After three years from their latest effort called “Unreal” in 2009, it’s time for Spheric Universe Experience to release their new album “The New Eve“.
The album has nine songs which most of them are four to six minutes except one which is seven minutes. The total album length is a little more than fifty minutes so it’s not too long so that you get tired or bored but also not too short.
Spheric Universe Experience is another crazy progressive technical band but on this album they dropped a little bit the progressive aspect of their music and approach a more accessible sound. Maybe they are considering to approach a bigger number of fans. Of course some instrumental madness is still there but is meant also to bang your head to the wall. I can always appreciate a band like S.U.E. that uses progressive complexity to give a fresh outlook to heavy metal. This is all prog is about, mixing different things together.
When you listen to an album for the first time there are certain songs immidiately that stand out and are still playing in your head when you are going to bed in the evening. Such songs in this album are: “Shut Up”,“The New Eve” and “The Day I Died” which are some of the best moments on the album. The background chorus “Hey, hey, hey” chant in “Shut Up” is simple and catchy and as long as it’s not the point being only catchy and commercial but overall musical it’s ok I think and is a really great tool for occasional use. The self titled “The New Eve” and “The Day I Died” are in similar veins of masterfully executed progressive metal with obviously talented musicians behind the guitar and keyboards. Perhaps the most fantastic relationship between these elements is the longest song and most obvious ballad on the album, “Angel”.
I can’t really say this album has any major weaknesses, there are certain spots on the songs where things could have been done differently but for a melodic progressive metal album, this is top form, even if it is more straight metal at some points and more commercial too than the previous albums.
Track List | Line Up | 01. Shut Up 02. The New Eve 03. Escape 04. Never Heal 05. Angel 06. The Day I Died 07. In This Place 08. Self Abuse 09. My Heart on the Cross |
Christophe Briand – Drums John Drai – Bass Vince Benaim – Guitars Fred Colombo – Keyboards Franck Garcia – Vocals |