HERE AND BEYOND deals with many ethereal concepts of the mind and travelling through mountains, deserts and vast oceans, takes the listener on a wonderful journey accompanied by soothing vocals of Judah, orchestral parts in between, unexpected acoustic guitar parts and an overall top-class presentation which can be only be expected from SLAIN. Starts off with DREAMER and you’ll get my point – a lot of nature sounds in that one – and someone breathing heavily through it all. The album really grabs you by the ears with SOLDIER – watch out for the orchestral progression in the beginning. Rapid drum rolls and a lot of good guitar shredding are the key factors of this song. The keyboard enters at around 3.30 and adds a whole eerie feel. And just when you thought this was it, enter a Flamenco solo! That was unexpected but pleasant. The song gives off an epic feeling, and kind of sets the pace for the later tracks in the album with furious drum rolls, melodious guitar parts and some nice keyboard.
I found YOUR MAJESTY to be an almost funny number with the synth and the disco music in the intro. My ears perked up in between, as the keyboard solo sounded starkly similar to Deep Purple’s, BURN. This was nothing to when a guitar riff towards the end takes you back to the 80s with a very-much-similar-to Michael Jackson feel. Finally, we come to the good ones on the album – SUPERHERO. The sitar intro, the guitar solo and the bass combine to give a very smooth alternative type of a track, which is very pleasant. First track I really liked. Judah sings about a little girl who hopes to find her perfect superhero in life, his vocals seem very apt and beautiful for this track. I really liked the keyboard. Top track of the album so far. Lyrics are also good enough.
Check out 2 excellent ballads delivered by SLAIN in this album - ANGEL IN THE SKY and STAR. When the acoustic guitar part comes in ANGEL, you suddenly get a feeling of standing in the middle of the Sahara Desert. A very folk-type backround plays in the intro. The intro guitar riff of You don’t have to be a star is like a breath of fresh air! A delicate tasteful intro off the keyboard. Combine synth sounds, orchestral parts, melodious guitar and the vocals of Judah and you’re left with an impressive ballad, with wonderful acoustic parts in the middle. Definitely among the top, along with SUPERHERO. JUDGEMENT CALL is another action-packed number which turns epic towards the end. Ruhee Ahamed provides guest vocals on PRODIGAL and accompanied by Judah, sounds really nice. One of the better tracks of the album.
A progressive band, which becomes a lot of Melodic Power Metal in HERE AND BEYOND. Love the work of the keyboardist and drummer in the entire album. Drummer sets the heaviness and keyboardist, the feel of the album. Guitarist Bryden pitches in with some great solos and riffs in some songs, and the vocalist does well in most of the numbers. The result – an album which you cant miss, and one which will keep SLAIN on the top mainstream charts for quite some time!
