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METRO SOCIETY “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898”
METRO SOCIETY “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898”
By Colonel Angus
METRO SOCIETY is a prog metal outfit hailing from the state of Colorado, for those of you who are wondering where this band originates. At first, I thought that this was a brand new group but upon further research, I find that they have been around for quite a few years and that this is their second record. Well, when the info on METRO SOCIETY crossed my desk, I was certainly intrigued as it suggested that it was for “fans of DREAM THEATER, PORCUPINE TREE, and THRESHOLD” which are three bands that I really enjoy. Add to that, this is a concept record based on London after the Jack the Ripper killings which also fascinated me at a younger age. Everything was pointing in the right direction and for the most part, I found this release very good.
Things start off well with a short instrumental called “London 1898” which has a bit of RUSH thrown into the mix. It sets the mood perfectly for the rest of the album. The first “proper” tune is a nice mix of prog influenced metal that twists and turns that reminds me of a heavier ENCHANT. Even vocalist George Margaritopoulos has a hint of Ted Leonard in the way he sings and phrases the lyrics. The key to grabbing me as a listener is to bring plenty of melody into whatever genre of metal you play. METRO SOCIETY manage to fill each track with a lot of melody while still keeping the music somewhat heavy. “Lost Souls” is a great example of where the guitars riffing heavy but the vocals come in and layer over a nice melody with a slightly catchy chorus.
One of the heaviest tracks on “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898” is also the longest. “Pieces of the Past” offers up a number of parts with an underlying theme so that you can still hear that it is the same track but given the length, things are kept interesting. I did listen to METRO SOCIETY’s previous effort “A Journey in Paris” and I felt that some of the tunes could have benefitted from some self-editing. Some were longer than they needed to be but on “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898”, I find that each of the songs don’t overstay their welcome with “Pieces of the Past” proving my point.
The second instrument al of the album is a little over twice the length of the opening one but this one differs in that it is more along the DREAM THEATER vein than RUSH. Like many of the tunes on offer here, there are distinct sections but they all seem to lead back to the original sound making this instrumental enjoyable even for people like me who generally like music with vocals. Keeping things interesting, the band shift gears a little with an atmospheric track that has very slight hints of DEPECHE MODE. I don’t know, you might call me crazy but that is what I hear. Either way, it is a cool song that has some really great guitar work from Chris Mangold. The record ends with another heavy prog metal track that has similarities to other tunes on “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898”. “Inferno” is a good track but compared to what came before, this one falls a little short. It’s a shame because you don’t want to end the disk on a weaker tune but sometimes when forming a concept record, you’re left with having to place songs in a certain order. Not a bad piece but the other material outshines it.
METRO SOCIETY is a “new” band for me and after listening to both of their releases, “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898” is definitely the better of their two releases. There is a marked improvement in the songwriting and each track sounds more thought-out. Based on the title of this record, we might get a Chapter 2 at some point but for now, I will definitely enjoy listening to “The London Conspiracy Chapter I 1898”. It may not be groundbreaking but with songs this good, who cares?
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