It seems that this band has been around for quite some time in one form or another. The one constant has been the brothers Glen and Shawn Drover on guitar and drums respectively. You can certainly tell, as these are the strongest aspects of this recording with excellent fretwork and the hammering drums throughout.
There’s a constant double-bass drum throughout this CD that lends an attack not unlike the mile-a-minute Dream Theater vibe. I’m also reminded of Dio/Rainbow at times. The guitar is most certainly from the Van Halen/Randy Rhodes school. Unfortunately there is an element of sameness throughout this recording. There are few dynamics, as most everything just goes continually at the same speed and there’s hardly any rest from the pounding rhythms. This may be a plus for some, but it made it difficult for me to listen to in one sitting.
Moody keyboards open the CD before the thundering guitar and drums come in. It’s the title cut “The Parallel Otherworld” and it has merit. Some other cuts that come to the forefront above the others are “Ghost World,” as it is one of the few times where we stop for a bit of quiet at the top of the song and “Shadowanderer (Ferdamannen)” with the most memorable chorus on this CD.
The final cut is a cover of the King Diamond song, “The Oath.” I’m not familiar with the band and this cover sounds like it’s being sung by a member of the Vienna Boy’s Choir! The vocals overall on this CD are good, although the occasional “cookie monster” death metal growls kind of turned me off. Not a lot of strong melodies here, but decent harmonies when they are used.
Overall, a good metal CD with a few prog overtones. If you like this sort of thing, it’s a good bet you would find something to enjoy here.
Reviewed by Terry Jackson on September 19th, 2006
