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Dimension Act: Manifestation of Progress

Progressive Power Metal

4.5/5.0

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Progrock Records
by Craig Hartranft,  04.09.2012

Here's another entry into the growing cadre of European, or more specifically Scandinavian, progressive power metal acts, Norway's Dimension Act. Their debut album, Manifestation of Progress comes after nearly four years of work.

Dimension Act: a smile, a stoic, and a smile.

A casual listen to Manifestation of Progress shows at least two things. First, Dimension Act is not reinventing the wheel. Their prog power metal echoes everything from Dream Theater to Pagan's Mind. It's profound but not necessarily all that novel. Second, this band is pretty darn good. In other words, they get their chosen field and have developed well-composed songs, made even better by excellent musicianship.

The album consists of only four songs, though the last, Drawing the Lines of Moral Existence, is nearly 30 minutes. The first three, Cosmic Chaos, Industrial Evilution, and Uncharted Waters offer convincing, and adequate, progressive power metal equal to the best from their peers.

The meat, and best part, of Manifestation of Progress is Drawing the Lines of Moral Existence, which is played in six parts. It's texture is quite expansive and deep, but mostly proves the skill of the musicians. Notable throughout the six parts is the excellent drumming from Frank Nordeng Roe and guitarist Marius Nilsen's distinctive inventiveness. The band is also helped in the vocal arrangements by talented Norwegian singer Live Foyn Friis.

While I could easily pass on the first three songs as generic prog-power metal, the strength and depth of the massive six part Drawing the Lines of Moral Existence requires giving Dimension Act's Manifestation of Progress a better score. Watch for these guys in the future. Dimension Act is a promising band. Recommended.

Dimension Act's Manifestation of Progress is a strong debut, offering a genuinely entertaining and satisfying platter of progressive power metal.

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Here's a fun fact about Swiss legends, Gotthard: their last 16 releases, excepting their debut album, went to number one in their home country, making them one of Switzerland's most successful acts and ... [ Read More ]