This dark and melodic piece of Metal is the culmination of 11 years of work from two New York based musicians Rudolph Albert and Dario Rodriguez. The band features musicians from the James LaBrie band, Ark and Zondelle but the name which made me sit up most was Mike Di Meo of Masterplan and Riot fame. From the outset it is clear that “A New Beginning” is from the higher echelons of the musical spectrum. It’s slick without being clinical.
“Of Shadow and Flame”, the opener, is a well co-ordinated sampler of the band’s talents. It starts with a strong and powerful section of sophisticated Progressive Power Metal. The guitar work is sublime. It is more reminiscent of an epic ending than an opening track. Di Meo comes and adds further power, recalling Masterplan’s finest moments. The strength here lies in the overall unity of instruments, vocals and chorus. There are nice touches too from the electronic and percussion departments. “Of Shadow and Flame” is heavy and dark with a compelling rhythm. Magnificent guitar solos enter the fray but it’s the balance makes it brilliant. “Mine is a tortured soul” utters Di Meo to start “World Holocaust” in tune with the ominous and thumping rhythm. The way this track drives forward and Di Meo’s vocals each make me think of a darker version of Mercenary. Both the catchiness and dark edge are there. It’s tightly controlled even when it takes a diversion into a superb solo display before it returns to an ominous and catchy chorus line. This is gripping stuff so far.
“Hollow” is a slower and more intense power ballad. There is a magical solo in it, which in common with the rest of the album, never degenerates into a widdlefest but I didn’t sense so much excitement on this one. The colour, atmosphere and imperious drum beat return on “Dissociate”, another fast and hard hitting Power romp. “Still Life” takes it from another angle. A quiet acoustic intro is matched by Di Meo’s mellow tones. The electric guitar then adds the sophistication. It’s a mid-paced song but develops in an impressively powerful way, culminating in another heavy and kaleidoscopic Prog feat. I have to say that the next two tracks, “Forsaken” and “Relic” ran away from me a little. At this point for me the album lost its flow. Is this the result of reworking a collection of material from a period dating back to 1999? I don’t know. In fairness, although I didn’t find “Forsaken” especially inspiring, there’s plenty of ear-pleasing guitar work and there’s an air of drama and melancholy about it. The keyboard work is delicate too, but even so the vim and vigour of earlier tracks was missing. Again “Relic” was fine but the earlier sophistication had disappeared. What we get is acceptable classic US Hard rock. The solos are as good as ever and the fast drumming livens it up. “Relic” is a decent song in the vein of Sebastian Bach but I prefer it when the band mix up the sound more. I didn’t have to wait long, as the final track “Creation’s End” does just that. Another grandiose instrumental opening is matched by exotic guitar playing. The control of pace is superb. It’s dramatic, dark and delivered in the tone of an important message. The guitars take over to tell their own dark story. Like the first track “Of shadow and Flame”, this is a showcase of the band’s strength of continuity and talents as composers of dark and urgent melodic music.
I wasn’t completely knocked out by every moment of this album but I really appreciated the collection of ideas and the great musicianship which makes “A New Beginning” quite special. I hope we don’t have to wait 11 years for the next production. Creation’s End have something to say, know how to express it through their music and deserve to be heard.
http://www.creationsend.net
http://www.myspace.com/creationsendnyc
http://www.lasersedgegroup.com
