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Eagleheart: Reverse
Eagleheart - Reverse CD Album Review

Eagleheart: Reverse

Progressive Power Metal
3.5/5.0

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Scarlet Records
Review: Craig Hartranft
Added: 26.07.2017

Some six year since their previous Dream Therapy, Czech metal band Eagleheart returns with their third album Reverse, and some personnel changes and shuffles. As for former, the title of the album has some symbolism. Whereas the previous album dealt with dreams and escape from reality, Reverse takes the opposite direction dealing with, as the band notes, "a wake up call for reality." For the latter, the most significant personnel change is Eagleheart using three vocalists.

Eagleheart Band Photo

Eagleheart

And the vocal element is probably where we should begin. I can only describe the three vocalist configuration in one way, confusing. Eagleheart is not doing the usual thing: a lead vocalist with other members adding background vocals. Yes, there is a principal vocalist in Roman Sacek, but two other members, guitarist Michal Kus and former lead vocalist, now bass player, Vojta Simonik, also take turns as "backing" lead vocalists. It's like being in a room with three different people speaking to you at the same time. You can't concentrate on one, and so the situation creates something of a musical cognitive dissonance. Adding to this difficulty are some other factors: they're not the best singers, most times you can't understand what they're saying, and sometimes they use dirty vocals. I simply found the who vocal scenario to be a messy and confusing conundrum. Yet here's the thing: it's not necessarily happening in every song. But it happened enough to put me off.

Moreover, when the vocal arrangements are coupled with Eagleheart's progressive power metal, the music became confusing as well. In the end I spent more energy trying to unravel the songs, rather than listening with some appreciation. Dissected and redacted to a basic description, Reverse is speedy, thrashy, and sometimes symphonic, progressive power metal, with the single most interesting element being the terrific guitar solos. With a few more persistent listens, I think I could understand this album better and get past the aforementioned reservations. The question is, do I have, or want to take, the time to do so? I think you can deduce my answer from this review. Honesty gets real.

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The Bottom Line

Dissected and redacted to a basic description, Reverse is speedy, thrashy, and sometimes symphonic, progressive power metal with confusing vocal arrangements, and the single most interesting element being the terrific guitar solos.

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