Black Mages, Vol. 3: Darkness and Starlight [Import, Compilation]

If you liked the first two CDs by the Black Mages, then you may or may not like this one. It goes in a different direction from the first two, on the following points.

1) The guitars are more of a background instrument. They only take front stage in a few isolated spots on the album, usually giving way to the keyboards. This is the biggest problem I have with this CD. On the other hand...

2) The arrangements here are pretty top notch, even if they are maybe a little too heavy on the keyboards. Nobuo's keyboard solos are very cool, but they're just not the blistering guitar solos that I prefer. As far as capturing the mood and feel of the songs, though, the arrangements are awesome. Especially the title track, which is amazing--its more "dream theater" than Dream Theater. I don't find it boring in the slightest, as opposed to what one of the other reviewers said. While I'm talking about this track, I'm just gonna mention that the female vocalist lays it on pretty thick and it takes some getting used to, but it is done well.

3) As far as the rockin battle music type compositions that are found on the previous two albums, the songs on this album just aren't cut out for that job. Only "The Extreme", "Grand Cross" and maybe "Assault of the Silver Dragons" are similar enough to the first two CDs to appear along side them. "Grand Cross" does have an insanely heavy guitar riff though, which is great, and its my favorite on the CD after the title track. I have to put the title track first, just because its so epic.

To sum up, I think its a great album, but definitely not for all fans of the first two. I didn't like it as much as the first two on my first listen, because it felt so different. But, after a few listens it began to grow on me and I can now appreciate all of the tracks found here, but for different reasons than the first albums. In the end though, I like it less than the first two albums, just because its not what I was looking for from the Black Mages. Hopefully, Nobuo was just getting some of this stuff out of the way so that he could really throw down with a solid 4th album that brings back the huge guitar pyrotechnics and heavy riffs!

This is the Black Mages' 3rd album and perhaps their best offering yet. As a huge fan of the first two albums, I was excited to hear more Final Fantasy songs rearranged into the mages' familiar prog rock style. Not a single song disappoints. Some of the highlights for me include the opening track, Assault of the Silver Dragon, and Premonition from Final Fantasy VIII. Back are the live drums found on their second album, as well as the great synth and guitar work. I question the female vocalist on Darkness and Starlight (the song), but the opera style does fit the track so perhaps I shouldn't complain. I was surprised to read some of the other reviews here on Amazon which felt that Darkness and Starlight (the album) was inferior to the Mages' prior works. I disagree and would recommend this album perhaps even more so than their first two.

So when I first thought about a review, I originally was going to give Darkness and Starlight a lower rating because it is not as good as the Black Mages first and second CD. That being said, I still really like the music on Darkness and Starlight. The tracks are not as familiar to me, but I still enjoy them. If you are thinking of getting a Black Mages CD, go with the one you know the songs best. If you like that, get the other CDs too.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars