Tad Morose - Matters Of The Dark


Year of Release: 2002
Label: Century Media
Catalog Number: 8094-2
Format: CD
Total Time: 47:38:00

Like Fates Warning, Tad Morose is a band I like to call a "two-era" band. Fates Warning had their "John Arch" era followed by their "Ray Alder" era. The same with Tad Morose, the first with Kristian "Krille" Andren, then the talented Urban Breed. Since the arrival of Breed, Tad Morose have started to become more of a power metal band, losing the progressive sound they had with Andren. In my opinion, this was a bad choice by all involved.

For me, the apotheoses of Tad Morose was Sender Of Thoughts. In fact, this is still one of my all time favourite progressive metal albums. The problem of the new album is not really found in this style change, more in the way they have become lazy in the song writing department. Undead wasn't a bad album at all, for sure it was more power-metal-ish, but still the song writing was strong. On Matters Of The Dark, the songs tend to sound all the same throughout the album, and for me, this is a major bug. The album may be the most heavy stuff Tad Morose has ever made, but that's practically the only highlight of it. There seems to be no real hooks to my ears on this CD and the choruses are too repetitive and simply structured. It sounds like they said to themselves, "let just put out our own by-the-numbers album," instead of challenging themselves. That is sad because I know this band as the potential of releasing one good album after another.

For sure, Tad Morose are a capable band who write music for themselves and hope that their real fans will still buy the CD.

Similar To: Nocturnal Rites, Angel Dust

[This review originally appeared November 2002 at the ProgPower Online review site -ed.]


Tracklisting:
Sword Of Retribution (4:42) / Matters Of The Dark (3:32) / Ethereal Soul (4:44) / I Know Your Name (4:02) / In The Shadows (4:36) / Another Way (4:02) / New Clear Skies (4:33) / Riding The Beast (5:02) / Reason Of The Ghost (4:41) / The Devil's Finger (4:15) / Don't Pray For Me (4:49)

Musicians:
Urban Breed - vocals
Christer 'Krunt' Andersson - guitars
Daniel Olsson - guitars
Anders Modd - bass
Peter Mor?n - drums

Discography:
Leaving The Past Behind (1993)
Sender Of Thoughts (1995)
Paradigma (1995)
A Mended Rhyme (1997)
Undead (2001)
Matters Of The Dark (2002)
Modus Vivendi (2003/2004)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin SE

Added: January 31st 2005
Reviewer: Mathieu Chamberland
Score:
Artist website: www.tadmorose.com
Hits: 3296
Language: english

  

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