Year : 2011 (Reissue 2017)
Style : Progressive Power Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + front + Video
Size : 182 mb
Bio:
Ivory Tower was formed in 1996, when Sven Böge, André Fischer and Thorsten Thrunke (and two another musicians) founded the combo under the incredible name AX´N SEX.Their self-produced 4-Song-CD "Victim of Time" received a very positive reception, not only in Germany , but also in Europe as well as overseas.After some deliberation the musicians changed the name of the band to the more suitable IVORY TOWER. They polished their styles further, and made some changes in the line-up.In 1997 Limb Music Products and Publishing (LMP) had been quick to recognize the enormous potential of the band and offered them a contract. The first official worldwide CD release of the self-titled debut was followed by tremendous reviews worldwide. In March and April 1999 IVORY TOWER supported this album by touring through Germany with "Mob Rules" and "Murder One".Over summer 1999 IVORY TOWER produced the second monsterpiece called “Beyond the stars”, released in April 2000. During that time there were extensive promotional activities all over the world.In 2001 Stephan M., Stephan L. and Thorsten left the band due to personal reasons. The Contract to LMP was cancelled almost contemporary.After a break for a couple of years Sven and André decided to record new album and started the “pre-pre-pre-pre-pre production” on a new album working-titled "IT”.After the recordings IVORY TOWER were -unfortunately again- looking for a new label, also looking for new bass and drum men……..and fortunately found all it.In 2006 Flo Tabbert on drums and Björn Bombach on Bass joined the band and the played some shows f. e. "Headbanger´s Open Air" and the "Metal Bash".In 2007 IVORY TOWER were signed by Pure Steel Records and the album "Subjective Enemy" (formerly known as "IT") was released worldwide in 2008.After supporting the album and a little break IVORY TOWER started the pre production on another album. The idea was to change the style a little bit but not to much. Get a bit, but only a bit, harder. Sing a bit, but only a bit, dirtier and sound a bit, but only a bit, easier.In 2011 Ivory Tower switched to the new Label d.o.t.t.-records (dust on the tracks) and the album “IV” got the possibility to come into this world.In 2012 Ivory Tower decided to extend the family and so keyboarder and guitarist Marco Matthies was adopted and increased the possibilities. And so the story goes on…In 2014 Florian T. and Andrè left the band due to personal reasons. Dirk Meyer on vocals and Florian Karbaum on drums finally joined the band. IVORY TOWER begins touring again and also starts to work on new material for a new album. Now the family is completed to rock and create new things. Watch out for Ivory Tower on stage and expect a new album soooooon.
Album:
Ten years ago, the Kieler Ivory Tower was one of the medium-sized debuts with the successful self-titled debut, released on the talent forge Limb Music Productions (including the Pain Of Salvation, Pagan's Mind and Rhapsody in the catalog) and his strong successor "Beyond The Stars" Hopes in the German Progmetal. In the meantime one has unfortunately to say that Ivory Tower did not fulfill this hope. This, however, does not reflect the musical quality, but probably due to the fact that the band between the second work and the "Subjective Enemy", which was only released on Pure Steel Records in 2008, has become quite rare. Meanwhile, the train for traditional Progmetal, as it was cultivated on the first two albums, but also left, because the current big trends "our" scene are Arch / Matheos, Mangini Dream Theater, Retroprog, New Artrock and Postrock. Medieval bands like the direct competitors Poverty's No Crime can hardly tear anything, and current, qualitatively astride climbers like Forgotten Suns go underneath.Now Ivory Tower but once again know and publish on Dust On The Tracks the meaningfully titled Fourth "IV". And from the very beginning, the music, as well as the extremely gloomy artwork, also nicely reflect the changing of the times described at the outset. Hard-hitting riffing between Gefrickel and fast-paced staccato, discreetly backed up keyboards, down-and-down vocals, rap, and a rough, threateningly dripping production characterize most songs. No comparison to the harmonious, melodically oriented (and still recommendable) early works. Although all the elements of this style are already in the first tracks, the final double "We're Lost" / "Moments Of Delight" is quite archetypical for the album and delivers equally convincing playing tips. Quieter moments are also there, but Ivory Tower go in pieces like "Loss" and "Child Of Burden" rather into the classical-bombastic power ballad school.Little surprise, Ivory Tower were compared in their early stage with Dream Theater (for which band does not really?). On "IV", on the other hand, one can recognize their turn with "Train Of Thought" to harder material, otherwise Ivory Tower sound matured and emancipated. If you would now like other bands or styles as a comparison, the Italian techno-Thrasher Eldritch or the Swabian Power-Metaller Brainstorm could be called. The latter sounds, for example, in the "more moderate" (meaning "still stamping") songs such as "Hands To The Sky" or "Catatonic Sleep", each with a hymnic, sometimes slightly oriental sounding choruses. For the former, the tempo numbers, such as the opening "Rape Of Time", are heard by the accelerated pedal, but with a steam roll. In order to lean me out of the window, I might be able to riffing the more aggressive numbers sometimes influences from the modern Metalcore or Nu bands like Korn (which also applies to Dream Theater postnumum 2003); Fortunately, however, no further elements of these styles were adopted.The composition is everything in the green. The quintet has already proven its quintet so often enough, but the more often referred to is the stylistic of the "song-oriented album". So it means that all the numbers of the album are quite compact and stand alone; On the other hand, there is a lack of progetypical features such as longtracks and too much variation within the songs. Nevertheless the pieces in themselves are all well done, put on striking melodies and sinful, anything but overloaded arrangements; Ergo the quality throughout the album is high. But not a rule without exception: In the case of "IV", the stinker of the work "Wailing Wall" is called and apart from its quite audible harmony refrain by little convincing rap singing and dull nu metal riffing (course: "Dudum - Dum - Dudududum ".In addition, it is still annoying that a few minor details sometimes interfere with the listening pleasure, for example the simple "Uffta-Uffta" drums in large parts of "We're Lost" or a short keyboard fanfare in "Moments Of Delight". However, this is not a problem of basic songwriting. Furthermore, production can still be criticized. Although everything sounds as well as said neatly powerful, but unfortunately also quite muddy, especially regarding the guitars. It seems as if the deteriorated economic situation for Progmetal bands could also be responsible for this.
Line Up:
Andre Fischer - Vocals
Sven Böge - Guitars
Björn Bombach - Bass
Florian Tabbert - Drums
Tracklist:
01. Rape of time
02. Expelled from heaven
03. Catatonic sleep
04. Hands to the sky
05. Loss
06. What if
07. Wailing wall
08. Child of burden
09. Weґre lost
10. Moments of delight
11. Catatonic sleep (Live) (Bonus Track)
12. Loss (Acoustic Version) (Bonus Track)
13. The calling (Live) (Bonus Track)
+ Video "Hands to the Sky" (Official Video)
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