Member:
Windhawk
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by Windhawk)
Date:
9/17/2007
Format:
CD (Album)
P:O:B, a.k.a. Pedestrians of Blue, is a Norwegian band that started up in 2002, and Crossing Over is their debut full length album. The band has released several demos and one EP previously, and from citations quoted on their homepage, this album has been eagerly awaited by quite a few people.
Musically the band name bands like Queensrÿche, Dream Theater, Black Sabbath and Toto as their main influences. Personally I would say that their music isn't very similar to any of these artists though. The band has progressive tendencies in their music; most often represented by the band have slight style-changes in most songs and a few songs with more distinct style changes. The band have their musical basis in a musical style being somewhere in between old fashioned hard rock and what is known as true metal these days, they are fond of strong melodies and catchy choruses giving their music a slight touch of hair metal at times, and use samples and loops to add some modern touches to their songs as well. All in all, the musical style sounds rather unique; at least in my opinion.
The songs on this album are quite good as well. The band has a talent for making good melodies, melodic and catchy choruses; and show great skill in using synths, samples and loops to flesh out and add subtle nuances to the soundscape. There are no unforgettable killer tunes on this release though, but all the songs here are good, strong songs; resulting in a solid release and a very promising debut album.
My rating: 78/100
Member:
shadow
(Profile)
(All Album Reviews by shadow)
Date:
10/14/2007
Format:
CD (Album)
Norwegian heavy rockers P:O:B (Pedestrians of Blue) comes out roaring with Crossing Over, their first full length release. Here we have a concept album of sorts, the loosely woven tale of every young man’s drama of when familial bonds slacken as he embarks on his own journey into the world. The disc begins with “Father and Son”, pipe organ 4’flutes creating an ominous liturgical vibe before the pulse pounding crunch of the whole band sweeps in with full blooded pandemonium.
P:O:B proudly dons their Queensryche/Dream Theater influences without aping their mentors. They maintain an accessible AOR feel while avoiding the twee association of that particular genre. “On the Other Side”, “Why”, and the title cut contains some first rate soloing from Torfinn Sirnes (guitar) and Johannes Stole (synth), a refreshing deviance for younger groups, too many of whom’ve latched onto the lame trend of phasing out instrumental solos. The 8 + minute “Out of the Rain” cements P:O:B’s prog-worthiness with its majestic, cathedral like structure. Fans of the early Dan Swano led edition of Nightwish will undoubtedly find refreshing familiarity with certain aspects of P:O:B.
Overall, the musicianship and studio production on Crossing Over are top-notch. With the above mentioned Johannes Stole’s solid, assured singing (his smartly orchestrated multi-tracked backup vocals are also spot-on) and Daniel Flores (Mind’s Eye) and Mika Jussila (Nightwish) flawless technical engineering, P:O:B have a sure-fire winner on their hands with Crossing Over. Note to programmers, both Internet and broadcast; I bet this record will sound great on the air!
Vlad the Inhaler
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