Verdict: Xinema's progressive side comes to the fore
More info: www.xinemaworld.com
This is Swedes Xinema's second album, the first being "Different Ways" which was a compilation and re-recording of material from the band's previous incarnation as Madrigal.
When I look back at my review of the band's previous album, I note that I mentioned Saga amongst the list of influences. This time out that influence shines through even more clearly, to the point where it almost detracts from the band's efforts here and relegates their status to that of a tribute band. However, leaving that aside, the positive element here is that the band have created an album that moves them forward from the debut.
The music is a lush combination of keyboards and guitars, with the keyboards generally pushing themselves to the fore and defining the overall style of the band. As the instruments battle it out for dominance, the vocals tend to be left lower down in the mix and don't take as prominent a role in the scheme of things as you might expect.
I personally liked the last album as quite a bit of the material had an AOR flavour to it. This time the band bring out the progressive side of the music more, as witnessed with the couple of 13 minute epics on offer. This means that the album isn't quite as immediate as it's predecessor and takes a few more listens to get into. The reward for doing so, is an album that successfully blends AOR and progressive rock, with the progressive side getting the upper hand this time out.
