Band:
Lance King - Vocals
Yan Leviathen - Rhythm Guitars
Discography:
From the Depths of Time (2006)
Ashes and Madness (2009)
Midnight at the Tower (2011)
Guests:
David Ellefson - Bass
Roger Moore - Guitar Solos
Jonah Weingarten - Keyboards
David Small - Drums
Info
Produced by Lance King and David Ellefson
Recorded at Yanmonster Studio (All Rhythm Guitars, Bass, and Keys), at Nightmare Studio (All Vocals, Lead and Acoustic Guitars), and at The Saltmine (All Drums)
Engineered by John Grey, Lance King and Yan Leviathan
Mastered by Lance King
Artwork by Mattias Noren
Released 26/10-2010
Reviewed 4/3-2010
Links:
avianband.com
myspace
blinding force
Avian is an American metal band formed the same year as Hallowed (2002). They've released two albums and an EP and later this year they'll release a new album. Last fall they released this special edition of their debut, 'From the Depths of Time' with some bonus tracks. The album was barely five years old when this re-release was released and with the sound quality that the album have I can't see they've put any effort in to making this re-release. I've tried to find any reason for doing this re-release and the only one I can find is that the first printing was sold out. Personally I don't see how that motivate you to release the second printing almost like a new album. Maybe what they thought was that "when we're doing this new print anyway - why not throw in some bonus tracks as well?". Well, either case the album is released and since we didn't review it the first time it was released, here is the sentence from Hallowed:
'From the Depths of Time' is an album that sounds very much 80's. Not the least when it comes to the production. It sounds like Rage in the Avenger days, like old Savatage or Heaven's Gate in the 80's. In other words, what we get is power metal, the way it sounded back when it was taking form. Fast guitars, screaming guitars, and a vocalist that doesn't know if he should sing in falsetto or try to sound evil. It ends with him sounding insecure and weak, without power and feeling. I don't think he has the best voice either. He sounds like a cross-over between Jon Oliva of Savatage and Hansi Kursch of Blind Guardian. And to you who don't know how those guys sound it's not a very flattering parable. Two voices that can cut through bones and marrow like diggers with razors at the front. Sound-wise it sounds like the album is recorded in some sort of tunnel or cave. Instead of tunnel vision you get a tunnel-hearing-felling from it. The sounds just bounce around all over the place, losing quality as they bounce. It sounds as low qualtiy as something bought from K-mart.
There are good songs. I would even say there's a lot of them. But as I wrote from the beginning it should be criminal to throw away material like this on sound this poor. I don't like the total playing time either, which clocks in at over the hour. Why? The bonus additions is responsible for almost 20 minutes of these and honestly I can't help to feel that they are the ones responsible for the fading interest I experience as the album goes on and on. Too much of anything isn't always what you want, and this is particullary true when it comes to music with a bad sound quality on their album. It gets bothersome to hear in the long runs because of the bad production and in the end it makes no difference that most of the songs are good. This present is packed over the limit with stuff sticking out everywhere in pieces and the wrapping is broken. That's not a very nice gift to get...
So, when everything comes around we can summarize the album by saying this: bad sound, decent music, bad vocalist, good songs. But... a bit too long. It's an album that could have had so much more if it had taken the time to focus on the sound and not throw in these bonus songs. It should be criminal to do this good music and then throw it all away by not working harder on the details.
Prison or not, to me this album is approved but it could have been so much better. I can only hope their upcoming album is better o the technical side than this was, otherwise this is a band we'll probably will have to dig up from the depths of time instead of having around us in the future.
HHHHHHH
