(Heavy/Power Metal) [CD] Project Arcadia - A Time of Changes - 2014, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

PROJECT ARCADIA is a Bulgarian band who play some first class, melodic Power Metal under a modern mode, and using a new emphasis of genre, a new perspective. One thing is for sure, the perseverance, the obstination and the coherency, is the main core of the successful artists, and after an incrediblely difficult rocky road at the begining of his carrer, guitarist Plamen Uzunov and his team are about to succeed and to inverse their destiny ruled by the dark fate.

The new album, "A Time Of Changes", has been mixed and mastered by engineer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY/THE UNGUIDED/CARNAL FORGE/ASTRAL DOORS), owner of the "Black Lounge Studios" in Sweden, who has done an amazing job… And another Swedish citizen, provides an invaluable input as lead singer: Mr Urban breed (exTAD MOROSE /exBLOODBOUND and currently fronting TRAIL OF MURDER), who is now at the helm of the PROJECT ARCADIA with authority.

His voice is superbly enlightened by versatile songwriting, and the combination between the music and the vocal melodies is perfectly matching, accurate, and efficient as hell! Of course, this music genre requires a solid level of execution and a few mandatory instrumental skills executed with huge dexterity, and it’s exactly what is obviously demonstrated in every seconds of the opening track. A syncopated rhythm, a fast driven song with a very inventive melodic token, they improved their own vision by adding some unexpected creativity and a few external textures, sophisticated, catchy, complex on “Timeless”, or in full Hard Rock classism developed in the course of the running list, like the orthodox closing number, "Shadows Of The Night".

The fourth track, "Beggars At The Door", is very interesting, showing similarities with "Here To Learn", but with a few differencies as well; notably a strong sing-along hook method and a fierce lead guitar spot. Those elements along, with the really precise and vibrant production, are really convincing. The challenging and intense atmosphere is well balanced by the succession of slower cuts like, “I Am Alive”, or the acoustic, “Joy” (a short instrumental piece), and “The Ungrateful Child”, a heartfelt song with a delightful interaction between acoustic guitars and synth fragments, also featuring another great vocal performance by Urban breed, who is still impressive even thru his most introspective instant.

The title track is exemplary of the great polyvalency, a superiority in the melancholic approach, while developing phase after phase, until leading to a full burst of Metal explosion…Should I say Progressive ? The darkest ”Formidable Foe”, is also smart in its construction, with a great focus on this harmonic specificity, a mood much comparable to “Shelter Me”, but ”The Deal”, is a slightly different song, very close to the BALANCE OF POWER sound or more recently, UNISONIC. Mixing with the success of AOR overtones, with sharp Metal axes and hard hitting drums, the combination of those parameters with the vocal lines are electrifying and thrilling!

As a reward for his faithful behavior and his constancy, I will rate “A Time Of Changes” in a higher category than expected; clearly it's subjective, but I really enjoyed both the music and the attitude of this PROJECT ARCADIA…

Finally, it’s fourty five minutes of pure artistic demonstration, a few ardent moments of virtuosity, some catchy refrains, yet demanding a rich and dense arrangement, plus some positive undertones!

Review written by YngwieViking fo0r www.metal-temple.com

Urban breed - Vocals
Plamen Uzunov - Guitars
Villy Neshev - Guitars
Dobromir Paraskov - Bass
Daniel Dimitrov - Drums