THE SEVENTH DEGREE OF SEPARATION (CD+DVD)

ALBUM REVIEW
Arena are back! And what a comeback it is, too! Pepper's Ghost has its moments (The Eyes of Lara Moon and Opera Fanatica) but it was a bit lackluster, to be honest. The band's latest great album dates all the way back in 2003 with Contagion. So we're here in 2011, 6 years since the last album, with a new singer and a new album. I'm glad to say that this album far from desecrates this British band's legacy. It's not as proggy as it could be but it's super catchy and fun to listen to, with Paul Manzi being an excellent vocalist and fitting in quite well here. Some of the songs really let his voice stick out, like One Last Au Revoir, Bed of Nails and the epic Catching the Bullet. Speaking of which, Catching the Bullet also shows that the band is still in perfect musical shape. The somewhat mellow closer (which turns into an epic, powerful finale with an abrupt ending) also is a highlight for me. While I wouldn't say this reaches the level of their essential albums like The Visitor, Immortal? or Contagion, this is miles ahead of Pepper's Ghost for me and is another great album under their belt from this terrific band. (Razor45 - Rate Your Music)