TIME REQUIEM - Optical Illusion

TIME REQUIEM
Optical Illusion
Candlelight USA
6/10




Progressive metal can often be like a partly cloudy afternoon. Certainly, you can be happy that the sun is shining, but the clouds distract you from enjoying the day to its fullest extent. Time Requiem has a lot going for them, especially in the department of shredding, but often, the over the top modulation shifting and outright wankery hides the true musical mastery of the songs themselves.

Three-fifths of Space Odyssey, including that projects mastermind, Richard Andersson, forms the backbone of Time Requiem. At times their music can be quite majestic, but when the group is determined to noodle around beneath a perfectly solid vocal melody from former Yngwie J. Malmsteen frontman Göran Edman, it can severely detract from the overall substance of melody. There’s no denying the technical prowess of Time Requiem, but you have to cast doubt on the band’s decisions in incorporating arpeggios as rhythms on many occasions. Most times, the track just doesn’t call for such aggravated technical meandering.

Of course, the keyboards of Andersson are at all times decidedly prominent and the soloing of Magnus Nilsson is often very tasteful, with his contribution to this records title track serving as ample evidence. More than anything, the bulk of “Optical Illusion” is music that’s geared toward the shredder set. With Edman at the fore, much of “The Ashen Soul” draws direct parallels to mid-career Malmsteen, with just a touch of “Roll The Bones”-era Rush tossed in for good measure. But as skilled as the musicianship is, these songs just aren’t of the type that stick with you. They’re challenging, and sometimes that can be a good thing. However, so often during “Optical Illusion,” being memorable takes a backseat to musical prowess. Ripping is one thing, but listening to minutes on end of scalar exercises can be frustrating.

“Ocean Wings” starts as a very great ballad, then shifts gears abruptly into music that’s completely irrelevant to the initial focus. Good songwriting dictates revisitations of primary themes, not simply stringing parts together for the sake of showing how many styles a group can cover in a single track. While it’s the songwriting of Malmsteen that Time Requiem seeks to emulate, the miss one of the fundamental points of the Swedish master’s song crafting. Not only can Malmsteen shred, he can stay on track and return to a theme before you’ve heard so many notes, you’ve forgotten the original point. Therein is the major drawback of this record. While some prog-heads will likely drop their jaws at the proficient musicianship of Time Requiem, technical proficiency alone does not a great songwriter make.


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