4TH DIMENSION – Dispelling the Veil of Illusions
- Posted on 12-08-2014
The Italian contingent has this airy nature when adding symphonic/ electronic keyboards to their power metal styles. I don’t know if its related to their love for the 80’s scene, dance music, or classical strains – but for some reason, keyboard virtuosity is held in as high regard as axe shredding. Together since 2005, "Dispelling the Veil of Illusions" is the follow up to their 2011 "The White Path to Rebirth" debut – and it’s very happy oriented power metal that if you adore layers of keyboards a la Rhapsody (Of Fire), Celesty, or Labyrinth, these 10 tracks will hit the aural bulls eye all the time.
You can hear segments of video game oriented synth play for "ExtraWorld", standard progressive oriented lead work for "A Circle in the Ice", and more modern tones that would be ideal in dance music today for the mid-tempo "Dissonant Hearts". It often makes you wonder if guitarist Michele Segafredo plays any prominent role in 4th Dimension’s style – and I think he does as a perfect foil to dance around the positive Talete Fusaro ivory twinkles for "Kingdom of Thyne Illusions" in a Sonata Arctica manner. Then you will get the standard power efforts that have steady double bass and virtuoso runs around positive, uplifting melodies that make "Quantum Leap" and "White Logic" easy favorites for those historically minded symphonic power metal fans. Andrea Bicego as a singer isn’t necessarily going to be the strongest voice you hear in the genre – occasionally wavering in high ranges and slightly struggling to hold out notes, his passion makes up for his slight ‘pitch’ issues.
"Dispelling the Veil of Illusions" is an adequate power metal effort, a little heavy on the keyboards, but at 39 minutes isn’t prolonged in the slightest.