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Review: Thoten - Beyond the Tomorrow
Thoten
Beyond the Tomorrow

Label: Scarlet Records
Year released: 2002
Duration: 61:59
Tracks: 10
Genre: Progressive Power Metal

Rating:
2.5/5


Review online: July 18, 2010
Reviewed by: Bruce Dragonchaser
Readers' Rating
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Rated 3.14/5 (62.86%) (7 Votes)
Review

Somewhat of a lost album here from Brazilian Prog-Power merchants Thoten, a band that had prospects to go up against the genre leaders but for one reason or another vanished into the ether. Sounding very much like Angra in their Angel's Cry period, Thoten (who acquired Kiko Loureiro as a producer for this collection), boast powerful, symphonic arrangements, sweeping guitars and keys, a glut of time changes and odd vocal timings, all performed with zeal and a hint of mysticism. Though not as polished or technically accurate as Angra, this could have been the album the band made before their aforementioned debut; hell, vocalist Renato Tribuzy even sounds like Andre Matos at his most unpredictable. Really, these guys could have been siblings.

Loureiro's production is very light and almost demo-ish at times, giving the guitars a strong 80s vibe and the drums a boxy quality. It takes a lot of the mystique away from Beyond The Tomorrow, which with a better sound would have been a crushing display. Given enough listens, the album starts to open up a bit, proving that songs such as the tranquil "Wild Life" and "Ashes In The Abyss" were penned by a group of intelligent musicians on the verge of something great. As it stands, this is a listenable Prog-Power record, one that has real potential in places, but just not enough for wide appeal.

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