Through the years Iâve grown to have very little tolerance for this side of the fanbase who blindly follow their idols regardless of how far said idols have voted to move from their roots, producing all kinds of travesties, riding an unenviable trajectory comprising all kinds of loads, reloads, ill-measured risks and other shite⦠Yeah, those fans try hard to pretend that itâs business as usual, and that this âlaughing stock of the familyâ status is simply a compulsory temporary crisis; they continue wearing proudly the band name on their sleeves, collars, lapels, etc. largely enamoured with what this name used to represent in the distant past. One gets the impression that even a recording consisting of Boney M or Britney Spears covers only assembled by their favourites would still rock their boat in a tempestuous, tsunami-like fashionâ¦
For quite some time I belonged to the other extreme, the one that refused to accept even the slightest modification in a bandâs style; an obstinate dogmatic stance âthanksâ to which I missed out on quite a few great albums from the late-80âs/early-mid 90âs. I invariably caught up with those later once my mind opened more widely, but thereâs this lurking sensation still left somewhere in my (sub)conscious which makes me press the âalarmâ button every time a more or less radical transformation within a favourite actâs repertoire has been detectedâ¦
I remember how I hated âStepsâ, the second outing of the band under scrutiny here, for being so different from the debut; in fact, I never even bothered tracking down this opus here when it came out a year later as I was convinced that this was going to be a criminal waste of time. It was quite a few years later when I decided to give it a listen, first cause I had alreadily (already + readily) accepted its predecessor in my blood stream, and second cause I read several glowing reviews about it there and elsewhere; not really here as the other two reviews featured in this section appeared later.
So I have listened to the album reviewed here several times again mostly due to the fondness other people, including some I know, have for it; however, this listen I gave it the other day would most likely be my last rendezvous with it. Being a most avid fan of the band, even had a fan club established a few years back (not anymore), I simply refuse to fall into the fansâ category described in paragraph one⦠I canât welcome every single release from a bandâs discography simply cause itâs been released by them no matter how many people salivate over its supposed gorgeousness. At the same time it would be not quite fair to review it in strict consideration and comparison to what came before it as itâs going to devaluate whatever merits a casual âpasser-byâ may come across.
Merits since musicians of such a calibre canât possibly flop deplorably, a major reason why we will pretend now that this cassette has fallen in our lap just like that, out of the clear blue sky, in the midst of 1991, and that we have never heard of Sieges Even before⦠Besides, who would ever bother checking out an outfit with such a weird name, right? But we will, we will as we like anything that comes with a sense of change, especially when the latter comes in the form of jumpy spacey rhythms ala the legends Rush served in âThe Waking Hoursâ, only more leisurely and less suspensefully executed, a soothing rock/metal amalgam, the total opposite to a rude awakening. Since we donât like it too nervy and hectic early in the morning, this carefree rockabilia seems to work alright bonding well with the soothing operatic balladisms of âChange of Seasonsâ and the sprawling, but equally as pacifying progressiveness of âDimensionsâ on which whatever vestiges of metal have been detected earlier irrevocably disappear. It all comes back nicely, though, on the bouncy dynamic shredder âPrimeâ, the jazzy/funky layout of âEpigram for the Last Strawâ distantly recalling the superior neurotic jolts on Watchtowerâs âControl & Resistanceâ, the latterâs wise application livening up the otherwise pensive semi-balladic saga âThese Empty Placesâ.
Fans of Rush again, but also Genesis, Jethro Tull and King Crimson would be left quite happy with this recording, and this is the pool from where all those mentioned worshippers hail from. Alas, it will leave the metal audience out in the cold for most of the time including those who enjoyed the guysâ first two outings. Yes, the change in their style carried on unabated here transcending the more macabre atmospherics of its predecessor the band aiming at the progressive rock fanbase, above all, looking to detach themselves from any more aggressive metal heroics. This has been done in a somewhat goofy, jam-like manner regardless of the classy musicianship and the excellent dramatic clean vocals, like the guys were not quite certain how deep down this path they wanted to reach, merely paying tribute to all things good within said roster. They donât break any new ground whatsoever like they did with the sophomore, following well established paths, proficiently, also obediently playing by other artistsâ rules, trying to see if those would be worth pursuing more steadfastly on future instalmentsâ¦
How comfortable they must have felt without the metalclad veneer became only too obvious four years later when the excellent âSophisticatedâ brought back the metal on full-throttle, a thrilling hectic jazzy âsophisticationâ which predated the similarly-styled opuses of the Watchtower connection Spastic Ink. by a few years, and had a really worthy follow-up (âUnevenâ), the band finding their own niche within the progressive metal roster in the 90âs with ease. Alas, the stylistic hesitations in their camp continued the guys putting an end to the Sieges Even stint, opting for a more laid-back form of rock again under various monikers (Looking-Glass-Self, Val'Paraiso), coming full cycle⦠sorry, circle by bringing back the old name in 2003, and later epitomizing the same delivery for the still-operational Subsignal enterprise. The last two albums preserved the mellow trends recalling the one reviewed here, again generating a fair amount of positive reviews, again leaving the metal-prone fanbase indifferent for the most part. Well, itâs a life cycle, what can you do? Patterns and moments of it get repeated on more or less regular bases, making people wonder whether there can even be an end to it⦠I doubt it; itâs a perpetual motion a couple of (un)mitigated changes here and there notwithstanding.
For quite some time I belonged to the other extreme, the one that refused to accept even the slightest modification in a bandâs style; an obstinate dogmatic stance âthanksâ to which I missed out on quite a few great albums from the late-80âs/early-mid 90âs. I invariably caught up with those later once my mind opened more widely, but thereâs this lurking sensation still left somewhere in my (sub)conscious which makes me press the âalarmâ button every time a more or less radical transformation within a favourite actâs repertoire has been detectedâ¦
I remember how I hated âStepsâ, the second outing of the band under scrutiny here, for being so different from the debut; in fact, I never even bothered tracking down this opus here when it came out a year later as I was convinced that this was going to be a criminal waste of time. It was quite a few years later when I decided to give it a listen, first cause I had alreadily (already + readily) accepted its predecessor in my blood stream, and second cause I read several glowing reviews about it there and elsewhere; not really here as the other two reviews featured in this section appeared later.
So I have listened to the album reviewed here several times again mostly due to the fondness other people, including some I know, have for it; however, this listen I gave it the other day would most likely be my last rendezvous with it. Being a most avid fan of the band, even had a fan club established a few years back (not anymore), I simply refuse to fall into the fansâ category described in paragraph one⦠I canât welcome every single release from a bandâs discography simply cause itâs been released by them no matter how many people salivate over its supposed gorgeousness. At the same time it would be not quite fair to review it in strict consideration and comparison to what came before it as itâs going to devaluate whatever merits a casual âpasser-byâ may come across.
Merits since musicians of such a calibre canât possibly flop deplorably, a major reason why we will pretend now that this cassette has fallen in our lap just like that, out of the clear blue sky, in the midst of 1991, and that we have never heard of Sieges Even before⦠Besides, who would ever bother checking out an outfit with such a weird name, right? But we will, we will as we like anything that comes with a sense of change, especially when the latter comes in the form of jumpy spacey rhythms ala the legends Rush served in âThe Waking Hoursâ, only more leisurely and less suspensefully executed, a soothing rock/metal amalgam, the total opposite to a rude awakening. Since we donât like it too nervy and hectic early in the morning, this carefree rockabilia seems to work alright bonding well with the soothing operatic balladisms of âChange of Seasonsâ and the sprawling, but equally as pacifying progressiveness of âDimensionsâ on which whatever vestiges of metal have been detected earlier irrevocably disappear. It all comes back nicely, though, on the bouncy dynamic shredder âPrimeâ, the jazzy/funky layout of âEpigram for the Last Strawâ distantly recalling the superior neurotic jolts on Watchtowerâs âControl & Resistanceâ, the latterâs wise application livening up the otherwise pensive semi-balladic saga âThese Empty Placesâ.
Fans of Rush again, but also Genesis, Jethro Tull and King Crimson would be left quite happy with this recording, and this is the pool from where all those mentioned worshippers hail from. Alas, it will leave the metal audience out in the cold for most of the time including those who enjoyed the guysâ first two outings. Yes, the change in their style carried on unabated here transcending the more macabre atmospherics of its predecessor the band aiming at the progressive rock fanbase, above all, looking to detach themselves from any more aggressive metal heroics. This has been done in a somewhat goofy, jam-like manner regardless of the classy musicianship and the excellent dramatic clean vocals, like the guys were not quite certain how deep down this path they wanted to reach, merely paying tribute to all things good within said roster. They donât break any new ground whatsoever like they did with the sophomore, following well established paths, proficiently, also obediently playing by other artistsâ rules, trying to see if those would be worth pursuing more steadfastly on future instalmentsâ¦
How comfortable they must have felt without the metalclad veneer became only too obvious four years later when the excellent âSophisticatedâ brought back the metal on full-throttle, a thrilling hectic jazzy âsophisticationâ which predated the similarly-styled opuses of the Watchtower connection Spastic Ink. by a few years, and had a really worthy follow-up (âUnevenâ), the band finding their own niche within the progressive metal roster in the 90âs with ease. Alas, the stylistic hesitations in their camp continued the guys putting an end to the Sieges Even stint, opting for a more laid-back form of rock again under various monikers (Looking-Glass-Self, Val'Paraiso), coming full cycle⦠sorry, circle by bringing back the old name in 2003, and later epitomizing the same delivery for the still-operational Subsignal enterprise. The last two albums preserved the mellow trends recalling the one reviewed here, again generating a fair amount of positive reviews, again leaving the metal-prone fanbase indifferent for the most part. Well, itâs a life cycle, what can you do? Patterns and moments of it get repeated on more or less regular bases, making people wonder whether there can even be an end to it⦠I doubt it; itâs a perpetual motion a couple of (un)mitigated changes here and there notwithstanding.
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(Redirected from A Sense of Change)
Sieges Even was a German progressive metal band from Munich, Germany. The band was originally formed under the name 'Sodom' (not to be confused with fellow German band Sodom) in the early 1980s, released their first demo in 1983, and adopted the name Sieges Even in 1985.They recorded a series of demos, before securing a recording contract with Steamhammer Records in 1988. The leather from Mikhailâs forgotten case that Anna boils up for soup? The joy of finding one small onion in the broom bristles, when, for Anna and Andrei, it is a sign of hope, however tenuous. For some readers, after reading The Siege, even making soup out of whatâs in the larder or throwing another log on the fire become acts of grace.
Origin | Munich, Germany |
---|---|
Genres | Progressive metal |
Years active | 1982â1997, 1999â2008 |
Labels | InsideOut |
Associated acts | Subsignal, Blind Guardian, Coldseed, Rhapsody of Fire |
Members | Arno Menses Markus Steffen Alex Holzwarth Oliver Holzwarth |
Past members | Franz Herde Jogi Kaiser Wolfgang Zenk Greg Keller Börk Keller Markus Burchert Andre Matos |
Sieges Even was a German progressive metal band from Munich, Germany.[1] The band was originally formed under the name 'Sodom' (not to be confused with fellow German band Sodom) in the early 1980s, released their first demo in 1983, and adopted the name Sieges Even in 1985. They recorded a series of demos, before securing a recording contract with Steamhammer Records in 1988.[1] Their debut album, Life Cycle (1988), employed rapid time changes, which fragmented the songs, and although the album was well received in Germany, it had few buyers elsewhere.[1] Sieges Even played mostly in the progressive metal genre, but experimented with different musical styles over the years.
In mid 2008, the band split up due to internal differences. Markus Steffen and Arno Menses formed the band Subsignal, while the Holzwarth brothers have been participating in various projects. Since 2011, they are both full members of Rhapsody of Fire.
- 1Discography
- 2Personnel
Discography[edit]
Demos[edit]
- Demo (1983 as Sodom)
- Demo '86 (1986)
- Demo '87 (1987)
- Repression and Resistance (1988)
- What's Progressive? (1994)
- Equinox (2000 as Looking-Glass-Self)
- Footprints of Angels (2003 as Val'Paraiso)
Albums[edit]
- Life Cycle (1988)
- Steps (1990)
- A Sense of Change (1991)
- Sophisticated (1995)
- Uneven (1997)
- The Art of Navigating by the Stars (2005)
- Paramount (2007)
- Playgrounds (live album, 2008)
Personnel[edit]
Last members[edit]
- Arno Menses â lead vocals (The Art of Navigating by the Stars, Paramount, Playgrounds)
- Markus Steffen â guitar (all albums except Sophisticated, Uneven)
- Oliver Holzwarth â bass guitar
- Alex Holzwarth â drums
Past members[edit]
- Franz Herde â lead vocals (Life Cycle, Steps)
- Jogi Kaiser â lead vocals (A Sense of Change)
- Wolfgang Zenk â guitar (Sophisticated, Uneven)
- Greg Keller â lead vocals (Sophisticated, Uneven)
- Börk Keller â keyboards (Uneven)
- Markus Burchert â guitar
- Andre Matos â lead vocals
Timeline[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ abcColin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Whoâs Who of Heavy Metal (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 324. ISBN0-85112-656-1.
![Sieges even a sense of change rarity Sieges even a sense of change rarity](http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/696/cover_111915392016_r.jpg)
External links[edit]
- Sieges Even at the BNR Metal Pages
- Sieges Even at MySpace
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sieges_Even&oldid=927506208'
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