Chapter I:
Book of Reflections was put together by Lars Eric Mattsson after having been
approached by an Asian record company, and once all the right members were found
all the pieces started to fit together extremely well and the result was much
better that one could have imagined! The idea was to create a fast and furious
yet very melodic album that would nether be too complicated nor too simple and
on which the vocal melodies would stand out. Even though the musicians are all
of very high caliber this album is not about virtuosity its all about the high
energy songs.
The guitars of Rusty Cooley and Lars Eric Mattsson as well as the keyboards of
Vitalij Kuprij are nothing but breathtaking, the solos on this album are some of
the hottest ever on a Lion Music release but Book Of Reflections is still more
about good high energy songs and the
vocals of the four lead singers of Book Of Reflections are all outstanding.
Chapter II:
Book Of Reflections – Chapter II: Unfold The Future is a potent musically
accomplished mix of progressive metal and classic hard rock, showcasing
strong melodic sensibilities. Lyrically the album is varied focusing on
topics from distrust in the political world to a celebration of life along
with a couple of sad love songs.
“The idea was to continue where the first album ended and take the music a
few steps forward. The songs are a little bit less predictable but easier to
listen to. It was a long journey as there are many musicians and singers
involved. The songs are all good songs with memorable choruses while still
not using too many cliché’s”.
The album is home to a number of top class musicians from the Lion Music
roster such as vocalists Bjorn Jansson (Tears Of Anger) and Martin LeMar (Tomorrow’s
Eve) who handle 3 songs each. In addition to Mattsson’s fiery fretwork is
the guitar talent of Anand Mahangoe (Sphere Of Souls, Solo). Mistheria
(Bruce Dickinson) contributes keyboard solos on 4 tracks whilst long time
Mattsson collaborator Eddie Sledgehammer plays drums. Mattsson himself
handles all other guitars, bass, keyboards and additional vocals.
Chapter III:
Never one to sit still, guitarist/composer
LARS ERIC MATTSSON resurrects BOOK OF REFLECTIONS for the stampeding metal
attack of “RELENTLESS FIGHTER”. Joined by two killer vocalists in CARSTEN
‘LIZARD’ SCHULZ (Evidence One, ex Domain) and MARKKU KUIKKA (Status Minor),
Mattsson has penned 10 new tracks which are firmly rooted in a
neo-classically tinted metal framework along with the usual
‘outside-the-box’ Mattsson musical trickery.
Whilst there are two prior chapters to the Book Of Reflections story in the
self titled debut and its follow up ‘Unfold The Future’, the new album is
heavier, more direct and with more potent songs. Mattsson himself concedes,
“Stylistically it’s closer to the debut than the second album but the songs
are better and the sound is a step on too. The idea was to make a rocking
album with some cool details but nothing too complex. The songs all fit
together and complement each other rather than having material that is too
diverse. This was also the main idea behind the first album while on the 2nd
album things were a bit too spread out and it maybe lost some focus as a
result”.
“Relentless Fighter” also sees Mattsson back to his six string best, with
some of the fiercest fretwork his has recorded in recent years, the
trademark mix of neo-classical motifs along with Mattsson ultra fluid lead
lines make for compelling listening for guitar fanatics, yet Mattsson also
knows that guitar wow factor is nothing without a solid song backing it up
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Book of Reflections |
Chapter II:
Unfold the Future |
Relentless Fighter |
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•
Guardian of Time.
• Child of the Rainbow.
• Tearing Down.
• Only One Truth.
• Phoenix.
• Going Through The Motions.
• Slippin' Away.
• You're Not Alone.
• Book of Illusions.
• Let it Go.
• Blood From a Stone (European bonus track).
• Eternity Calls (Japanese Bonus Track). |
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Unfold The Future.
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Bringer Of The Torch.
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Free My Soul.
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Heal Me.
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Uncover The Lie.
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Ashes To Ashes.
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Make Sure You Don't Fall.
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Deep Inside.
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Blink Of An Eye.
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Got To Get Low.
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Love Conquers All . |
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Until the Day.
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Dance With the Devil.
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Angel Shed a Tear.
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Bleeding Dry.
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Rise Up!
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Crashing Through.
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Somewhere Else to Be.
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Gates to Oblivion.
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Keep Us Afloat.
•
Without My Angel. |
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Lars Eric Mattsson - Guitars and Bass.
Rusty Cooley - Guitars
Hubi Meisel - Vocals
Andy Engberg - Vocals
Mikael Holm - Vocals
Vitalij Kuprij - Keyboards
Eddie Sledgehammer - Drums |
Lars Eric
Mattsson - Guitars, bass, keyboards and voices
Björn Jansson - Vocals
Martin LeMar - Vocals
Anand Mahangoe - Guitars
Mistheria - Keyboards
Eddie Sledgehammer - Drums |
Carsten “Lizard” Schulz – Lead and Backing Vocals (1,3,5,7,9)
Markku Kuikka – Lead and Backing Vocals (2,4,6,10)
Lars Eric Mattsson – Guitar, Bass and Keyboards
Christer Jansson – Drums |
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