Arena - Immortal?



1. Chosen (6:20) 2. Waiting For The Flood (5:52) 3. The Butterfly Man (8:56) 4. Ghost In The Firewall (4:55) 5. Climbing The Net (4:40) 6. Moviedrome (19:43) 7. Friday's Dream (4:44)

Total Running Time: 55:10



Anyone who has a clue about what the term "prog metal" means knew that Immortal? was to be a trial album for Arena. The band's previous release had achieved landmark status in the prog genre and the band was carrying the burden of proving itself all over again while enduring a monumental lineup change by retiring the well-known Paul Wrightson and introducing a new, unknown singer to the scene, a lad that goes by the name of Rob Sowden. Well, as expected, Arena released a worthy follow-up to The Visitor (a concept album at that), and Rob proved that he was the man for the job, definitely earning his due respect amongst fans as the group's new solid-based frontman. To top it all off, the creative Hugh Syme retook his mastery in designing yet more amazing artwork for this album. His means of portraying the band's concepts constantly leave me in awe.

Immortal? clearly remains in the same vein as The Visitor, strongly portraying the band's solid core by maintaining the same melodic approach to overall compositions, expressed and performed with a fierce, impacting sound. This proved to be a tried and true formula for the band, since it released another truly amazing record with a whole new identity. As soon as the initial track, "Chosen", begins, a vocal line with the lyrics "take a leap of faith, if you want to find out!" creeps behind your back, dragging you deeply into the eerie concept behind the album. Basically, Mr. Nolan criticizes mankind's fascination with being the "superior" race on Earth, always staying on top of things by means of developing new technological advances and discoveries, growing more dependent of machines and inventions day by day and finally leading him (us) to the questioning of the neighboring concept of immortality.

On most of the songs, the keyboards and guitars complement each other excellently, filling the whole atmosphere to such an extent that the vocal melody is left without any barriers and can majestically glide as the song develops. Distorted guitars, samples and synth layers are plastered all over tracks like "Ghost In The Firewall", "Climbing The Net" and "Moviedrome". These songs employ these spacey synth layers to create a cold mechanical atmosphere that sends chills through the listener's spine, drenching the air with processed sounds that become only more engulfing as whispering vocals and raw, electric guitars surface behind them. But the band also lets the storyline breathe with songs like the acoustic pieces "Waiting For The Flood" and "Friday's Dream," which give a human feel to the overall mechanical/electronic mood of the album, establishing a balance between machines and mankind.

Arena is a great band that seems to have found its niche in the prog scene. This album is a clear statement of what the members have achieved as a group, reaching a point of complete maturity in their songwriting and compositions. In conclusion, Immortal? is a great album…definitely one of the best prog albums released this past year.

-by Javier Elizondo

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