ARENA — Contagion (review)

ARENA — Contagion album cover Album · 2002 · Metal Related Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
Warthur
Rob Sowden's second album as lead singer of Arena finds the band really hitting their stride again after the rather transitional Immortal. Incorporating a few metal influences in their music really helps the band diversify their sound, and the songwriting team of Mick Pointer, Clive Nolan, and John Mitchell have come up with some really strong material this time around.

Granted, there's places here and there where things get a bit samey or predictable, but on the whole it there aren't enough to completely derail the album, and the band pack in just enough surprises to make it worth picking up this one if you already have and are enthusiastic about their earlier albums.

On the whole, in fact, I'd say it's more or less on a par with Pride, Songs From the Lion's Cage and The Visitor, and a big step up from Immortal. I particularly recommend the Contagion Max edition, which restores the missing songs which had been collected on various EPs to their proper part in the sequence. Perhaps its biggest weakness is that this prog metal-adjacent style isn't necessarily what Rob Sowden's voice lends itself to, and the fact that in its original configuration the album risks becoming a bit samey; the more varied material on the EPs, restored to their proper place in the running order, makes the journey a touch more varied.
Share this review

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Skorian // The Greyleer Black Metal
MEFITIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Memoria viva Progressive Metal
WHITE STONES
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us