The Consortium Project Netherlands
"Originally released in 1999 as "Ian Parry's Consortium Project", or simply just "Consortium Project", the album is going to be reissued November 18, 2011, on Lion Music as Consortium Project I: Criminals and Kings (a title which is more in line with the titles of Ian Parry's subsequent Consortium Project releases).
We are dealing with modern power metal with a progressive and slightly symphonic twist here (but not to the same extent as with the subsequent releases), and many of the tunes evolve around groovy and more classic metal-styled riffs. True to the power metal ethos, there are plenty of catchy vocal lines in the choruses on the album, and there is, in general, also quite the focus on melody.
Still, and this is my main beef with this release, despite the use of melody and catchy choruses, the album fails to make any lasting impression on me. I have given the upcoming reissue a lot of spins now, and still only very few parts strike me as being truly memorable. The album actually starts out very strongly with 'House of Cards', which contains som strong riffing and some pretty good vocal lines, and ends on a strong note in the form of a bonus track demo version of 'Evil World'. These two tracks are pretty good and quite memorable, but everything in between is just one big blur. This is one of those album where you will have to listen to just a couple of tracks at the time in order to not do the album, and the individual tunes, any disfavors.
In any case, it has an important place in the history of the Consortium Project, and fans who have not heard the first release yet should take this opportunity to get acquainted with the beginning of the saga of the Consortium Project.
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
"Ian Parry's second release under the Consortium Project monicker and also the second installment in Lion Music's presently ongoing reissuing project, "II: Continuum in Extremis" represents somewhat of an improvement compared to the previous release, which was originally eponymous, but has been renamed "I: Kings & Criminals".
While building on the power metal sound of the previous album, this one is much tighter in terms of songwriting. The tracks are generally more memorable and the riffage is much stronger, and the overall sound is bigger - but the use of keyboards does not come across as too forced (although, I can imagine that some will find the keyboards in '(Momentary)' Lapse of Reason' to be a bit silly (I like them though). Melody is central, and, while the choruses are big and catchy - as is typical of power metal - Ian Parry's raw and powerful voice ensures that any potential cheese is kept out.
While there are plenty of soft moments on this album, too, it is still heavier than the precursor, and even the soft tunes here are more inspiring and interesting than on the Consortium Project debut.
The album rocks hard. It rocks big. It rocks good. It is simply a must-have in the corpus of Ian Parry's work.
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
"Originally released in 2003 and also the third installment in Lion Music's series of reissues of Ian Parry's Consortium Project, this album, along with the other Lion Music's reissues, is specifically interesting in relation to the evolution of the artistic Consortium Project.
The style is basically the same type of prog power metal, as on "I: Criminals & Kings" and "II: Continuum in Extremis", or rather, it is a further development thereof. Where "II: Continuum in Extremis" was a radical improvement over the somewhat tame and forgettable "I: Criminals & Kings," "III: Terra Incognita (The Undiscovered World)" has the same high level of quality as its predecessor, but the overall sound is adjusted and a more progressive and more symphonic dimension is added.
As on its predecessor, the riffing on this disc quite strong, and Ian Parry makes good use of both groovy and classic metal-rock riffage, combining it with power metal aesthetics in the form of thundering bass drums and big, catchy choruses as well as an overall epic feel. So in the power metal department, everything is as it should be.
As the album's introduction indicates, Ian Parry has radically upped the symphonic dimension on this album and the keyboards have been given a more central role in the overall sound - but without being too cheesy. There are also more progressive elements on this album than on the predecessors, such as odd time signature and other quirky things, and the synths also contribute with spacey effects, known from the progressive rock of the 70s. And through oriental theme that characterizes this disc, is also helping to generate an interesting sound. So even if the quality is the same as its predecessor, the music still will probably strike many as being a bit more interesting on this release.
If you are a fan of pompous, but not cheesy, power metal with a progressive twist and plenty of melody, you should check this album out.
(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"
