Consortium Project II: Continuum In Extremis 2001

"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)"