{"id":19755,"date":"2012-04-22T06:17:45","date_gmt":"2012-04-22T11:17:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=19755"},"modified":"2013-01-29T10:10:54","modified_gmt":"2013-01-29T15:10:54","slug":"status-minor-ouroboros","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/status-minor-ouroboros\/","title":{"rendered":"Status Minor | Ouroboros<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\nStaff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"Finnish progressive metal band Status Minor is back with their second full-length album, titled Ouroboros<\/em>. The band turned some heads with their 2009 debut Dialog<\/em>, and if anything Ouroboros<\/em> is an even stronger album. The band still plays a highly melodic, Dream Theater-inspired brand of progressive metal, but they\u2019ve refined their sound as well as their overall songwriting.<\/p>\n

If nothing else, you have to give Status Minor credit for not simply imitating their more popular countrymen in Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica. Instead of taking those bands\u2019 often cold and neoclassical approach to the genre, Status Minor emphasizes powerful melodies and brings some real heaviness that brings to mind Evergrey as well as Train of Thought-era Dream Theater.<\/p>\n

While Ouroboros<\/em> is a strong album throughout, you soon notice that three key elements are driving the overall sound. The first is Sami Saarinen\u2019s guitar work, which is dazzling and technical enough to satisfy most progressive metal fans, and subtle and steady when that\u2019s called for. The second is Jukka Karinen\u2019s keyboards, which play a huge (but not overpowering) role in how these songs sound. So often the keys can sound like an afterthought or simply echo what the guitarist is doing, but that\u2019s definitely not the case here. And of course there\u2019s the vocals. Markku Kuikka has an amazing voice and a terrific range, and he knows just when to break out of that steady mid-range to deliver some extra emphasis. There are also some occasional female backing vocals here, which is a nice touch.<\/p>\n

Most of the songs on Ouroboros<\/em> clock in at the 5-minute mark, and given how melodic and accessible they are, that\u2019s probably a smart move. They\u2019re more effective that way. However, as with Dialog, Ouroboros<\/em> closes with a massive, overtly progressive song. This time it\u2019s the 10-minute \u201cSail Away,\u201d which comes directly from the Dream Theater playbook. It\u2019s an obvious highlight, but the more straightforward \u201cHollow\u201d and \u201cFlowers Die\u201d also stand out.<\/p>\n

Ouroboros<\/em> is another fantastic album from a band that deserves a lot more attention in progressive\/power metal circles. Fans of bands like Circus Maximus and Seventh Wonder in particular should definitely enjoy this one. Hopefully this time around Status Minor will get some recognition.<\/p>\n

Genre: Progressive Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nEero Pakkanen (b)
\nRolf Pilve (d)
\nSami Saarinen (g)
\nJukka Karinen (k)
\nMarkku Kuikka (v)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tThe Wind
\n2.\tHollow
\n3.\tGlass Wall
\n4.\tLike a Dream
\n5.\tConfidence and Trust
\n6.\tStain
\n7.\tSmile
\n8.\tFlowers Die
\n9.\tSail Away<\/p>\n

Label: Lion Music<\/p>\n

Website: www.statusminor.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.75\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines Staff Writer — Finnish progressive metal band Status Minor is back with their second full-length album, titled Ouroboros. The band turned some heads with their 2009 debut Dialog, and if anything Ouroboros […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6772],"tags":[976,1098],"class_list":{"0":"post-19755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-arcrvws2012","7":"tag-lion-music","8":"tag-progressive-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}