What makes that even more of a head-scratcher is that in the time since part one of the story, the band's female vocalist has changed, meaning we don't even have the same voice on both parts of the story. It was ridiculous when Iced Earth pulled that in the middle of the "Something Wicked" period of Jon Schaeffer losing his mind, and I don't think it makes any more logical sense here.
So that means this record is a whopping fourteen tracks that expand a story I don't care about into a full album. I'm not going to get involved in talking about the story at all, because I'm completely disconnected from it as a listener. I look for music that can make me feel something, and that I can put to use to bend and change my moods. A fantasy story about a haunted doll is not going to speak to me on any level, so the analysis of that aspect of the record is better left for someone who does care.
Besides, any good concept album can be enjoyed without the story as a set of songs. That, even more than the story, is what makes this record so disappointing. When I first heard "Of Jupiters And Moons", I was stunned by the way they blended three voices with super catchy melodies. It was unique, and rather amazing. With each passing album, the band moved even further in the direction of what I call hyper-pop-metal, and they remained among the very best at it.
This album, by virtue of trying to be more of a metal opera, tones down what makes Temperance so fun. These songs aim for a more sweeping and epic tone, which they are, but at the expense of the melodies having the same bite and stick. There's less energy to these songs than in the past, and that isn't helped out with a production that (at least as heard in the promo I received) flattens the layers of vocals so I can barely hear the interplay of voices. The album is loud and metal, but the mix has no depth to it at all. It's one thin band of sound, and reminds me of the early days of digital music, where we knew 128kbps mp3s weren't good, but they were all we had.
More than anything, this is an album that tests my patience. As I just mentioned, the production is frustrating and tiring to listen to, the album is far too long, and there is enough narration to move the story along that I find myself rolling my eyes. By the time the album gets to the halfway point, I'm already checking to see how many songs are left before it's over.
There's a reason I sound like I'm being overly harsh, and it's because Temperance's mastermind just made a far, far better record with his side-project Fallen Sanctuary. The album that group put out was a massive amount of fun, dripping with tons of immediate and unforgettable hooks. None of that is present here. The 'drama' of the story sucks the life out of these songs, perhaps because they have to make sure to hit all of the plot points. All I know is that Temperance has always been more enjoyable to me than this, and even the side-project was as well. Bigger isn't always better, and efforts like this was the proof.
That's not to say this is a bad album, because Temperance are a very good band, and there are still moments here that remind me why I like them so much. Those are fewer and further between than usual, and they aren't enough to make the slog of getting to them worth the hassle. If you're going to make a record this long, and this involved, it needs to hit every mark. I can't say this one does.
How often will I want to spend more than an hour sitting through this? Probably never again.
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