On its surface, the third album from this German solo act doesn’t seem like a very “Prosthetic Records’ styled release. It’s a synth and choir-drenched slab of European melodic death/power metal in the vein of Ensiferum, Wintersun, Brymir, and such. But then I remember Prosthetic Records has released two albums from Foretoken.

The gentleman at the heart of Far Beyond is one Eugen Dodenhoeft who does not have much to his credit other than some time in virtually identical sounding the international duo Euphoreon, but he has released two other albums under this moniker dating back to 2005.  And both projects seem heavily influenced by Wintersun, with long songs, though Far Beyond is a bit more moody and introspective and has slightly less speed-and shred-driven songs, preferring a more languid grandiosity.

The more mid-paced, but still rousing bombast and bombast is driven by Dodenhoeft’s epic keyboards and choirs, though the programmed drums aren’t quite as dynamic. He used a standard melo-death rasp as well as quite heavy use of clean vocals, which aren’t terrible, but also don’t really stand out.

With only 4 songs which run from 8 to 10 minutes and 3 interludes, the album the standout moments are often buried deep within a song such last couple of minutes of “Symphony of Light”, the nice little jaunt about 4 minutes into “Tempus Figit” or the cool little march in the closing title track. All of it is well-produced, lavish, and dripping with choirs and orchestration.

And all of these things make the album a winner in my book and a solid release overall, and I hope Far Beyond continues to develop and improve with future releases.

[Visit the band's website]

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