Lapse of Reality [Import]

Lapse of Reality [Import]

Track Listings

1. Lapse Of Reality

2. Saint Fire

3. Change

4. That Kind Of Man

5. You Were There

6. Perfect World

7. Machine

8. Key

9. Don't Know

10. One Little Mystery

11. Darkfall

12. Faithfully

13. Lapse Of Reality

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
European pressing of the symphonic hard rock act's 2004 album includes one exclusive bonus track 'Lapse Of Reality' (Long Version). Frontiers Records. 2004.

Tracks:

Lapse of Reality
Saint Fire
Change
That Kind Of Man
You Were There
Perfect World
Machine
Key
Don't Know (What You're Talking About)
One Little Mystery
Darkfall
Faithfully
Lapse of Reality [Long Version]

Album Description

Japanese pressing of the heavy metal band's 2004 album has earliest release. Nexus.

Customer Reviews:

Not as hot as they could be.......2005-01-25

The Good
Any metal group that can incorporate a good piano solo into a song is aces in my book. And that's just what Ring of Fire does on the opening track "Lapse of Reality". The guitar riffs are subtle but crunchy, and Boals' vocals push the limits of his range. The hard-charging opening licks of "Change" are just as powerful as the tuneful vocals. "You Were There" is a piano heavy power ballad with a great melodic guitar solo.

It's only fitting that "Machine" starts off with mechanical sound effects. It then breaks into intense chugga-chugga riffing. "One Little Mystery" features a dueling guitar and keyboard breakdown, a technique that is synonymous with prog-metal. There are some great vocal melodies and soothing keyboard tones on "Faithfully". Be sure to check out MacAlpine's neo-classical fretwork. As an added bonus Ring of Fire includes the long version of "Lapse of Reality" to conclude the CD.

The Bad
Mark Boals vocal range seems to be much higher than the key the band is playing in. For such fast playing musicians, the songs tend to not have a lot of energy.

The Verdict
Although Lapse of Reality is a strong prog-metal album, Ring of Fire are not as hot as they could be.

Awesome Album.......2004-08-13

Here is my track by track review of Lapse of Reality.

Enjoy:

Saint Fire -
The opening song to Ring of Fire's 3rd studio album, starts with a nice intro by Steve Weingart and settles into a good mid-tempo rocker. Saint Fire is a good song, but should probably not be the album opener. The next song "Changes" is better suited to the album opener role. The song does have an excellent solo by T Mac. Unfortunately it is mixed a little low, the first half of the solo is at a good volume, while the 2nd half is buried in the mix. Good song, however.

Change-
This is a great, catchy song. It has a bit of a classic Dokken feel to it. Great chorus, great hook, and it should have been the album opener. Great solo by Tony that is again buried too low in the mix. I would love to hear a remix of this song, with the solo brought up a bit.

The Key-
Okay now, the album is starting to cook ROF style. I love this song! The intro is beautiful. Awesome music penned by Tony here. "The Key" is a driving Iron Maidenish type rocker propelled by Mark's soaring vocals. Steve Weingart's piano playing mixed with Tony's guitar in the intro is fabulous. Steve's piano runs pulsing in the background throughout the chorus are also really cool. As others have stated the musical break just before the solo section is astounding. A highlight of the album. Steve and Tony really shine during the solo section. Great stuff. This band does make some pretty awesome music!

Darkfall-
Now the band is starting to get serious! The title of this song fits the song perfectly.
This is yet another song on the album that I absolutely love. It took a couple of listens for me to warm up to this song, and now it is one of my faves on the album. Dark, plodding, and wonderful! Highlights - Tony's eerie rhythm playing, Mark's dark lyrics and vocals.
The Planet X type break just before the keyboard/guitar solos. Cool song. "Don't let the sun go down" indeed.

You Were There-
Beautiful ballad. My wife loves this one. Now at this point, all Ring of Fire fans should take a step back and thank the heavens for this amazing group of musicians. Please tell me what other band on this planet has a freakishly talented drummer that can write such a beautiful ballad?! Has a bass player, that can play beautiful cello pieces, and has a singer that can wrap up the package in perfect lyrics and vocal delivery.
Tony and Steve complement the piece perfectly.
This song reminds of classic Damn Yankees, Nelson, etc.. If this song were released 15 years ago it would be a chart topper. That is not to say that it sounds dated, its just that the musical climate at the time would have definitely put this on the radio. Best ballad Ring of Fire has ever done. Period.

Perfect World-
Interesting song. I like the lyrics. This song grows on you. Some very cool operatic vocal stuff from Mark on this song. Shades of Edge of the World here.

Don't Know -
Love the Planet X type rhythm in this song. Awesome! How the hell can Virgil, Tony, and Philip play so tight?!?! This song has some absolutely astounding music. Kudos to Virgil for writing this one. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a fan of the vocals on this tune. They sound a bit forced. In defence of Mark, it is very challenging music to sing too.

Listening to this song, I thought of an interesting concept, ROF should think about including one purely instrumental tune on each album. With the calibre of musicians in the group, it would be great to hear them really bust out and shine on an instrumental tune. This song is a prime candidate. Nice drum solo by Virgil at the end.

Faithfully-
I love this song. Damn there are soooo many good songs on this album. Tony penned this one and he shows why he is one of the best musicians around. This song goes through many machinations and somehow it all hangs together beautifully.
Alternately progish, poppy, and rockin'. Great song! Mark has penned a chorus that sticks with you. The rhythm guitar performance on this song is, again, great! Love the return to ROF's neoclassical roots in the pre-solo section!

One Little Mystery-
Great pop metal song! Vocal performance is great especially on the intro to the chorus. Tony's playing on this song is again awesome (rhythm and solo). Man does he cook on this album!!! How does someone that good continue to get better?!?! Again think of classic Dokken, only better! You'll be singing this one in the shower. Guaranteed.

Machine -
Surprise of the album. Thank you Virgil! He brings such an unconventional Prog feel to this album with his spectacular writing.
The intro to the song kind makes you think that you are in a dance club. Honestly! From there it gets REAL heavy and industrial!! Love the Planet X flavoured solo section.
Turn this sucker up!!

That Kind of Man-
Good prog rocker. One of those songs that makes you think that ROF are one of the few bands that can actually play a lot of the songs on this album. Good luck to the cover bands. :-)

Lapse of Reality-
Reminds me a lot of Planet X's song Noble Savage but with killer vocals.
This is an epic song written by Virgil perfectly complemented by Mark's vocals. Can't wait to here this baby live.
And the solo, oh my God, the solo.... listen really carefully. It is Steve and Tony playing this unbelievably fast, complex solo in unison! In unison I tell you!
I had to rewind a couple of times to grasp what I was hearing. Damn these cats can play!

White Room-
I like this song a lot. A really good remake. Mark and Tony shine on this song.

Isn't it Time-
Absolutely great song. This should not be a bonus track! I would hate for the European and USA markets not to hear this song. It is great!
Absolutely perfect pop metal. Perfect!

Individual Performances:

Mark Boals:
-First of all, I must give kudos to Mark for an absolutely excellent production job. This is definitely ROF's best-produced album. Given this performance, he could have a second career as a producer if he wanted it.
- As for Mark's vocals, they are great through the large majority of the album. He sings with more of an Edge of the World style on this album, which I like a lot. His lyrics are also top notch on this album.

Steve Weingart:
- The newest member of Ring of Fire, fits in perfectly on this album. As much as I liked Vitalij (I own his first three solo albums), I absolutely love Steve with the band. His style just seems to fit the more progish direction of the band better. I love the predominance of piano sounds on the album. Steve plays it wonderfully and it sounds really good when juxtaposed against the heavy electric rhythm played by Tony and Philip. Welcome aboard Mr. Weingart!

Tony MacAlpine:
What can I say about this guitar wizard. His rhythm playing on this album is off the charts! The tone is amazing! Some of the best rhythm playing that I have heard on an album in a very long time. His solos are awesome, as always. His song writing on the album is also great.

- Tony's performance on this album reminds me in spirit of John Petrucci's performance on the last Dream Theater album, "Train of Thought." Those that have the album, know that John's performance on that album was phenomenal. The album was okay but John's performance was awesome. Well I think that Tony's performance on LOR absolutely tops that of John's on TOT and has thrown down the gauntlet yet again as to awesome playing in a band setting! Soloing is awesome as always (just wish it had been mixed higher on a few songs) and rhythm guitar playing is absolutely astoundingly good on this album!!! What a performance. Congratulations Tony!!

Virgil Donati:
- Where Virgil shines on this album is in his phenomenal song writing. Believe it or not, even though, he is the best rock drummer in the world, his song writing is what really sets him apart. His tunes are Prog infected Metal at its best, and it is the unpredictability of his tunes along with the impeccable execution by he and his band mates that takes LOR over the top. Virgil also wrote the music for the beautiful power ballad on the album "You Were There." Who knew?

Philip Bynoe:
- Philip graces the aforementioned ballad with a beautiful cello piece. This guy is multitalented. He pumps out solid bass throughout the album and gives the album a spectacularly tight driving bottom end. It is truly amazing when Philip, Tony, and Virgil lock in on tight staccato rhythmic passages like in "Don't Know (What You're Talking About)."

Overall:
The band is really cooking on this album. Steve Weingart is an awesome addition. I hope the current line-up stays together forever. They are that awesome on this album. The first time I heard this album I gave it a 8/10, the next few times I heard it 9/10. Now I believe it to be a 9.5/10.

The more you listen to it, the more you realize that this is an awesome, ground breaking album for ROF. Please run don't walk to your keyboards and order this album immediately!

By the way, the only reason I gave it a 9.5 instead of a 10 is because of the low mix of Tony's solos on the first two songs. If they can remix the album for the European and USA markets and raise the level of Tony's solos I would give this album an unqualified 10 out of 10!!!!

Hotspots: The Key, Change, Darkfall, Faithfully, One Little Mystery, Machine, Lapse of Reality, Isn't it Time
(I know I have named half the album, but hey it is that good!!)

Average customer rating:

Mark Boals, Virgil Donati and Tony Macalpine? I'm in!
Not as hot as they could be

Lapse of Reality
Ring of Fire
Manufacturer: Frontiers Italy
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0002QXSPQ
Release Date: 2006-11-27

Tracks:

Lapse Of Reality
Saint Fire
Change
That Kind Of Man
You Were There
Perfect World
Machine
Key
Don't Know
One Little Mystery
Darkfall
Faithfully
Lapse Of Reality

Album Description

European pressing of the symphonic hard rock act's 2004 album includes one exclusive bonus track 'Lapse Of Reality' (Long Version). Frontiers Records. 2004.

Customer Reviews:

Mark Boals, Virgil Donati and Tony Macalpine? I'm in!.......2006-06-13

But what's this? the first track starts well and then the vocals come in. Way too slow for the song! His voice is high pitched and not as powerful as it used to be but seriously, the slow vocals strip all the heft out of the song. This isn't how you start a ripping album!

Things do get better though. With MacAlpine on guitar you know that the riffs will be precisely played and interesting and there are indeed some fine solos on here and they are delivered tastefully and without ego which is a real plus.

Some other highpoints would be:

The care in the arrangements, the packaging and the attempt at making this look like a proper band despite the fact it's probably not. Interesting tracks would include Change and That Kind of Man as they have prog metal style (read weird) time signatures which break things up a bit, Perfect World where Mark Boals really lets fly with his range, Machine which is darn near industrial with machine gun style instrumentation and finally, the track Faithfully which has some really nice understated drum work by Virgil Donati and once again, some weird time signatures and arrangements.

Overall I picked this album up on the strength of the players and was disappointed. It just goes to show that the old saying is true - a champion team will often beat a team of champions. Mark Boals fans will probably enjoy this, as will many fans of Planet X. Fans of the softer end of the hard rock/metal spectrum will perhaps also find something of interest here.

A low three stars for my mind.

Not as hot as they could be.......2005-01-25