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Reign In Metal
Zodiac :  Metal Reputation : 1
Join date : 2014-02-25
Location : Global Metal Domination
 | |  BIGELF - Into The Maelstrom (2014) Album Review | |
BIGELF - Into The Maelstrom (2014)
Inside Out Music -- Running Time 61:12
SCORE
10/10
'Well blow me down with a feather' (US readers, look it up if you don't know what I mean!). I've been waiting a long time for the new Bigelf album, as have many people, so I wasn't about to rush off a quick review, no, I wanted to thoroughly immerse myself in its every fibre. 'Into The Maelstrom' has been out a few weeks now so I suspect lots of you would have already heard it and if you haven't then go and stand in a corner until you're told otherwise!
After releasing third album 'Cheat The Gallows' in 2008 and then supporting Dream Theater all over the world, by 2010 Bigelf were on the verge of breaking through in a big way and then...everything went quiet! Frontman Damon Fox and the rest of the band just stopped and in his own words Damon says "the momentum had vanished, and it halted the band!" Well time can be a good healer and Mr Fox is back with a new lineup (which includes Mike Portnoy on drums) and 'Into The Maelstrom is not only Bigelf's finest hour it has gone to the top of my list for album of the year (so far), and in a year that has already seen some remarkable rock & metal music released that is high praise indeed!
Every one of the sixty plus minutes of this album are utter perfection and I just cannot stop listening to it. If you're new to Bigelf then it's not an easy thing to describe them because there is no other band who sounds quite like them. Described on the Press Release as 'Melodic Prog Doom' could bring all sorts of influences to mind if you've never heard them before and they would all be wrong! For me, because you will undoubtedly have your own ideas, Bigelf combine David Bowie, The Beatles, Queen, Alice Cooper at his darkest, some of the sonic elements of Hawkwind and the melodic genius of Jeff Lynne/ELO all mixed together into something quite magical and modern! This album is full of such variety and talent that it's difficult for me to find the right words to describe it, I'm not a good enough writer for that. I say it probably too much but I'm not going to single out individual tracks because that's impossible to do so I'll just say three words 'Into The Maelstrom'!
I'll be honest and say that I was a little worried when Mike Portnoy's name was mentioned because I didn't want this to turn into another 'Portnoy Project' but credit where it's due, he puts in a blinding and completely different and authentic performance for Bigelf and once again proves what an outstanding talent he is! Damon Fox, who also supplies guitar and keyboards as well as vocals is sublime throughout, Duffy Snowhill returns on bass and guitarist/vocalist Luis Maldonado has also been drafted in to add his not inconsiderable talents to the sound. Together they really have produced something very special.
Now I'm going to stop typing because you don't need to keep reading this, you need to go and get 'Into The Maelstrom' and experience its wondrous story for yourself. Go on... NOW!
https://www.facebook.com/bigelfmusic
http://www.bigelf.com/news/
https://twitter.com/damonfox/
https://www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
Review written exclusively for Brutiful Entertainment by Rick Tilley
www.facebook.com/richard.tilley.351
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