Mystery - Beneath The Veil Of Winter's Face

Year of Release: 2007
Label: Unicorn Digital
Catalog Number: UNC 5040
Format: CD
Total Time: 62:42:00

Mystery is a Quebec-based band that has put out only a few albums in over a decade. But like the cream of Neo bands (Pendragon comes to mind), they release something that is only perfect and so take their time in producing work that matches their level of perfection.

Beneath The Veil Of Winter's Face is easily the best CD released so far this year, and is likely to be one of the best for the year. The band seamlessly blends all the right elements of symphonic progressive rock into a neo-progressive sound that all but embodies the masterwork of the classic period. The sound is clear, pristine, but not manufactured on Protools like so many others. All elements of the music are strong: vocals, rhythm, guitars and keys; none of which competes with one another.

The influences to be heard are many, but the band sounds like no other. There are lush, multi-layered vocals, keyboards that effectively blend analog with digital sounds, crunchy, heavy guitar chords underneath scorching leads and there's also the occasional acoustic passage.

What is most apparent is melody. There is no wanking here. The band not only delivers the goods with precision but they really know how to create beautiful songs as well. I've not enjoyed something this much since the first Satellite album. And what perhaps is relinquished in complexity here is more than made up for in delivery. This band, like Pink Floyd in its glory, maintains a disciplined, thorough control of every musical passage in the work.

To talk about highlights in the CD would be pointless as the body of work is strong throughout. However, that said, the most stunning moments include the 1-2-3 punch of the first three tracks, and an incredibly powerful epic track that leads to the album's conclusion: "The Awakening."

There are weaker moments, yes, like perhaps the 6 minute "Voyage To The Other Side," but at over sixty minutes in length, the listener is more than satiated with their money's worth on this album. And one should also point out the incredible packaging on this album, like a lengthy, full-color booklet that recalls the expense and visual finesse of far more extravagant releases like the Floyd remasters. This is damn professional all the way through, and owning the whole package is any true prog lover's only option. Michel St. Pére, the band's main force, is the owner of the Unicorn label and he's spared no expense in putting this monster release out. There's a lot of blood and soul here.

If you love heavy, symphonic progressive rock with a lot of variation, look no further. Mystery is here. Let's hope we don't have to wait another decade for the next album.

Tracklisting:
As I Am (5:41) / Beneath The Veil Of Winter's Face (5:58) / Snowhite (4:07) / Travel To The Night (8:38) / The Scarlet Eye (5:35) / The Third Dream (6:11) / Voyage To The Other Side (6:24) / The Sailor And The Mermaid (5:23) / The Awakening (11:12) / The Preacher's Fall (3:30)

Musicians:
Patrick Bourque - bass (5, 8)
Benoît David - vocals
Steve Gagné - drums
Michel St. Pére - guitars, bass, and keyboards

Discography:
Mystery (1992)
Theatre Of The Mind (1996/1998)
Destiny? (1998)
At The Dawn Of The Millennium 1992-2000 (2000/2013)
Beneath The Veil Of Winter's Face (2007)
Destiny? (reissue) (2008)
One Among The Living (2010)
The World Is A Game (2012)
Unveil The Mystery 2007-2012 (2013)
Tales From The Netherlands (2014)
Delusion Rain (2015)
Second Home (2017)
Lies And Butterflies (2018)
Live In Poznan (2019)
Second Home (DVD) (2017)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin CA

Added: June 27th 2007
Reviewer: Richard Zywotkiewicz
Score:
Artist website: www.therealmystery.com
Hits: 3422
Language: english