Sieges Even - The Art Of Navigating By The Stars (2005)

Artista: Sieges Even
Álbum: The Art Of Navigating By The Stars
Año: 2005
Género: Heavy progresivo
Duración: 63:35
Nacionalidad: Alemania

Lista de Temas:
1. Intro: Navigating By The Stars
2. Sequence I: The Weight
3. Sequence II: The Lonely Views Of Condors
4. Sequence III: Unbreakable
5. Sequence IV: Stigmata
6. Sequence V: Blue Wide Open
7. Sequence VI: To The Ones Who Have Failed
8. Sequence VII: Lighthouse
9. Sequence VIII: Styx

Alineación:
- Alex Holzwarth / Bajo
- Markus Steffen / Guitarra
- Arno Menses / Voz
- Oliver Holzwarth / Batería

Otra resubida de un disco tremendo, ahora les toca el turno de la obra maestra de los alemanes que fueron prácticamente los creadores del metal progresivo (lean la reseña y su historia) y unos adelantados a lo largo de su carrera, ya que cuando se impone ese estilo ellos, justamente a contramano y al contrario de muchas bandas, sacan este disco donde dan un vuelco y prácticamente salen del género. Dueños de una base impresionante (dos hermanos lideraron la banda, y tocaban bestialmente el bajo y la batería), ritmos absolutamente desconcertantes, y siendo éste su mejor trabajo, no lo podemos dejar afuera del blog cabezón. Una banda de lujo injustamente desconocida y dejada de lado, una pérdida que en el blog cabezón venimos a reparar... No se pierdan esto.

Un disco hermoso, a su manera, pero hermoso al fin.
La banda de los hermanos Holzwarth, que para aquellos que no los conozcan diré prácticamente son los creadores del metal progresivo, cuando bandas como Dream Theater estaban en pañales. Banda complejísima, que siempre fue guiada desde su base (bajo y batería en partes iguales, llevados por Alex y Oliver Holzwarth). Siempre teniendo a los Rush como inspiradores pero a años luz de ellos, con un estilo propio sofisticado, maduro y muy fino a pesar de su potencia. Profundos y emotivos, con canciones muy poco predecibles y muy complejas, eran capaces de mezclar partes super-ultra técnicas y complejas (ejecutadas como los dioses) con secciones muy melódicas y accesibles, creando un contraste bastante agradable y relajante por momentos, desquiciante en otros. De las cualidades como músicos mucho se ha escrito y mucho pueden encontrar googleando, leerán muchas cosas como la siguiente afirmación:

Dentro de los muchísimos discos en vivo que nos ha ofrecido el progresivo a lo largos de los últimos 50 años, ha habido discos excelentes de muchas de las bandas ícono del género. Sin embargo, hasta el día de hoy no he podido escuchar a una banda sonar tan perfectamente bien como Sieges Even en éste disco, siendo la complejidad y virtuosismo una de las características más salientes de los alemanes.

Mauro

He de aclarar que todos los álbums que sacaron al mercado fueron diferentes, con su propio sello distintivo, pero bastante distintos entre sí. Este no es la excepción.

Y realmente estos tipos fueron realmente increíbles... desde lo personal unos de los mejores exponentes del metal progresivo, dada su relación emotividad - destreza, y considero que aún no han tenido el reconocimiento que merecen... instrumentalmente son muy buenos: la guitarra de Markus Steffen suena clara, elegante, con un virtuosismo, técnica, limpieza y posibilidades envidiables. Sin embargo en ningún momento de este álbum aparece un excesivo resalte de la guitarra sobre el resto de los instrumentos en la búsqueda del prestigio que tanto enferman a muchos de los guitarristas de estas características. En cuanto a la base, es un placer para cualquier amante del bajo o de la batería escuchar lo que hacen: la combinación de destrezas, sinronización, potencia y versatilidad en la base es realmente pasmosa. Los hermanos Oliver y Alex Holzwarthson juntos son una auténtica maravilla. Ellos forman un trío exacto, milimétrico, musicalmente muy rico, capaz de hacer ritmos complejísimos, suaves o potentes, delicados pero sin perder la fuerza. Todo ello sin abandonar en ningún momento la musicalidad en las canciones (aunque no tengan gancho comercial), sin muestras excesivas de virtuosismos y con mucho compañerismo musical.
Acompañados por la potente y rica voz de Arno Menses, estos alemanes dan cátedra de todo lo que pueden ofrecer buenos músicos en una banda de metal progresivo: aquí no van a escuchar la típica banda que copia el típico sonido de los Dream... y lo que sucede es que en este disco ellos marcaron un cambio: había estado inactivos luego de un parate de 8 años, entonces la banda volvió en mitad del boom del metal progresivo, ¡para progresivamente dejar de hacer metal progresivo! (nadie los puede tildar de oportunistas). En este álbum comienzan a trazar nuevos caminos por donde circularían sus temas posteriores.

Realmente considero completamente injusto que músicos como los Sieges Even hayan pasado casi desapercibidos por tanto tiempo, desde este humilde espacio quiero corregir ese error y darle el lugar que se merecen, ese lugar que si bien les ofrecieron los críticos de todo el mundo (lean los siguientes comentarios si no me creen), para el público siempre fueron una banda desconocida.

Son considerados por muchos como una banda de culto dentro del rock progresivo. Eso sí, para esta nueva entrega, el cuarteto de Munich se lo han tomado con bastante calma, y después de ocho años, por fin, el sucesor de “Uneven” ve la luz a través de la discográfica por excelencia dentro del mundo del metal y rock progresivo, InsideOut. El porqué tanto tiempo antes de publicar este “The Art Of Navigating By The Stars” se mueve entre varias hipótesis de lógica comprensión. Se apunta a que la publicaciones de “Sophisticated” y el citado “Uneven” (cuarto y quinto trabajo de estudio respectivamente) a través de una compañía y sello propio, dificultó la expansión de la música de SIEGES EVEN, por lo que la indiferencia por el público de escuchar un producto deficientemente distribuido, fue un factor relevante para tomar la decisión de poner punto y final a la banda. Tampoco ayudó nada que el vocalista de por aquel entonces decidiera abandonar el barco….
Pero los hermanos Holzwarth y el guitarrista Markus Steffen continuaron haciendo música, no bajo el nombre de SIEGES EVEN, que quedaba en suspensión durante un tiempo indefinido, sino formando el grupo LOOKING-GLASS-SELF, con André Matos recién salido de ANGRA, como vocalista. No duró mucho esta experiencia, ya que Matos quería continuar con su nueva formación SHAMAN, y las agendas no acaban de cuadrar entre miembros que físicamente, les separaba bastante miles de kilómetros. Un e-mail en busca de trabajo recibido por un tal Arno Menses, abrió la posibilidad de volver a resucitar a SIEGES EVEN, y vuelta a poner la maquinaria en marcha, dan señales de vida con este trabajo. Afortunadamente, todos estos años en blanco, parece haber servido de algo, y como es costumbre, los alemanes nos ofrecen un producto a la altura.
Dividido en secuencias, las canciones que integran “The Art Of…” se conciben como un todo cargado de matices. No muy dados a componer canciones bajo estructuras prefijadas, SIEGES EVEN continúan grabando canciones de largo metraje donde los tiempos lentos, casi arrastrados en ocasiones, son el dogma a seguir. La música de esta banda, aún perteneciendo al rock progresivo, tiene pocos grupos guías en los que encontrar referencias. La melodía vocal casi pegadiza de “Blue Wide Open”, con un Arno Menses muy inspirado y expresivo, podrá recordarte por momentos a RUSH; y a las guitarras de “Lighthouse” le faltan pocos toques de magia para asemejarse a Steve Rothery de MARILLION. Así mismo, muchos pasajes te recordarán a EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER, y otros rozan los elementos abstractos y oscuros de PSYCHOTIC WALTZ, pero son meros tintes que se les aplica de formas injusta a un grupo que cuenta con un sonido genuino y poco comparable. SIEGES EVEN se sumergen en infinitas atmósferas, desarrollan fraseos instrumentales con los ritmos cortantes propios del género, y son capaces de frenar en seco, sin sonar artificiales, para congelar el tiempo con varios compases donde sólo intervienen una acústica y una melodía vocal. Maestros de lo inesperado, no ponen las cosas fáciles para acoger su música en unas primeras escuchas, donde, el sentimiento de lo meramente plomizo puede distorsionar una música hecha con verdadera clase y elegancia.
“The Art Of Navigating By The Stars” supone un reto para los oyentes poco experimentados en el rock progresivo que camina a pasos ralentizados. Sin arranques de velocidad, sin melodías digeribles que siguen patrones determinados, solo atmósferas, notas y melodías en aparente caos, pero con factores casualmente hipnóticos.

Satur Romero

Las reuniones de bandas no acostumbran a ser garantía de nuevos discos de calidad, que aporten algo novedoso y que merezcan la pena. En la gran mayoría de los casos, la decepción ante los nuevos trabajos suele ser el sentimiento más generalizado. Sin embargo, en contadas ocasiones, el talento y la creatividad de los músicos vuelve a resurgir con renovadas energías, dando sentido a las intenciones, supuestamente artísticas, de estas reuniones. Afortunadamente SIEGES EVEN se encuentran entre estas últimas.
Con “The Art of Navigating by the Stars” SIEGES EVEN han roto un silencio discográfico de ocho años de duración, iniciado tras la publicación de aquel magnífico “Uneven”, última joya que estos alemanes hicieron brillar entre la talentosa escena progresiva de los 90, a la que ya habían aportado previamente otros trabajos tan imprescindibles como “A Sense of Change” y “Sophisticated”. Este nuevo álbum, sexto en su discografía, retoma en gran medida la senda trazada por “A Sense of Change”, en una onda relajada y cercana al rock progresivo, alejándose de los escarceos metaleros propios de sus dos últimos discos. Sin duda ha tenido mucho que ver en esta orientación musical la recuperación de Markus Steffen como guitarrista, quien ya formase parte de SIEGES EVEN en los tres primeros álbumes, dejando posteriormente en “Sophisticated” y “Uneven” su puesto a Wolfgang Zenk, artífice del sonido metálico que adoptarían por entonces. Con Steffen ha vuelto el predominio de los arpegios limpios, los solos delicados y la técnica notable pero contenida, en detrimento de los virtuosismos exacerbados y ritmos vertiginosos de Zenk.
La otra gran novedad es la llegada de un nuevo vocalista, Arno Menses, quien demuestra a todas luces saber manejar sus cuerdas vocales a la perfección, creando excelentes melodías, acertados doblajes de voz y coros y, por si fuera poco, dueño de un timbre agradable y elegante que encaja a la perfección con la música. Por supuesto, no falta el, como siempre, impecable trabajo de los hermanos Holzwarth en la base rítmica, quienes demuestran una cantidad de recursos estilísticos al alcance de muy pocos. Como de costumbre en SIEGES EVEN, la casi total ausencia de teclados es completamente subsanada por el magnífico trabajo de arreglos vocales y guitarrísticos.
“The Art of Navigating by the Starts” es un álbum conformado por ocho canciones más una breve intro, constituyendo en su conjunto una extensa composición cuyas distintas partes están conectadas entre sí no solo letrísticamente, sino también por diferentes motivos musicales que son revisitados periódicamente a lo largo del disco. Esto lo hace bastante homogéneo en su conjunto, aunque altamente dinámico y repleto de matices cuando se analiza al detalle. El primer tema, “The Weight”, marca las directrices a seguir durante el resto del álbum, caracterizado por las composiciones extensas y variadas, cuyo vínculo común es la exquisitez y elegancia que emanan. Curiosamente me queda la impresión de que el sexto corte, la balada acústica “Blue Wide Open” (con un sensacional desempeño de Markus Steffen a la guitarra clásica), marca un punto de inflexión en este trabajo, siendo los siguientes y últimos tres temas los más accesibles y pegadizos en cuanto a las líneas vocales, característica llamativa en SIEGES EVEN, banda que siempre se ha destacado por lo peculiar y extraña que es en este aspecto. Pero nada que objetar al respecto; la labor melódica de Arno Menses en el apartado vocal es sobresaliente en todo momento.
Sin duda SIEGES EVEN han dejado claro que vuelven con talento e ideas más que suficientes para ofrecer nuevos trabajos que merezcan la pena. Esperemos que esta reunión tenga una continuación y nos sigan ofreciendo discos tan personales y agradables de escuchar como este “The Art of Navigating by the Stars”.

Saúl Miguel Garrido

Sieges Even editaban su primer disco (“Life Cycle”) en 1988, cuando ni siquiera Dream Theater habían publicado todavía su álbum inaugural. La incipiente etiqueta “Metal Progresivo” aún no había cobrado por lo tanto sentido absoluto. Eran tiempos difíciles para las ideas rompedoras y el riesgo creativo, y la banda muniquesa vería pagada su inaccesibilidad con la indiferencia generalizada, de un público que en su mayoría no acertaba a entender el enrevesado horizonte que proponían. Unos auténticos e incomprendidos pioneros, convertidos en fantasma con un pie aquí y otro en el más allá. En 1997 la banda dejó de existir.
Ocho años después, bajo el sugerente título de “The Art Of Navigating By The Stars” comienza la nueva andadura de Sieges Even en el actual siglo. Una vez hallado nuevo vocalista en el holandés Arno Menses -prescindiendo del anterior e histriónico Franz Herde-, la banda entraba en los Black Solaris Studios de Frankfurt para grabar sus nuevas canciones y presentar un hasta la fecha inédito registro musical. La aportación de Menses significa melodiosidad y calidez interpretativa al nivel de importantes nombres del género, como Ted Leonard (Enchant), y esa es una base idónea para el despliegue instrumental de las guitarras acústicas y permanentemente nítidas de Markus Steffen, capaz de, prescindiendo de teclados, crear espacios envolventes donde las indudables habilidades compositivas del grupo salen a relucir de manera accesible y fluida, abriendo la posibilidad de trabajar ejemplarmente las segundas voces como en “Lighthouse”. El sosiego y la ligereza ambiental son aprovechados también por una base tan luminosa como la formada por los hermanos Holwarth, para desarrollar sus extraordinarios esquemas rítmicos en la mejor tradición Rush, como en la piramidal “The Weight”. La estrenada premisa es “menos notas en mayor espacio”, hacer canciones en toda su extensión –culminadas en cortes como “The Lonely Views Of Condors”- eso sí, sin escatimar minutaje, ni olvidar el indudable virtuosismo que atesoran los cuatro componentes de estos afortunadamente remozados Sieges Even. Un feliz e inesperado reencuentro.

Rafael Llorente-Berreiros

SIEGES EVEN no son primerizos en el mundo del rock progresivo, aunque para algunos como yo sea un descubrimiento reciente. El grupo cuenta con una larga historia y un puñado de álbumes bastante celebrados. "The Art of Navigating by the Stars" es el sexto de la serie, y el primero después de "Uneven" (1995), con el que abrieron un paréntesis que duró diez años.
Sin duda, la banda ha madurado durante todo este tiempo, pues a pesar de la evidente influencia de RUSH, las composiciones tienen un estilo propio, situado más del lado de un pop sofisticado que del progresivo metálico con el que normalmente se etiqueta a esta banda, con algunos toques sinfónicos aquí y allá, logrando en conjunto una obra muy agradable para escuchar, llena de atractivas melodías, frecuentes cambios de compás, letras imaginativas, por cierto muy bien cantadas, y una sección instrumental poderosa.
Markus STEFFEN hace gala de gran maestría en la guitarra, con predominio de notas limpias, muchos solos delicados y una técnica notable. El cantante Arno MENSES muestra una gran capacidad vocal, creando excelentes melodías, acertados doblajes de voz y coros y, por si fuera poco, dueño de un timbre agradable y elegante que encaja a la perfección con la música. Finalmente, hay que destacar el impecable trabajo de los hermanos HOLZWARTH en la base rítmica, quienes demuestran una cantidad de recursos estilísticos al alcance de muy pocos. La ausencia casi total de los teclados es subsanada por el gran trabajo de arreglos vocales y de guitarra.
"The Art of Navigating by the Starts" está integrado por ocho canciones más una breve introducción, y aunque no considero que se trate de una obra conceptual, o de una suite dividida en 8 secciones, evidentemente se hizo un esfuerzo para darle una coherencia temática, que se enfatiza con los títulos secuenciados y también por diferentes motivos musicales que son retomados periódicamente a lo largo del disco. El resultado es bastante homogéneo, sin ser monótono. Mi composición favorita es la primera “secuencia”, ‘The Weight’, que marca las directrices a seguir durante el resto del álbum, caracterizado por composiciones extensas y variadas, de una elegancia particular.
A mis oídos, "The Art of Navigating by the Starts" resulta un álbum excepcional, tanto por su propuesta refrescante y sus composiciones elegantes y complejas, como por su ejecución impecable y un trabajo de producción que logra un sonido nítido y cristalino. Sin duda, una buena adquisición para cualquier colección de rock progresivo que se precie de variada.

Martín HERNÁNDEZ

SIEGES EVEN began making music in the mid 80s, producing five albums before "retiring" from music. "The Art of Navigating by the Stars" is a comeback after 8 years absence. I was not familiar with their earlier work, so although to many this is a comeback, to me it's an introduction. From what I've read, Sieges Even was a prog-metal band in their original lineup. Gone are most of the vestiges of metal, though not entirely. The metal edge asserts itself from occasionally, but has definitely receded from prominence. Vitaly has the review of the band's second album, "Steps", and the rating on each of their albums: here.
What joy there is in a toddler's laugh! Navigating by the Stars, the shortest track, opens with swirling chords (reminiscent of the opening of "I, Robot" by The Alan Parson Project), setting a tone of mystery for the first few seconds before the mood is broken with the infectious laughter of a very small child. The Weight juxtaposes the sweetness of Menses' vocals and guitar work of an almost jazz-like sensibility with moments of machine-gunned metal at the beginning. The mood is pensive and somewhat melancholy throughout much of this song and others, though never delving so deep as anything like despair. Actually, The Weight can be quite light in places. Arno Menses is the newcomer to the band's lineup and is a valuable addition, as it is hard to imagine what they would have sounded like without him, his vocals playing such a prominent role in this album. "Hi, babe, I'm glad you called. I've been wanting to talk to you, too. I miss you. Call me. Bye", says a woman's voice from an answering machine to end The Weight. It's a curious element, which seems to have no relationship to either song. Sequence II begins with The Lonely Views of Condors. The ensemble has an amazingly full sound, considering they have no keyboards, which will draw sound comparisons to Rush, though with Menses providing vocals, Sieges Even has a much more pleasant sound, an overall mellower sound, though there the clarity of the guitar tone is also reminiscent of Rush at times, but also at times a bit like The Police, if you can imagine that combination. Unbreakable begins with surf sounds and a quiet, almost contemplative electric guitar intro. One of the most distinctive elements in "The Art of Navigating by the Stars" is Menses and the "group" vocals he produces for some of the passages, begging the question of how they will reproduce this sound live? Midway through Unbreakable, it sounds as if Steve Howe and Chris Squire stepped in to play a passage.
Acoustic guitar and lone vocal take center stage at about the 3/4 mark, making the mood intimate for a few short measures, before heavy chording with a guitar solo soaring over head brings the track to a climax along with the lead vocal and "group" backing vocals. Alex Holzwarth's drumming is excellent and particularly shines on Stigmata. The whole band is very tight. Rather than detail every song, which tend to sound very much alike, I will just deal with a couple of variations or highlights now, as the sound is pretty much the same from beginning of the album to the end, with only minor adaptations along the way. Blue Wide Open starts with a bold a cappella group vocal and two acoustic guitars, which bridge to the vocals. So, do Oliver Holzwarth and Markus Steffen share guitar duties or is the dual guitar work the product of overdubbing? The promotional material doesn't say. I would be remiss if I did not mention that Steffen's playing is excellent, whether acoustic or electric. There is a very nice Spanish style acoustic duet in the center of the Blue Wide Open. Truly, this is the most tranquil track on the album. As if acoustic guitar and Menses' vocals were not serene enough, the song closes with faint whale calls, segueing into Lighthouse, the other track, which makes extensive use of acoustic and Spanish style guitar. Styx closes out the album, returning to the combinations of sound with which the
Conclusion. Sieges Even is without a doubt, a talented band. Their sound is very much their own, with tinges of a few predecessors, without being derivative. The songs are good, but extremely similar throughout, with some exceptions listed above. The production is top notch, beautifully clear. Their use of harmonies is excellent. I cannot imagine what the band sounded like before or would sound like in the future without Arno Menses, as the songs are so reliant on his extremely capable voice and the group harmonies he's created. For my taste, though, there is so much sameness in instrumentation from track to track that the album suffers. This is a shortcoming with bands lacking keyboardists, though Sieges Even uses vocals and layered vocal harmonies to fill out the sound. (Have I mentioned that I like the vocals?)

Progressor

Fans of Sieges Even will no doubt be surprised at how different the band sounds on their return to the prog world with the new album on InsideOut titled The Art of Navigation By the Stars. While the bands earlier albums centered on a sound that was highly technical and at times crushingly heavy (comparisons to Rush, Watchtower, and Cynic seemed to follow the band), this latest release is extremely melodic and atmospheric, and while it does have moments of technical virtuosity and metal arrangements, this is very spacious, imaginative, and vocally strong progressive rock that has plenty of color and depth. Yes, you heard me right, this CD is vocally very strong. The majority of the Sieges Even back catalog always had one major problem, and that was that the various singers the band had could never match up with the talents of the musicians. New vocalist Arno Menses has catapulted this band to new heights, and his powerful and melodic vocals and lyrics have given Sieges Even that extra edge that prevented their early material from having accessibility to anyone other than technical progressive metal fans. The music on The Art of Navigating By the Stars breathes, it flows, it has moments of gentle beauty, as well as moments of intricate experimentalism. Never ponderous or flashy for chops sake, this CD has moments of gorgeous majesty, like on "Sequence II: The Lonely Views of Condors", where the multi-layered guitar chords, rippling bass, restrained percussion, and the soaring vocals of Menses work melodic wonders together. If you adored the bands technical side, there's still plenty of amazing passages here to savor, like the amazing interplay on "Sequence I: The Weight" and the symphonic fusion feel of "Sequence VIII: Styx". Brothers Alex and Oliver Holzwarth still know how to lock into an intricate and melodic groove on bass and drums, and guitarist Markus Steffen is just an incredible player, as he more than covers for another guitarist as well as a keyboard player. His many layers and tonal colors gives Sieges Even a much fuller sound than most four & five piece bands have.
Basically, this is an album that needs to be heard by any fan of contemorary progressive rock. The melodies and musical arrangements are simply irresistible, and the listener can easily get swept away by the magical sounds on this CD. If you've never given Sieges Even a chance based on their earlier material, give this a chance as they sound like a totally different band, and this release is easily one of 2005's biggest surprises and will easily be on many top picks for the year.

Pete Pardo

The last time Sieges Even released something was in 1997. After the Uneven album, the band took a break, and the band members focused on different musical projects or had brief stints with other bands like Paradox and Blind Guardian. Back in 2000, however, the core lineup of Sieges Even reformed under the Val'Paraiso moniker without a vocalist. They cut two demos but what they produced seemed to reek heavily of the trademark Sieges Even sound, so the band reformed and began to seek a fitting vocalist. Enter Dutch singer Arno Menses, originally a drummer in the Netherlands, but his role in Sieges Even is completely fixed in the vocal department. Menses' vocal style has certainly injected new life into the band, as he is far from a hired gun brought in just to sing the lyrics. He seems to have taken a huge role in the songwriting process, defining the melodious edge of the band. The new songs encompass plenty of choruses packed with a passionate and soulful vocal delivery.
The Art of Navigating by the Stars is a long-form composition divided into eight movements, plus a short intro track. These movements, or sequences as they are named in the booklet, are all parts of a huge 63-minute song, linked through various key themes and motifs. A bit like Fates Warning's A Pleasant Shade of Gray in this respect, the songs use common motifs, best noticed on "The Weight", "Stigmata", and "Styx". The same melody line "The view from here is frightening" is repeated in each song together with Oliver Holzwarth's articulate bass riff, tying them together and lending the album a sense of unity. The writing is very cohesive throughout, utilising an array of influences that venture into both 7-string and classical guitar from Markus Steffen, who also boldly explores jazz and fusion category. His playing is no where near as busy as the older Sieges Even material, however. He is more focused on a song-oriented approach, and tries to escape any extended interplay that might have rendered the tracks meaningless. Still, there are several instrumental sections on the album executed with perfect harmony between the Holzwarth brothers and Steffen. "Unbreakable" is one of the strongest numbers for its progressive and innovative nature. After a midtempo start that is built around acoustic guitars and furious bass, there is a smooth instrumental breakdown where Alex Holzwarth's cymbal work is at its shining best and Markus Steffen's improvised jazz solo is intense. Arno Menses' vocal layering completes the track with an emotionally exhausting performance that reaches into the depths of the soul.
"The Weight", the longest song with 10 minutes, is also the heaviest. The dynamics of this song are flawless and the production is easily the best in Sieges Even's entire back catalog. Oliver Holzwarth proves to be one of the most underrated yet technical bassists in Germany, producing swift shifts between heavy and mellow melodies that allow Arno Menses to come up with staggering vocal harmonies. The chorus of "Stigmata" is utterly infectious, filled with a rich harmony layered on top of Steffen's continuous guitar theme, which is repeated over and over until the listener is immersed in its plaintive churning. The song, however, reaches its apex when the recurring theme resurfaces at the end with Menses' amazing singing. Again, originally a song from the Val'Paraiso demo, "The Lonely Views of Condors" follows a similar pattern. Atmosphere is generated by the melodic quality of Steffen's guitar riffs and textural melodies that do a great job without the need for a keyboard player. This song is loaded with a fantastic chorus that resolves the dense mood and lets Menses express himself with a masterful vocal melody at the very end. Those interested in Alex Lifeson meets Allan Holdsworth type of guitar playing will be pleased when they hear the classical guitar theme on "Blue Wide Open" or the fusion solo on "To Those Who Have Failed". Markus Steffen is an incredible songwriter with immense feel and invaluable dexterity.
Surely this has been one of the most anticipated comeback albums of the year, and it has more than fulfilled its aim. Sieges Even are no longer the ultra-technical prog metal act squeezing as many notes as possible in every song, and therefore may surprise some of their older fanbase. However, they have returned with an equally innovative piece of work and their best vocalist in their entire career. With a move to Inside Out, the future should only bring them more exposure and luck. It does take several spins for the music to grow on you, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Murat Batmaz

The Art of Making Beautiful Music
The Holzwarth brothers are European Progressive Metal legends. The creatvity and skill of these two alone is downright amazing. After ten years, Sieges Even has finally released a new album. Arno Menses and Markus Steffen are the latest musicians to walk through the revolving door the Holzwarths frequently open.
Progressive Metal is a sophisticated genre. There is a myriad of adjectives that can be used to describe many albums made by amazing musicians in this genre. This album however is one of the few I would use the world beautiful to describe. That's right, this album is downright beautiful music that can be absorbed by a listener each and every time.
The composing is different from what many have come to know Sieges Even for. This album is focused much more on creating an intimate connection with the listener. It's a concept album. The concept is one that revolves around maturing and aging, what better concept to go along with such intimate emotional music. There's great depth to the harmonies and time signatures throughout this album.
The transitions are really brought out by drummer Alex Holzwarth, so the listener can never miss an important music change; unless of course the listener isn't even listening, therefore resigning his role as a listener.
Oliver Holzwarth puts in one of the artistic bass performances in the genre. His rapid scale runs and strong polyrythymns can fascinate those who could consider themselves deaf to basslines. He shows an incredible ablity to shift positions and articulate. Holzwarth is able to do so many stylistic things that many bass players in the genre do not do. His playing is smooth, sharp, light, or heavy whenever the situation calls. Holzwarth exhibts both great technique and great artistic sense, two things which are very difficult to mix.
Alex Holzwarth does many of the same things brother Oliver does except on drums. Alex Holzwarth can play the difficult polyrythymns and the technical fills. All four limbs for Holzwarth are costantly being used to play the most sophisticated rythymn parts possible. He is as dynamic on his set as Oliver is on his bass, creating great stylistic soundscapes to make beautiful music. The rythymn section of this band is above that of many five star quality albums.
Markus Steffen is the new guitarist. He is an interesting fit. His abilities do not reflect that of a typical progressive metal guitarist, but that may be one of the things makes this album so special. Steffen has a great ability to play smooth cycling arpeggio figures. He makes great transitions between keys and chords, a sign of a great choice of leading tones. Steffen has excellent technique, but rather than showing it off in solos, he has great chemistry playing with a band. Steffen is a skilled guitarist that does not get in a listener's face.
Arno Menses did not quite have the positive impact Markus Steffen did. Menses' vocals don't quite have the chemistry the rest of the band has, at least on the first lesson. With every listen Menses' vocals consistently seem to fall more into place. His vocal abilities are extraordinary with great intonation and tone, but an unconventional tone for the genre.
The production is crystal clear. The more impressive thing about the production is the variety of tones each individual instrument has while retaining this clarity. The drums, bass, guitar, and vocals all change throughout the album. This album is a tonal masterpiece that fans of active production will absolutely swoon for.
Fans of harder and faster progressive metal may not appreciate this album as much. Fans of more inventive and softer forms of progressive metal will definately appreciate this album. None the less, this album showcases great musical abilities combing excellent technique with stylistic abilities that we need musicians for. This album is one of the most human in progressive metal.

Vincent

This production was a big surprise for me in 2005 - they are from Germany but I never had heard from this band before. The Holzwarth brothers (drums and bass) are the constant part of SIEGES EVEN. They have searched for a new vocalist with a lot of care. Well spotted! And Markus Steffen (guitar) who produced the first three releases with the band is back. The result is extraordinary because very unique - great complex rock songs where you can hear the prog metal school.
'The view from here is frightening' - some sequences are repeated through the songs and so it looks like a concept album. The sound quality is really superb - full and heavy but every instrument can be heard crystal clear - excellent. All of the songs are containing amazing vocals and various acoustic and electric guitar work. Ignoring the intro the release starts with'The weight and I first thought: Oh boy - what else can follow after this wonderful thing? But The Lonely Views Of Condor, Unbreakable and Stigmata are on the same level. Blue Wide Open is a melancholic ballad with acoustic guitar.
Something totally new for me and therefore it seems to be a step forward in the development of Progressive Rock! I would not call this a typical Prog Metal album - metalheads may be disappointed.
'The Art Of Navigating By The Stars' can also be recommended to Neo Prog and Art Rock fans.

Uwe Zickel

The beauty of The Art Of Navigating By The Stars lies within all the simplicity, the complexity, the melodies, the emotion, the lyrics and the overall level of artistic quality.
“The Art Of Navigating By The Stars” is a cleverly written album with very high quality song compositions. The album contains plenty of intricate time signatures, creative rhythms and a variety of excellent guitar solos! Markus Steffen’s outstanding ability on guitar is beautifully painted all over this album. Many progressive rock bands use keyboards and/or synthesizers, but you won’t find any on this album and you won’t miss them either.
The album is divided into eight different sequences just as they are listed on the album cover. Each sequence is linked with the catchphrase: “The view from here is frightening,” which is repeated at carefully positioned intervals throughout the album.
The menu is filled with layers of acoustic guitars and sugarcoated with the clean tone of electric guitars. A flute makes a momentary appearance. Although vocals rule and the guitar work is very impressive, the bass and drums are ever present and provide much of the entertainment on hand. Everything is so very cleverly prepared and skillfully tied together.
There are moments in each sequence that I can’t wait to hear and the build-up to each segment is just so well orchestrated as to give you a sense of complete satisfaction and jubilation every time they come around. I’m talking about truly unforgettable moments like; the chorus to “Stigmata,” or the classical guitar solos found in both “Blue Wide Open” and “Lighthouse,” or the very short and subtle drum pattern just before the great vocalization and last chorus to “To The Ones Who Have Failed,” or the fast paced drumming section that appears near the two minute mark of “Styx.” All of them highlights on the album and there are many more, simply to many interesting moments to list them all here.
The Art of Navigating By the Stars is a progressive rock album for the ages. I can’t imagine ever getting tired of it.

Vanwarp

To talk of a comeback in the original meaning of the word wouldn’t be quite correct, after all Sieges Even never disappeared completely, having brought out a brilliant album in 'The Art Of Navigating By The Stars' only two years ago, following an extended creative hiatus. So their latest album release, 'Paramount', does not arrive totally unannounced, yet it surprises with an artistic complexity and stylistic diversity that is difficult to find in this genre. The album forges an atmospheric arch to the band’s beginnings back in the late eighties, documenting the topicality of their music at the same time. After all, prog rock and prog metal are more popular at the moment than they have been for a long time, and Sieges Even are among Germany’s elite when it comes to these musical directions. “Compared to our previous CDs, we focus more on the song itself these days,” guitarist Markus Steffen describes Sieges Even’s present attitude, adding: “We don’t think so much about how many notes we can cram into a particular number. The new songs are more compact in themselves, and certainly occasionally tougher than the compositions on 'The Art Of Navigating By The Stars', but always supported by a strong melody. Although we love 'Navigating', we wanted to embark on a different path without betraying our roots. I think we’ve become more open to different stylistic influences since Arno’s arrival.”
Steffen is referring to vocalist Arno Menses, who joined Sieges Even three years ago and has been at the epicentre of this perfectly measured soundquake ever since. Together with the brothers, Oliver and Alex Holzwarth (bass and drums), Steffen and Menses have concentrated on the essence of their talent more than ever before. Paramount consists of ten fascinating songs that take the listener on an adventurous journey, setting free a diversity of emotions. Sieges Even’s lyrics consciously do without messages, or indeed indoctrination. Menses: “We go about our lyrics the same way we go about our music: every one of them is intended to create its own movie in the listener’s mind. Interpretations by us would only have a manipulative and irritating effect.” Yet the contents of the songs are anything but mundane. The title track and ‘Bridge To The Divine’, for example, are about the wide range of things people dream of, while ‘Tidal’ is more personal and allows the listener the freedom of individual interpretation.
Musically, Sieges Even operate at the most accomplished level. The above mentioned ‘Tidal’ contains pretty much all the components that make Paramount a complete work of art: toughness, melodiousness, progressive parts, melancholia, e-guitars, acoustic guitars, discreet keyboards and tasteful synthesizer sounds. The instrumental, ‘Mounting Castles In The Blood Red Sky’, is a kind of musical version of Martin Luther King’s famous “I have a dream” speech, contrasted by the folk prog AOR ballad, ‘Eyes Wide Open’, which is carried by Mense’s vocals and seems the kind of track that few people would have expected from this band. “Before Arno’s arrival we wouldn’t have risked such a number, but now it seems totally conclusive and fitting,” Steffen points out.
Paramount was recorded in collaboration with sound engineer Kristian ‘Kohle’ Kohlmannslehner at his studio in Seeheim/Jugenheim. Kohlmannslehner also mixed the songs, his colleague Kai Stahlenberg taking care of the mastering. The result is a perfectly arranged, cleverly produced and extremely melodious album that invites its listeners to dream along to and promises to work well on stage, too. That’s why the band’s fans should seize the opportunity to check their latest release out in an audio-visual context: Sieges Even are scheduled to embark on a tour of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland in October.

InsideOut

Luego de éste álbum, el grupo lanzó "Paramount" en 2007, siendo su estilo todavía más melódico que el que presentamos aquí, y que también desató excelentes comentarios en todo el mundo. Luego de un concierto póstumo, la banda realizaría su único álbum en vivo, "Playgrounds" (2008), antes de anunciar que el grupo se desintegraba, debido a diferencias importantes con los miembros.

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