Divided Multitude

Guardian Angel

Written by: PP on 08/04/2010 22:06:44

The last couple of melodic progressive metal albums sent my way have been great, with Aspera's magnificent "Ripples" leading the way as one of the most memorable albums I've heard in the genre. The next prog metal band whose head is on our review plate is Divided Multitude, who have been around for fifteen years, but they've only released two full lengths prior to putting out "Guardian Angel" a couple of weeks ago. The band took an extended break due to some differences, but those have now been solved and for the last year and a half, "Guardian Angel" has been in the works. If the crystal clear and crisp soundscape from the player below sounds familiar, yes, Jacob Hansen has been behind the mixing board turning the knobs to near-perfection, which is why the guitars sound so tight and the drums sound like they were being played in your living room.

Soundwise, Divided Multitude don't differ much from your typical melodic progressive metal outfit. The soundscapes are full of grandeur and intelligent instrumentation, and a heavy metal style clean vocalist roars above a semi-symphonic platform defined by synths and organs. It doesn't take long to notice the parallels to Aspera because of how strong and memorable this band's melodies are (see especially "My Dying Hour", which is astonishing), and perhaps also Sinamore because of the slight strain in vocalist Antonsen's delivery. There's some sad melancholia in many of the atmospheres, but the band doesn't shy away from firing away in melodeath-type riffs occasionally. Of course, the power metal sound's always going to be relevant in prog metal albums like this, but the reason why Divided Multitude impress me instead of bore me (like so many of their peers) can be found in the healthy desire to combine these three genres together into a tightly wound, melodic package.

While "Guardian Angel" isn't going to be the best album in the prog metal genre, it's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the style. There's so much pretentious shit out there that whenever you get a band like Divided Multitude releasing an album that deviates even a little bit with better melodies and songwriting, they stick out like a sore thumb - in a good way. If you find the thought of Aspera mish-mashing with Sinamore intriguing, check out "Guardian Angel" now.

7

Download: My Dying Hour, Something For Someone
For the fans of: Aspera, Sinamore
Listen: Myspace

Release date 26.03.2010
Silverwolf Productions / Intergroove

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