Never would've found out about this band if not for the forum. I sampled Misplaced Childhood when it came out in 5.1 and it didn't really connect with me. So I wasn't exactly jumping up and down when it was announced SW was doing this one next. But then I did some research and found out they changed lead singers.
Some comparisons can definitely be made between the style of this album and a lot of SW's own musical works, especially Hand Cannot Erase.
As with most complex progressive works, this album does have a bit of a learning curve. I started listening last week and I only really liked two songs ("Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury" and "Paper Lies", which are still my favorites). Over further listens the rest of the songs and the story behind them fell into place.
Now I've got the surround mix and it elevates the album even further. This album is all about atmosphere, and it's clear that a lot of production work was put into creating that effect. I think this album really was a great choice for the surround treatment because of that - the dense atmosphere is naturally even more immersive in 5.1. It's not the most wild mix in terms of separation/panning, but it's really well done. There are plenty of fun surround moments such as the panning vocals in "Mad" and lead guitar flying around the room at the end of "Lap Of Luxury".
A few other notes:
Some comparisons can definitely be made between the style of this album and a lot of SW's own musical works, especially Hand Cannot Erase.
As with most complex progressive works, this album does have a bit of a learning curve. I started listening last week and I only really liked two songs ("Alone Again In The Lap Of Luxury" and "Paper Lies", which are still my favorites). Over further listens the rest of the songs and the story behind them fell into place.
Now I've got the surround mix and it elevates the album even further. This album is all about atmosphere, and it's clear that a lot of production work was put into creating that effect. I think this album really was a great choice for the surround treatment because of that - the dense atmosphere is naturally even more immersive in 5.1. It's not the most wild mix in terms of separation/panning, but it's really well done. There are plenty of fun surround moments such as the panning vocals in "Mad" and lead guitar flying around the room at the end of "Lap Of Luxury".
A few other notes:
- Unlike a lot of SW mixes, the center vocal track isn't completely isolated. I wonder if this was an intentional choice by SW when mixing the 5.1 or if it was originally recorded with some instrument bleed?
- Steve Rothery is an awesome guitarist! Absolutely love the guitar sound and solos sprinkled throughout the album.
- On the Blu-Ray, the interconnected suites ("Goodbye To All That...", “Great Escape”, etc) are split into separate tracks that flow gaplessly
Last edited: