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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
│ │
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│ + Labyrinth - No Limits + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Oct-05-2014 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........1999 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........13 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.labyrinthband.it ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Labyrinth Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : No Limits Label : Arise ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ For most who've delved into the world of Italian ║ │
│║ power metal, Labyrinth is one of names most ║ │
│║ often dropped, and for good reason. A good 3-4 ║ │
│║ years before the meshing of progressive elements ║ │
│║ from Fates Warning in with the speedy melodic ║ │
│║ power metal of Helloween became an established ║ │
│║ wing of said scene thanks to the efforts of ║ │
│║ Secret Sphere and Vision Divine, an album was ║ │
│║ put out under the Labyrinth moniker featuring ║ │
│║ future Rhapsody Of Fire front man Fabio Lione, ║ │
│║ who would later collaborate with principle ║ │
│║ songwriter Olaf Thorsten upon the formation of ║ │
│║ Vision Divine, and thus one of the earliest ║ │
│║ examples of a new generation of European power ║ │
│║ metal was born. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Much like any first ditch effort at resurrecting ║ │
│║ a thought to be defunct style, there's a fair ║ │
│║ amount of appeal to the past found in here, thus ║ │
│║ what ends up coming about has a good bit more in ║ │
│║ common with the 80s oriented early works of ║ │
│║ Stratovarius, along with obvious nods to 80s ║ │
│║ Fates Warning and early Dream Theater. The ║ │
│║ result is an album that is heavily laced with ║ │
│║ keyboards and occasionally exhibits a sort of ║ │
│║ techno character thanks to the input of short- ║ │
│║ time keyboardist Ken Taylor (who ended up going ║ │
│║ into synth pop after this album), but largely ║ │
│║ listens like a concentrated fit of high speed ║ │
│║ glory not all that dissimilar to Gamma Ray circa ║ │
│║ 1990, particularly insofar as "Mortal Sin" is ║ │
│║ concerned during it's cliche major key chorus ║ │
│║ section. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ In actuality, a good case could be argued that ║ │
│║ this album should have been put under the Vision ║ │
│║ Divine moniker since it has a bit more in common ║ │
│║ with said band's debut than it does with "Return ║ │
│║ To Heaven Denied" or anything else that came ║ │
│║ after it, and not only because of Fabio's vocal ║ │
│║ work. There is a general feel of introspection ║ │
│║ and intellectual fervor about this album meshed ║ │
│║ with fantasy that is more in line with the first ║ │
│║ couple albums out of Olaf's other project, and ║ │
│║ also a general affinity with that of mid 80s ║ │
│║ Fates Warning. It's a bit less stuck on the sort ║ │
│║ of nostalgic emotionalism and romanticism that ║ │
│║ generally dominate Labyrinth's work (not ║ │
│║ counting the awful modernized prog. debacles ║ │
│║ "Freeman" and the mediocre "6 Days To Nowhere"). ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ As stated previously, while loaded up with a bit ║ │
│║ more electronic gimmicks, "No Limits" is ║ │
│║ probably the closest that this band ever got to ║ │
│║ embodying the Gamma Ray and Stratovarius brands ║ │
│║ of traditional and melodic power metal, and it ║ │
│║ shows pretty blatantly on several songs. The ║ │
│║ aforementioned "Mortal Sin" could be likened to ║ │
│║ a more keyboard oriented answer to "Lust For ║ │
│║ Life" off the Gamma Ray debut, while "Dreamland" ║ │
│║ could just about be mistaken for a number of mid ║ │
│║ 90s mid-tempo songs out of Stratovarius like ║ │
│║ "The Kiss Of Judas". But even more intricate ║ │
│║ than the songwriting and technical showmanship ║ │
│║ out of the guitars and keyboards (which are at ║ │
│║ least as fancy if not more so than the follow up ║ │
│║ album) is Fabio's vocal performance, which is ║ │
│║ less operatic compared to his work with Rhapsody ║ │
│║ Of Fire and, at times, close to a traditional ║ │
│║ 80s sleaze sound on some of his higher notes. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Though this album generally manifests as a ║ │
│║ different creature than everything that came ║ │
│║ after it, there are occasional hints at where ║ │
│║ this band would end up after Rob Tiranti ║ │
│║ replaced Lione. Most of these instances of ║ │
│║ musical foreshadowing occur on the more balladic ║ │
│║ songs where the late 80s Fates Warning ║ │
│║ influences are at their most blatant. The title ║ │
│║ song "No Limits" literally sounds like it could ║ │
│║ have been a B-side of "Perfect Symmetry" and ║ │
│║ also has some of the subtle Iron Maiden melodic ║ │
│║ elements that later came into play on "Return To ║ │
│║ Heaven Denied". Along with a few other straight ║ │
│║ forward songs like "Piece Of Time" and the ║ │
│║ speeding fury of "Vertigo", these songs all but ║ │
│║ listen like a 0.5 version of what came out a ║ │
│║ couple years later, complete with the melancholy ║ │
│║ character that cuts against the general feel of ║ │
│║ fantasy that otherwise dominates this album, not ║ │
│║ to mention utilizing the signature Rain vs. ║ │
│║ Thorsten shredding sections that has since ║ │
│║ become a staple of the band's sound. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ I might be going out on a bit of a limb on this ║ │
│║ one, but I'd argue that "No Limits" edges out ║ │
│║ "Sons Of Thunder" for the second best album ever ║ │
│║ put out by this band. It has the edge mostly for ║ │
│║ being far better produced, having that punchy, ║ │
│║ reverb heavy drum sound that made their ║ │
│║ sophomore album listen with the same feeling of ║ │
│║ massiveness. This is the album that is likely ║ │
│║ most directly responsible for inspiring Secret ║ │
│║ Sphere's magnum opus "A Time Never Come" 5 years ║ │
│║ later, as well as the blueprint that eventually ║ │
│║ churned out an impressive collection of ║ │
│║ power/prog. albums out of Vision Divine. It's ║ │
│║ unfortunate that in recent times this album has ║ │
│║ been overshadowed by all the previously ║ │
│║ mentioned opuses, but every impressive storm ║ │
│║ begins with a lone crack of thunder, and this ║ │
│║ one was deafening enough to precede a category 4 ║ │
│║ storm. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - Mortal Sin [05:27] │
│ 02 - Midnight Resistance [05:41] │
│ 03 - Dreamland [03:44] │
│ 04 - Piece of Time [02:46] │
│ 05 - Vertigo [03:42] │
│ 06 - In the Shade [04:27] │
│ 07 - No Limits [06:47] │
│ 08 - The Right Sign [04:17] │
│ 09 - Red Zone [04:05] │
│ 10 - Time Has Come [05:23] │
│ 11 - Looking For... [03:16] │
│ 12 - Call Me (Bonus Track) [04:05] │
│ 13 - Miles Away (Bonus Track) [06:03] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [59:43 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
│ │
│ │
│ │
│■ ■│
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