes, and is a small price to pay. Another excellent album from a very talented individual, and an aural mecca for those who are ready to hear some true "progressive" metal.
8 1/2 out of 10