A power-metal concept album about alternate time dimensions that lasts only 31 minutes and is performed by one man who sounds like six? I wouldn't have believed it, either. But that's exactly what you get with Far Across the Wasteland, the latest album from Greek Michael Rinakakis, who performs under the name Event Horizon X.
This is not only Event Horizon X's third album, but also its third concept album and its most mature and fullest-sounding record. Using the core formula of melodic speed metal and epic power metal, Rinakakis invokes Rhapsody, Blind Guardian and Iced Earth. Over the course of 2003's Fall of Darkness, 2004's Along Came the Winter and now Far Across the Wasteland, he has made the not-too-distant leap from traditional warrior metal to sophisticated sci-fi metal, as this album tells the story of a time portal that is disrupted when earthly scientists land on the peaceful planet Archon.
The production is a little raw, but Rinakakis clearly knows his way around a studio. Layered vocal tracks and a seamless stream of intense instrumentation make Far Across the Wasteland sound huge, and the album's pacing – galloping rockers and melancholic instrumentals – keep the album moving swiftly. (Live, Event Horizon X expands to a four-piece band.)
Track Listing:
1) Far Across the Wasteland
2) The Gate
3) Volunteer (Kradoor)
4) Destruction Is Imminent
5) Sailing Away
6) Leaving Behind (Archon)
7) Back to Earth
8) Self-Destruct Sequence
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