Ever notice how so many progressive-metal bands start out sounding like Dream Theater and then evolve on their own? Witness Chicago's Lydian Sea, a former trio now bulked up to a quartet. The band's self-titled 2001 debut morphed influences from the American triumvirate of progressive metal (Dream Theater, Queensr˙che and Fates Warning) into a likeable but rather generic sound. On Architect of Humanity, however, the addition of strong-lunged vocalist Danny McCartney – who effectively complements vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist/chief songwriter Ron Gonzalez — gives Lydian Sea a new sound that bridges Iron Maiden and King's X, along with Dream Theater, Queensr˙che, Fates Warning and seemingly everyone else in between. That leaves a lot of room for musical movement, and these guys take advantage of the sonic space.
After opening with two tracks that might have worked better appearing later in the album ("Hope" and "Indecision"), Architect of Humanity kicks into gear with "Running Dry" — a melodic rocker that sounds like classic Gretchen-era King's X. "Affection For You" is a mid-tempo song that doesn't know if it should be a ballad or a rocker but sounds good as either, and the tour-de-force title track reveals Lydian Sea's darker side, as McCartney turns in a Bruce Dickinson-like performance. "Temptation's Shadow" is an aggressive scorcher, and the social commentary "Media Curtain" shows off the vocal talents of both McCartney and Gonzalez. By the time the album closes with the hook-filled "Land of the Free," you can't help but be excited about where these guys might go next.
At 70 minutes, though, Architect of Humanity runs a bit long; songs like "All That Ends" and "Providence" could have been dropped from the running order to make for a more consistent record. But that's a small complaint. As the second release on the new label division of mail-order house CD Inzane (Vox Tempus' In the Eye of Time was the first), Architect of Humanity bodes well for both band and label.
Track Listing:
1) Hope
2) Providence
3) Indecision
4) Running Dry
5) Affection For You
6) Architect of Humanity
7) All That Ends
8) Media Curtain
9) Rise
10) Beneath Time
11) Embracing Light
12) Temptation's Shadow
13) Land of the Free
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