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This is a re-release of Before Eden's second album, originally released in 2005, with the entirety of the A Dark Entity EP from 2007 tacked onto the end. They were supposed to put out a whole new album in 2008, but that has obviously not happened, and this repressing is the first sign of life from the band in almost four years.

I have to say, never having heard this, that it is a deeply impressive work of Progressive Metal. Very much influenced by Symphony X, this album is strongly reminiscent of works like Twilight on Olympus or The Odyssey. Powerful, percussive guitar riffs work well with the expected polyrhythmic drumwork and melodic keys. Before Eden don't commit the sin of wanking for the sake of it, and you always get the sense that their compositions are going somewhere.

A real highlight are the smooth, charismatic vocals of singer Jaison Peixer, who has great tone, a lot of magnetism, and knows how to sell the shit out of a song. This album is dense and intricately composed, but Peixer's strong vocals lead you right through it without a misstep. If you are a fan of Prog/Power and you have not heard this, then you need to fix that right now.