Year : 2015
Style : Progressive Power Metal
Country : Norway
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 132 mb
Bio:
Pagan's Mind is a progressive metal band from Skien, Norway. They have released five studio albums, and the current line-up is composed of founding members only.Founded in 2000 from the band Silverspoon by Nils K. Rue, Thorstein Aaby, and Stian Kristoffersen. Pagan's Mind released their first album, Infinity Divine, that same year. The following album, Celestial Entrance, was released in 2002 and was a relatively big success even outside of Norway. A re-recorded version of Infinity Divine was released in 2004. Their third album, Enigmatic : Calling, was released in 2005 and debuted at number 15 on the Norwegian album charts.Their most recent album, Heavenly Ecstasy, was released in 2011.In February 2008, power metal band Power Quest announced that Pagan's Mind guitarist Jørn Viggo Lofstad will be providing guest instrumentation for the upcoming album Master of Illusion.In 2008, Pagan's Mind toured with Sonata Arctica on their Unia tour.In 2009, Pagan's Mind played ProgPower USA.On March 2, 2011, Pagan's Mind announced Heavenly Ecstasy as the title of their forthcoming album. The band also released a new song called "Intermission" as a premiere for the online radio show "The Metal Madman".The album was released on SPV/Steamhammer on May 20 in Germany, May 23 in other parts of Europe and in June in USA/Canada.On August 11, 2014, Pagan's Mind launched a crowdfunding campaign to fund their next live release called Full Circle - Live At Center Stage, which ran till September 20 and was successfully funded by 163% through their Indiegogo campaign. On July 31, the release date of Full Circle - Live At Center Stage was announced to be on October 16, 2015 in a BluRay+2CD, DVD+2CD and 2LP+CD format through SPV Steamhammer GmbH.
Album:
I have been reviewing albums and writing my analysis on them since 1997. That is 18 years now. Up until now it has only been studio albums or projects of 'original material'. I have never really analyzed live albums. I have refrained form this for two reasons. One being at one point the songs in a live album appeared on a studio album of 'original material' thus they were already scrutinized on the merits. Second reason being is I see live albums as a celebration of a bands progress and the fact the play live to celebrate achievement with the respective fan bases. Pagan's Mind Full Circle: Live At Center Stage is my very first exception to this rule. Ever since 2000 to 2001 since I first heard about Norway's Pagan's Mind, something about the band has refused to leave me alone. It would eventually take 2005's Enigmatic Calling for me to wake up to the realization that this band not only kicks ass but they are up there with the Dream Theater's , Vanden Plas' Fates Warning's, Crimson Glory's and Symphony X's, Evergrey's and Circus Maximus as one of the standard carriers of progressive power metal. Pagan's Mind are up there with all those bands and somebody has to now explain why they are there. I will attempt to do so here. Pagan's Mind Full Circle: Live At Center Stage is broken eloquently and appropriately in two different sets. The first and opening set is the entire 2002's Celestial Entrance in its entirety live. The second set is various tracks that span their entire career thus far. This is all done at Prog/Power USA Metal Festival. For a band to do a live document like that at one of the major festivals that serve as a major medium for their respective genre is a statement unto itself. Especially since people from all over the world converge for Prog/Power USA every year. Pagan's Mind Full Circle: Live At Center Stage is also their second official live document following in the footsteps of 2009's Live Equation album they did in Oslo Norway. Set #1 Celestial Entrance is just as explosive live as it is on album. Pagan's Mind have a very uncanny ability to make their music sound just as polished live as on album. The connection to the crowd is immediate creating a intimate atmosphere for the evening. Several times Nil's Rue - Vocals mentions the Prog/Power festival, maintaining a high quality connection. This is very transparent and comes through to the listener that was not even their during the live recording. The bands instrumental section is clean and on time with its various progressions and odd time signatures. There is some killer backing vocals that come in at the right time spot on. This is one of the few live progressive metal documents where I hear the band getting stronger in sound over time instead of diminishing in sound. The final track The Prophecy Of Plediades sounds just as tight and if not tighter than even the opening tracks of Approaching and Through Osiris's Eyes. By now the band has that crowd right where they want them.Set #2 Career Spanning 80 minutes is another powerful set in of itself. The band has also matured as New World Order carries a strong Black Sabbath doom metal vibe within the progressive power metal structure of the band's signature sound. I like the power rhythmic progression at about the 5:00 mark of New World Order. They waste little time in the way of chit chatting to the crowd and really stay on point going from track to track. Intermission through Hallo Spaceboy is a non stop assault of various time signatures and well performed songs through power progressions. When we arrive at Full Circle which is a 15:57 instrumental only track. Full Circle allows the fan and listener both new and old to see the instrumental side to Pagan's Mind. Full Circle is also a much needed break on the vocals. The band has one serious stronger finishes on a live document I ever heard.Over the past 20 years we have had live albums such as Dream Theater's Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory, Symphony X's Live On The Edge Of Forever, Vanden Plas' Spirit Of Live, Pain Of Salvation's BE and Kamelots One Cold Winter's Night, and now Pagan's Mind Full Circle: Live From Center Stage ranks right up there among the elite of live progressive power metal album documents. Whether you are a fan from day one or a newer fan you can see the maturing and growth of a quality metal band. I see Pagan's Mind Full Circle: Live From Center Stage as one of those albums many will look back another 20 years from now and still be talking about it as if it were just freshly released today. This will last the test of time like the rest of the Pagan's Mind library has.
Line Up:
Nils K. Rue - Vocals (2000-present) - See also: ex-Eidolon, ex-X-World/5, Dimension Infinite, ex-Bremsespor, ex-Silverspoon
Steinar Krokmo - Bass (2000-present) - See also: Trivial Act, ex-Beautiful Sin, Dimension Infinite, ex-Dimension F3H
Stian Kristoffersen - Drums (2000-present) - See also: Chastain, Trivial Act, ex-Kinrick, ex-Dimension F3H, ex-Firewind, ex-Jorn, ex-Silverspoon
Jørn Viggo Lofstad - Guitars (2000-present) - See also: ex-Beautiful Sin, ex-Jorn
Ronny Tegner - Keyboards (2000-present) - See also: ex-Arvinger
Tracklist:
CD1:
01. Approaching 01:55 instrumental
02. Through Osiris’ Eyes 07:50
03. Entrance Stargate 06:10
04. ...Of Epic Questions 06:30
05. Dimensions Of Fire 07:58
06. Dreamscape Lucidity 07:22
07. The Seven Sacred Promises 06:50
08. Back To The Magic Of Childhood I: Conception 04:21 instrumental
09. Back To The Magic Of Childhood II: Exploring Life 09:04 instrumental
10. In Brilliant White Light 02:37
11. Aegean Shores 06:17
12. The Prophecy Of Pleiades 10:10
CD2:
01. New World Order 09:25
02. Intermission 06:07
03. Enigmatic Mission 05:30
04. Live Your Life Like A Dream 06:08
05. Hallo Spaceboy (David Bowie cover) 05:52
06. Full Circle 15:58 instrumental
07. Walk Away In Silence 06:04
08. Eyes Of Fire 06:12
09. God’s Equation 08:48
10. United Alliance 06:26
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