The follow-up to
Moonspell,
Opposition solved a few problems found on
Persephone's Dream's previous opus. There is no 12-minute percussion solo and the quality of the production is quite superior. Sadly, one cannot say the same about the material. The music marks a reorientation away from neo-prog and toward a blend of prog metal and gothic imagery. Karin Nicely's delicate vocals still prevent the group from breaking loose in metal territory, but Rowen Poole's guitars have definitely gone up in the mix, crunchier and punchier. The addition of a keyboardist, Kim Finney, also brings elements usually found in the music of
Dream Theater and
Shadow Gallery. But choices in arrangements aside, the songs themselves have become more generic.
Moonspell glimpsed a certain talent in melody, but this time it seems that power and atmospheres rule over songwriting. "Far Side of Eden" and the opener, "Bevel," save the day, but "Stormchaser" and "Puppetmaster" are ridden with all the clichés one can associate with such common song titles. Since the group had already begun to target the prog metal audience (appearing at Powermad 2000 for instance), this move was somewhat predictable. Determining whether it was desirable or not comes down to musical preferences. ~ François Couture