Theocracy: Theocracy

Theocracy's self-titled debut probably would have knocked me on my ass, anyway. But when my mind finally absorbed the fact that everything on this outstanding slab o' symphonic metal -- from the vocals and choirs, to the guitars, keyboards and orchestration, to the production, engineering and mixing -- was done by one guy in less than 18 months, I was (and pretty much remain) speechless. I mean, here's a guy, 26-year-old Matt Smith, who must have spent a good chunk of his life scheming and dreaming this masterpiece that, as the band's name implies, overflows with spiritual references. Even symphonic metal's most famous one-man band, Ayreon, uses guest vocalists. God bless Smith for taking this on all by himself.

After hearing only the brief orchestral opening "Prelude" and the next track, the stereotypical power-metal scorcher "Ichthus," it would be easy to jump to the oh-so-false assumption that Theocracy is simply an Americanized Rhapsody. But then, lo and behold, Smith gives listeners "The Serpent's Kiss," a 12-minute epic that begins rather shakily but then crescendos into complete bombast with a chorus that wraps itself around you like the song's title serpent and then squeezes. By the time the next track, "Mountain," hits its bridge, you'll be hitting the "repeat" button. The remaining six tracks include two more epics that each push the 12-minute mark. "The Healing Hand" is a sprawling piece with more progressive-metal elements than some of Theocracy's other songs, while "Twist of Fate" opens with distorted vocals before evolving into some of Smith's most aggressive singing. Meanwhile, "The Victory Dance" incorporates Celtic influences into heavy riffs, and "Sinner" seeks eternal salvation with a sing-to-the-heavens chorus.

Smith's voice rings loud and clear throughout Theocracy, and each song emerges as a small production -- sometimes with up to 70 layered vocals for the choir sections. The overtly-Christian lyrics will likely be embraced by some listeners and disdained by others, but as Smith writes on his web site, music this majestic needs equally muscular lyrics. Personally, they don't bother me. If forced to point out a flaw or two, I would instead mention the somewhat thin and sometimes muddy production in certain areas, plus the need for real drums rather than programmed percussion. Nevertheless, I salute Smith on a stunning achievement.

Album of the year? God willing...

Added: December 8th 2004
Reviewer: Michael Popke
Score:
Related Link: Official Theocracy Web Site
Hits: 4847
Language: english

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