review on The Human Condition in "www.metalperspective.

review on The Human Condition in "www.metalperspective.

Beitragvon alexander » Sa Jun 06, 2009 11:34 am

Metal Perspective Review
Saga - "The Human Condition"
[InsideOut Records, 2009]

(9/10)!!!!!!

Saga - The Human Condition
Tracklist:

01. The Human Condition
02. Avalon
03. A Number And A Name
04. Let It Go
05. Now is Now
06. Crown of Thorns
07. You Look Good To Me
08. Hands of Time
09. Step Inside

There was a short moment in time when it appeared that the arrival of a new Saga album seemed to be a very unlikely occurrence. The doubt caused by the departure of charismatic vocalist and original member Michael Sadler brought many to the conclusion that Saga would cease to exist, however after a period of contemplation, keyboardist Jim Gilmour, drummer Brian Doerner, along with brothers Ian and Jim Crichton on guitar and bass respectively, decided to begin the daunting task of searching for a replacement for Sadler.

The big question was not who would follow him, but how could anyone follow a singer and keyboardist that had gone a long way towards defining the sound, feel and look of the band for three decades. Not only were strong distinctive vocal chords and a consummate stage persona required, when Sadler left the band the lyrical voice of Saga needed to be replaced as well.

With the announcement that after a lot of searching, which even included asking for applicants to record their efforts and post them on Youtube, Final Frontiers front man Rob Moratti had landed the job, long term fans had to weigh up the excitement of Saga continuing, against the fear of a new voice behind the mic.

Never a band to rest on their laurels or play it safe The Human Condition once more finds Saga pushing their musical boundaries while still retaining a sound that’s immediately recognisable and familiar. Opening the album with the virtually instrumental title track, Moratti’s vocals are only heard fleetingly and in a highly processed manner leading to suspicions of a lack of confidence in his abilities. What is clear right from the off is that both Gilmour and Ian Crichton are on top form with the keyboard/guitar interplay being both faultless and impressive.
Any worries about the new singer’s abilities are allayed with his powerful and commanding delivery on track two, “Step Inside” and from there on Moratti gives an assured and confident account of himself. He doesn’t dominate the songs in the same way that his predecessor did, however his voice compliments the music well while leaving enough space for the rest of the band to shine. Slower songs ”Hands Of Time” and “Now Is Now” do bring the vocals more to the fore and Moratti’s smooth delivery is equally authoritative and mesmerising and more importantly exactly what the songs require.

Fans of Ian Crichton’s playing will be pleased to know that unlike previous release 10,000 Days, the guitars have been pushed further up in the mix on what is an excellent sounding album where production is credited to Saga. In particular the excellent “Let It Go” is more riff driven than most of the band’s recent output and as a whole the album has a better balance with neither guitar nor keys dominating for too long. Musically this is Saga’s most challenging set of songs for many a year with songs like “Avalon” adding a more progressive feel that hasn’t been heard on any of their albums since 1995’s Generation 13, although the songs remain way more accessible than the ones on that effort.
“A Number With A Name” is the track that most closely follows the blue print of Saga’s recent output, with angular guitar flurries, staccato riffs and melodic keyboard stabs, it would easily sit on the Network album. It’s a credit to the band that this is one of the few moments where past songs spring to mind.

Previous recent releases from Saga have credited all song writing to the band as a whole, so it’s interesting to note that Gilmour, Crichton and Crichton are named as writing all the music this time with Moratti credited with lyrics and vocal melodies on six of the nine songs and co-credited with Jim Crichton on the remaining three. Lyrically the album is both interesting and involving with enough ambiguity in the words to allow the listener to add their own interpretation to their meaning.

With The Human Condition Saga have come through one of the toughest periods of their career with flying colours and with Rob Moratti on board they have proved that they will have a viable, productive future ahead of them. While it isn’t quite up there with their best albums The Human Condition is an excellent first step with Moratti and a release to be proud of.

Oh, and I love the cover artwork.

Rating: 9/10 Reviewer: Steven Reid

Rating Guide
10/10: Divine intervention!!!
9/10: Metal monument
8/10: Diamonds are forever
7/10: This is really good, don't hesitate…
6/10: Good second choice, make a notice here
5/10: To be or not to be? Identity crisis
4/10: You must be joking!
3/10: Don't even think about it!
2/10: Maybe you can use it as a Frisbee, who knows?
1/10: Even a drill can produce better tunes
0/10: Run for your lives!!!
Rating Guide
simplify your life
alexander
 
Beiträge: 68
Registriert: So Okt 14, 2007 10:12 am

Beitragvon Jay » Sa Jun 06, 2009 11:42 am

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Das Tragische an jeder Erfahrung ist, dass man sie erst macht, nachdem man sie gebraucht hätte :)
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Jay
 
Beiträge: 765
Registriert: So Nov 11, 2007 8:47 am
Wohnort: Bergisches Land; Germany

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