Album Reviews : Hybrid Nightmares – The Second Age

I see now. The First Age achieved a sense of being on the verge of coming together musically, to create something new. It also hinted at a story. I love a good story so, if you will, let me guide you through the journey thus far.

“Lost in the Labyrinth, only the dead know what it means to die and reach the stars.”

Not sure if anyone else noticed this.

The Second Age reflects a maturation of sound and story telling started by the first. This cannot be understood in one sitting, however, so I recommend letting it play, in the background, as meaning is planted first within the sub-conscious.

“Lost” begins the second journey by portraying a slow, sad descent into the pit of death. I say pit as the walls create claustrophobia and is devoid of light and hope. Death can be a metaphor for the constant struggle to find oneself while signifying rebirth as well. This very personal journey can be full of confusion and chaos as the walls close in around you.

There is a pervading sense of a seemingly infinite journey. This is achieved quite well through the guitar. At times, it becomes the wind keening through the hollow passages of time and at others, whips itself into a frenzy possibly because there seems to be no end. “Only the Dead Know” feels like a travelling caravan traversing the winding depths of an underground labyrinth. For players of Skyrim, I would suggest it is similar to the dungeon of the same name; ancient and abandoned.

The conceit that best illustrates this part of the story, the Second Age, is the sense of climbing an infinite staircase in “And Reach the Stars”. The riff seems to climb, plateau, and climb again. There is no finality, no climax as the cycle repeats itself. And so, as they say, to be continued.

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