Norwegian band, Pedestrians of Blue, now seemingly shortened to P:O:B,, have already released a couple of EPs, both of which impressed. Sometimes when I listen to an album it just clicks. That was the case with this and it wasn't just because the tracks from the earlier EPs have made it onto the album. In fact, sometimes this isn't necessarily a good thing, as those albums that have 'instant appeal' fade on repeated listens. However, I'm happy to report that this album stands the test of time and still cuts it a few months down the line.
The band, featuring Johannes Stole [v] - Harald Levang [d] -Torfinn Sirnes [g] - Rudolf Fredly [b], describe their music as "a unique style mixing modern grooves with the sounds of classic bands like Queensrÿche, Black Sabbath, Dream Theater and Toto". In addition to those mentioned by the band my own list of references for the band include Ten, Metallica, Styx and occasionally Yes.
When writing about an album I always like to pick out the standout tracks and say a word or two about them. A difficult job with this album as the quality of the songs and musicianship is strong and maintained consistently throughout. If pushed I'll go for the songs in the first half of the album, such as "Promises", "Where The Rain Falls" and "World of Things", but that is maybe because the band placed the familiar EP tracks in this half.
A bit of digging around at Mood Swings will reveal that Dream Theater's "Images and Words" album is one of my favourites. It is a wonderful fusion of Metal, Prog and AOR. POB are doing something similar with this album, but have forged their own identity by increasing the melodic metal content and having a healthy proportion of catchy choruses. The band have also incorporated more modern elements to ensure the album sounds vibrant and contemporary. A great debut, that I no hesitation in recommending.
