BOOK OF REFLECTIONS – Book Of Reflections

The band Book Of Reflections is an all-star Lion Music effort headed by guitar wizard Lars Eric Mattsson, and boasts participation by the following musicians:

Lead Vocals: Hubi Meisel, Mikael Holm (Winterlong), Andy Engberg (Section A), and Torgny Stjarnfelt (Condition Red)
Guitars: Mattsson (conventional and bass) and Rusty Cooley
Drums: Eddie Sledgehammer
Keyboards: Mattsson and Vitalij Kuprij.

This self-titled CD contains 11 tracks – 10 of them rockers and one beautiful ballad in “Let It Go.” Wrap all of this talent and musical backgrounds together, and you have a fast-paced Neoclassical/Power-Progressive/Symphonic Metal album at your disposal.

WHAT’S GOOD

Mattson is certainly noted for his creative, fast, and intricate guitar work. It all starts with the Mattsson/Cooley guitar foundation … their riffs and extended solos are nothing short of impressive and completely enjoyable. Kuprij is also the best keyboardist around – bar none. Hubi Meisel, for those familiar with this native German, also has all of the talent in the world, and foregoes singing with the whisper-bitch delivery noted in his latest EmOcean solo effort, making his vocal performance the best of the lot … Holm, Engberg, and Stjarnfelt log in solid performances too, by the way. All in all, there’s great guitar and keyboard work within this album, and very solidly performed vocals, which, at times, capitalize on periodic uplifting lyrical messages. Wisely too, Book Of Reflections mixes it up pretty well with heavily weighted lyrical passages along with extended instrumental segments.

WHAT’S LESS THAN GOOD

Lion CDs typically boast of superior production/sound quality, but this CD receives nothing better than an “average” Recording Quality grade. This minor snafu doesn’t “ruin” any of the songs, because the highlights of CD noted above are too strong and pervasive to be totally knocked down to the ground, but the production quality definitely prevents each song from coming through at the pinnacle of their inherent potential. The only other area for potential improvement could’ve been for Mattsson and cohort Conny Welen to serve the track listing a bit further by throwing in a few more catchy choruses. As noted, the lyrical passages are all largely enjoyable, but many of the songs would have benefited that much more by the punch of memorable sing-along choruses.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The album delivered by this all-star cast is indeed a solid effort from start to finish. Most impressive is the skilled musicianship of these virtuosos – their in-breed talent is clearly apparent and comes through time and time again. This is a must-have for Meisel, Kuprij, and Winterlong fans … and for Metal fans everywhere that enjoy listening to superb guitar, keyboard, and vocal work!