Brutiful_ViXn
Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 88
Join date : 2012-01-05
Location : Vacationing in Hell
 | |  Tellus Requiem - Invictus (The 11th Hour) (2013) Album Review | |
Tellus Requiem - Invictus (The 11th Hour) (2013)
Nightmare Records -- Running Time 58:38
There is going to come a time very soon where if I keep telling you lot that another album is fantastic then you'll start to think I'm getting shares in the bands that I review, but the simple truth is there is a rich vein of talent in the power/progressive metal genres (my faves) at the moment and Tellus Requiem have blown me away with the release of their sophomore album 'Invictus (The 11th Hour), which has actually been available since January, and I've found it very hard to stop listening to it!
Formed in Norway in 2007, Tellus Requiem are one of the finest progressive metal bands I've heard and if your 'thing' is Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Symphony X, Seventh Wonder, Pagan's Mind, Kamelot and Threshold mixed with Classical and Eastern influences then you really have to listen to this band because otherwise you'll be missing out. Tellus Requiem (admittedly not one of the snappiest band names out there) means "The Earths Death Mass" and they write about the planets various problems, but leave the interpretation open to the listener, thereby giving you some control on how you view each song. Needless to say that whatever way you choose, you cannot be but in awe of the musical ability of these guys.
Guitarist and inspiration behind the band 'Stig Nergård' is an astounding talent. Many neoclassical players seem to think that speed is the answer to everything but Stig adds copious amounts of emotion to the skill and reminded me very much of Tony MacAlpine and John Petrucci in places (just check out the guitar solo in 'Tranquility' for proof), he also plays a blinding classical acoustic. His perfect partner is classically trained pianist 'Anders Sundb' whose keyboard playing takes my breath away. Add to that the quite incredible drumming skills of 'Vidar Lehmann' and bass player 'Ivar Hagen Be' and all that is needed is a vocalist to match those talents. 'Ben Rodgers' is that man and if James LaBrie were ever to leave Dream Theater then they have their replacement. His range is fantastic but passionate as well.
'Invictus (The 11th Hour) is not an immediate fix, it takes a few listens for the melodies to sink in, but once they do, well then 'wow' is the only word I can use. They use female vocals and choral arrangements when needed but it's certainly never overkill, the classical passages are beautiful and bring to mind Wagner and Paganini and in 'Eden Burns' they have written one of the best songs in this genre that I've heard. I could go on all day about how great this album is but the best thing is for you to 'discover' and interpret it for yourself. I find it mind boggling that bands such as Tellus Requiem are not more well known but at the very least I can now enjoy this for many years to come and cannot wait to see what they come up with next!
http://tellusrequiem.com/site/
https://www.facebook.com/tellusrequiem
http://nightmarerecords.com/NMR/
https://www.facebook.com/NightmareRecords
Review written exclusively for Brutiful Entertainment by Rick Tilley: www.facebook.com/richard.tilley.351
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