J-Man
With Human Life In Motion, American progressive metal act Odin's Court aim to take a look at the "human experience" through eleven tracks, each dealing with a different primary emotion. While still creating interesting compositions to go along with the heavy lyrical content, Odin's Court deliver American progressive rock/metal just as it should be - heavy riffs, melodic vocals, lush keyboards, and interesting instrumental runs dominate most of this album's playing time. Human Life In Motion's general lack of experimentation and originality makes it seem a bit irrelevant in today's prog metal scene, but Odin's Court deliver enough quality compositions and musicianship to make this a decent purchase for fans of the genre.
Human Life In Motion is generally a melodic and straightforward experience - no songs exceed the 6-minute mark, and most are conventionally structured with strong melodies. Of course, this isn't a major issue, but the conventional songwriting (while still very well-executed) does rub off as a bit unoriginal. Thankfully, Odin's Court is a group of extremely talented musicians and keep things interesting throughout Human Life In Motion's full playing time. The bass playing from Craig Jackson especially stands out to me - unlike most prog metal acts, Odin's Court manages to create interesting and memorable bass lines; surely a sign of their talent as songwriters and musicians!
Unfortunately, Human Life In Motion is also plagued by a fairly generic and lifeless production. Although it sounds competent, it lacks the emotional punch and professionalism that would benefit the album greatly. The drums sound especially flat and uninspired - it's a shame, really, because the drumming is actually quite good.
Although Human Life In Motion suffers from a few technical issues and it lacks a unique sound of its own, it's still a well-made prog metal album that fans of the genre should enjoy. Odin's Court is a group of talented musicians that, with just a few small improvements, could really make a large impact in the prog metal world. I'll be keeping a close eye on where these guys head in the future. As far as Human Life In Motion is concerned, I'd say a middle-of-the-road 3 stars are deserved. If you're okay with fairly conventional - yet still well-composed - progressive metal, the latest effort from Odin's Court is a very recommended purchase.