VALLEY'S EVE - "DECEPTION OF PAIN" (LIMB)
Valley's Eve have been around for longer than you (and I) might think: In fact "Deception of Pain" is their third album of power metal already. This time it's more or less a concept album, with each of the songs (chapters) dealing with a failed suicide attempt such as documented by a psychiatrist whose work was read by the band.
Production standards are good on "Deception of Pain". With "The Fire Burns" (the first track on the album) you get a good first impression. Vocalist Liapakis really fits the music in a way, well, I've said it before in another review this month, not all too dissimilar from Serenity's Daniel Savage. After the first track, though, the riffs become a lot less catchy. "Dark Room" sounds pretty melancholic and "Creating Gods" is quite OK, but the other tracks seem to lack conviction. "Darks Shadows on the Wall" has some heavy parts and the bonus track ("Shadows of Misery", intended for US and Japanese markets) is pretty OK, but as a whole "Deception of Pain" fails to convince.
RK
Written June 2002