SECRET SPHERE – Scent Of Human Desire

Another great CD arrives my mailbox before the summer kicks in here in my icebox (it rimes!). Last year, summer up here was on a Tuesday, if that gives you a clue. Italy’s Secret Sphere, spoiled bastards with a very different summer season than mine, releases their third album one of these days – their first for a label called Nuclear Blast. You might even have heard of that one…

The first Secret Sphere album, Mistress Of The Shadowlight, caused a little commotion in the press as well as with the consumers of fine Metal. Though it was Speed Metal deluxe, it had a little extra and surely deserved the attention. Not quite as stunning as the new Dragonforce though, I remember seeing a few high scores here and there.

Next was A Time Never Come, which saw the band getting more progressive without losing their characteristic sound pretty much being the mix of piano, high pitch singing and amazing guitar work (no, no need to compare too much to Savatage though). The record showed progression, which again brings us to the new album, Scent Of Human Desire.

I have to admit I didn’t get too friendly with this CD to start with. My dear promotion friend at Nuclear Blast told me to try again… And again… And boy am I glad I did! You see, this CD is very diverse, and some might say it lacks a direction or common expression, or red thread, or whatever. But when you learn to appreciate the stunning melodies, the vocals (which at times remind me of Tony Mills from Shy but also a much wider range) and the beautiful melody lines both heard from a guitar and a piano, it’s exactly that diversity which makes you spin the disc again and again. I hear a little Vanden Plas, I hear a little Skid Row perhaps, and even the more open minded fans of Dream Theater get their fill – hell, I’d compare this and that to old Queensrÿche as well (even the experimental Rage For Order-era) – all this without moving too far away from core of the uptempo stuff from the first album. Favorites? Hm, “1000 Eye’s Show”, “More Than Simple Emotions”, “Desire” and “Runaway Train” (what a chorus line!) to name a few.

Seriously – I have been serious throughout the whole article, haven’t I(?) – I can see a few people bashing me at our newborn forum for this review. For whom it concerns, I can only laugh all the way to the bank where I collect the check from Nuclear Blast and join their promo guy in saying: Try again, try harder! (Shit, I couldn’t even end this review in a serious way…) I’ll try again: Honestly, if this review hasn’t brought Secret Sphere some well deserved attention – as it IS a damn good record – please take my job!