Search - Sieges Even :: Playgrounds

Lush Harmonies Live

Glenn O. Kirms | Anywhere, USA | 08/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're not familiar with Sieges Even then this might be a great place to start. Basically this live cd would be a snapshot of their latest 2 cd's plus 2 tracks from their cd 'A Sense of Change'. I will agree with the other reviewer here that I enjoy their current lead singer much better over their previous singer. I kind of tapped into Sieges Even with The Art of Navigating by the Stars and have been hooked since. I've listened to some sound clips from their previous albums, but none can compare to their latest two studio efforts. Arno Menses gives the band their latest and best sound. If you love progressive, but love the lush harmonies as I do, then check these guys out and then pursue their latest two albums - Paramount and The Art of Navigating by the Stars."

Solid live album, somewhat lost in translation

Scrotor | 07/30/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, I'll say that I'm an avid fan of the new vocalist for Sieges Even; their last two albums have been brilliant, 5-star expose's for prog rock. Their early stuff is a bit... different, but still listenable and interesting.



So, being that this live album is mostly composed of their newer stuff, I was pretty excited to hear it - and it does not disappoint. The musicianship is top-notch, although music of this complexity really lends itself better to a studio setting; however, I will say that hearing the bass as up-front in the mix as it is brings a whole new dimension to the music that I hadn't really appreciated before.



The only real distraction is the layering of the vocals. One of my favorite things about the The Art of Navigating by the Stars and Paramount was the lush vocal harmonies; the harmonies are still mostly present, but they are much quieter than the lead vocals, which gives them less impact on the listening as a whole. Also, the lead singer chooses some strange vocal lines occassionally out of the density of the harmony, although that's really just my opinion. And, of course, his stage presence leaves a little to be desired...



Overall, this is a welcome entry into the Sieges Even catalog, and shows that they can pull off their amazing (and complex!) songs quite well in a live setting. It was also nice to hear a couple of the older numbers with updated vocals, as the previous vocalist was really kind of a distraction in how strange he sounded (and chose to sing things!). If you like the last two CD's, I would definitely recommend giving this a listen (if you like live albums, that is). It doesn't really add much to the songs hearing them live, but the bass and old numbers are worth hearing here."