Leaving the Past Behind

Often times the great trailblazers of the metal world will have a particular breakthrough moment, and it doesn't always occur right near the beginning with their first studio outing. When looking at the respective careers of some of metal's bigger names such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, there is this implicit rule of 3, wherein the third album is the place where a signature sound is solidified and ushers in a period of greater appeal. Unfortunately, this also tends to result in the preceding albums being either passed over or given less consideration due to lineup shifts or divergence in style. Although less of a commercial force than the aforementioned icons, Sweden's Tad Morose made a respectable splash during the heyday of the late 90s power metal resurgence when vocal powerhouse Urban Breed entered the equation, resulting in a highly respected 3rd album in A Mended Rhyme that would eventual usher in a trilogy of impact-based, heavy/power metal brilliance in the early days of the new millennium. Consequently, the preceding efforts of this band have continued to rest in relative obscurity, consigned to a different era that only has a partial relation with both their classic and current sound.

The circumstances surrounding Leaving The Past Behind are an interesting study in the evolution of metal following the period of decline in the early to mid-1990s. In similar fashion to the origins of millennial mainstays of the power metal scene such as Brainstorm and Sacred Steel, they began in the progressive metal craze of said time period, although the aforementioned bands either imported members from progressive outfits or renamed themselves following the change in stylistic direction. It exhibits the usual bells and whistles tied in with the game-changing late 80s and early 90s work of Queensryche, Dream Theater and Fates Warning (the album title itself is almost identical to the opening song off the latter's 1991 commercial breakthrough Parallels), but manages to differentiate itself from the pack of early adherents by adopting a darker and denser aesthetic, often drawing from the older power/prog model established by Crimson Glory's eponymous debut and the theatrical aspects of then recent Savatage output. One would naturally be remiss to neglect mentioning similarities with the early works of 90s progressive outfits such as Avalon, Vanden Plas, Eternity (X) and Ivanhoe, though they would not field their debut LPs until a year later, making this a pretty early entry into a then growing second generation of progressive adherents.

To further expound upon the darkness and intrigue at work here, it is necessary to consider the various parts that work in concert to result in the melancholic whole. In contrast to the flashy fusion of musical genres and virtuoso musicianship that typified Dream Theater's Images And Words, the format here is largely streamlined and focused on atmosphere and memorable melodic ideas, functioning as a mellower throwback to the 80s progressive sound that is presented in a more 90s oriented sense of depth. The keyboards avoid any wild Kevin Moore or Jens Johannson noodling, focusing more on droning string orchestra backdrops and minimalist piano/synthesizer lines to build layers upon a generally slow-paced and simple approach by the rhythm section. There are points where things become a bit more agitated and hint at the future power metal sound this band would adopt, such as the riveting build up and guitar solo section of "Reach For The Sky" and the bulk of more cruising nods to Fates Warning and Queensryche such as "Eyes Of A Stranger" and "Reflections", but for the most part the arrangement is an exercise in restraint. Vocalist Kristian Andren works well in this capacity, as his squeaky clean vocal approach tends to resemble the revolving door of singers that would contribute to Threshold's discography and much of this album follows a similar mode of operation.

Ironically enough, the lone individual in this fold that makes a point of routinely standing out from the pack is also the only member to continue on with Tad Morose until the present, namely guitarist Christer Andersson. While he doesn't exhibit the same degree of insane technical showmanship that Jon Petrucci brought to Images And Words, some of the guitar solos that stream out of these songs get pretty close and definitely show up a number of guitarists that would emerge in the mid-90s prog scene in terms of speed and intensity. Similarly, his riff work on more percussive and elaborate offerings like "Way Of History" and "Eternal Lies" provide an interesting hybrid of odd-time progressive grooves and classic mid-80s power metal-based crunch. There is also a highly notable amount of exemplary acoustic guitar work that filters in and out of several slower songs on here that dovetails nicely with the band's somber demeanor, occasionally hinting at an old school power/prog vibe a la Awaken The Guardian meshed with a mid-90s dreary vibe that predicts what Nevermore would do with their ballads. It would be a stretch to say any of the other members of this outfit are slouches to any degree, with Andren and drummer Dan Eriksson (who would sadly not continue with the band after this album) turning in solid performances, but this is one of those situations where the guitarist is clearly the premier member of the fold and the power behind the sound.

Given the glowing nature of the description that was just offered, the question that naturally arises is, is this a better album than the ones Tad Morose would field with Urban Breed at the helm. The short answer is no, but with the added caveat that is an excellent offering for its time and deserves about as much consideration by Tad Morose's current fans as Killers would to an Iron Maiden fan who originally cut his teeth on anything following Paul Di'Anno's departure. For 1993 this was about as heavy and engaging as it got, holding on to some nostalgic moments from the 80s while not being locked into a retro mindset. It is a very different beast from the one that this band has since become known for portraying, one that is more a creature of its era than an early clue to where things would go at the end of the decade, but occasional hints do come out of the woodwork at times. For many the absence of Breed and the somewhat retro character of the production may be a bridge too far, and it may appeal a bit more to those who like their metal to be a bit more measured and nuanced, but it stands as one of the better moments of an era when metal was in a steep downward trajectory.

I have a Pavlovian reaction to this album. I will always associate it, for some odd reason, with playing Mass Effect for the first time. So when hearing these melodies (and particularly that sparse opening riff of ‘Eternal Lies’), the mental images of treading out onto the bleak and massive planetscapes of Eden Prime, Feros and Noveria in the Mako tank come to mind. It’s not my fault that the music actually fits so well with the mood of the game…

But I digress. In a similar way, the name of Tad Morose will forever and immemorially be associated in the minds of power metal aficionados with the three albums Urban Breed did with them before he unceremoniously left the band: Undead, Matters of the Dark and Modus Vivendi. These towering obelisks, these musical monuments, overshadow the rest of Tad Morose’s discography, which is understandable but also something of a shame, since their prior work is actually quite good. And Leaving the Past Behind is no exception.

Tad Morose have always been more than simply a heavier-than-average power metal band. Just as Mass Effect could never entirely conceal its origins in Baldur’s Gate and KotOR, Tad could never quite conceal these progressive roots. After all, even on Modus Vivendi, the blaring, massive Tad Morose sound actually has more of a progressive texture, as opposed to being merely power metal propre. Christer Andersson has never exactly been shy about wearing his Crimson Glory and early Savatage fandoms on his kutte, let’s put it that way. On this album, those influences are more front-and-centre than on their later ones. The crisp, over-methodical drumwork, tingling guitars and particular attention to building haunting, æthereal melodies from the keyboards, all add up to a progressive, ‘white-collar’ USPM æsthetic that sounds very different from later albums. The music breathes. There’s a cooler, breezier quality to the melodies. There’s a flow, and (true to the name) ample space is given to the quieter and more melancholy passages – on ‘Voices Are Calling’ and the shimmering keyboard-heavy ‘Save Me’ in particular. ‘Reach for the Sky’ eventually crescendos, crashing into speed metal territory, but it starts out with a much more relaxed tempo.

As a result, this sounds much like, and is, a debut album by a band still looking for its signature. It’s decent music, but if you were to put your music player on random and a song from this album came up, there’s nothing instantaneously memorable as Morose that comes through. Some of the elements are already there: the surging guitars on ‘Eternal Lies’, the speedier sections of ‘Reach for the Sky’, ‘Eyes of a Stranger’ (*ahem* transparent Queensrÿche worship *ahem*) and ‘Reflections’ already have some of the later Morose crunch and drive to them, but on first listen one would be hard-pressed to tell them from, say, mid-career Savatage circa Edge of Thorns. Listen to ‘Leaving the Past Behind’ and ‘Scraggy’s Tomb’ and tell me they wouldn’t be out of place on the same album.

The other quibble that could be picked with the music is that the vocalist, Kristian Andrén, though he certainly has the range and emotion that the style requires, is a bit faceless, particularly when compared with the sheer, ballsy hard-rock charisma that Urban Breed later brought to the band. As a result, the softer, balladic songs (like ‘Save Me’) tend to sound stronger, because Andrén’s vocals better suit that sound and there’s more space for him to play with range. Otherwise, there’s a lack of blood, a lack of snarl and aggression in the vocals, that leaves some of the pieces feeling a little anæmic and drained – competent, relistenable, but just shy of the fist-pumping headbanging oomph factor that made Modus Vivendi such a classic. One can hear in ‘Reflections’ the elements of a song that could have defined Morose’s career in the way ‘Cyberdome’ did, and by rights it should have been rerecorded with Breed.

Lyrically, the album treads a lot of familiar ground for metal and for Tad Morose: questioning religious dogmas and exploring the darker side of human psychology. They haven’t quite latched onto the ancient Babylonian and Egyptian motifs that are sprinkled throughout their later albums as yet, and seem to be driving at more mediæval themes.

So what to make of this one? It’s a good album, done by a band destined for greater things. It’s a piece that holds interest for fans of the band, in terms of showing ‘where they came from’ and the sorts of influences they held close, but it’s nowhere near the top of the heap.

And now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got some geth to scrap…

16 / 20

If you surfed onto this page after listening to Tad Morose's recent albums Undead and Matters of the Dark, and expect their pre-Breed era CDs to be like their current work, then let me forewarn you. Tad Morose started out as a dark prog metal band and their albums with vocalist Kristian Andren (Fifth Reason, Meduza, Memento Mori, Wuthering Heights) are relatively different than their last two releases. The music is dark, slow, progressive, heavily influenced by atmospheric keyboards and emotional lyrics. While Andren's range is no where near Breed's, he is definitely a very versatile singer. I have every CD with him on vocals and I think he released his best work with Tad Morose, especially the Sender of Thoughts album.

Leaving The Past Behind is Tad Morose's debut effort released in 1993. The line-up of the band has changed over the years. It's a shame drummer Dan-Erik Eriksson would only play on Leaving, because his drum sound is amazing. The drumming is one of my favourite elements of this album. Also the bassist Per-Ola Olsson was replaced after Sender of Thoughts. So, with a completely different rhythm section minus a keyboard player, the current Tad Morose has become a heavy/power metal band with dual guitars and an aggressive singer, while the original band was more interested in experimenting with progressive songwriting elements consisting of many interesting key and tempo changes. Not that I dislike the current Tad Morose, it's just that they have changed their style drastically over the last 5 years.

The album opens with "Eternal Lies" after a slow and haunting intro. Andren's vocals might sound weak in the beginning but once you get used to his style you will definitely love it. He does an amazing job, particularly in each chorus of the songs. The third song "Voices Are Calling" and fourth song "Reach for the Sky" are perfect representatives of what Leaving The Past Behind sounds like. Christer Andersson's guitar solo in "Voices Are Calling", although a bit poorly produced, is one of the most fitting and sharpest guitar solos to have been recorded on a prog album. The solo in "Eyes of a Stranger" is also haunting. It is also this song, in my opinion, which the band obviously spent a lot of time on to create their sophomore album Sender of Thoughts, which has a bigger and better production.

"Save Me" was the first song on the album that clicked with me, perhaps due to the minimal playing. It took me more than a few spins to get into the Andren-era while Undead with Urban Breed worked for me right from the start. It must be the proggy touch and the less polished production. The chorus of this song has stuck in my mind for years. It is very strong, but I wouldn't say the song fits very well with the rest of the album, even though it sounds very heartfelt. The title track has a great symphonic intro that slowly builds up and is complemented by intricate instrumental sections with Andren exhibiting a nice vocal performance. In "Reflections" the band members show their prowess as a unit with their long instrumental parts and Andren only intervening to add some vocals over the very progressive songwriting. This song itself shows that one of Tad Morose's strongest sides is their beautiful compositions. The drummer and bassist provide great rhtythms that are just too good to ignore. Anyone who says it is hard to headbang to prog music should check this song out. Especially Swedish prog bands do a fantastic job as far as rhythm sections are concerned. The album closes with "Way of History" which is a song that combines elements from every song including Andren's deep vocals.

Before I finish this review, I think it's a shame that keyboardist Fredrik Eriksson (now in Morifade) had to leave the band when Tad Morose decided to adapt a more straightforward approach. His absence is sorely missed. I still think the best Breed-era CD of the band is A Mended Rhyme, save the weak drum sound. Urban has an amazing voice and Eriksson is a great keyboard player so if you like the newer Morose and keyboards that album might be a better starting point for you. Though I still consider Sender of Thoughts to be the best Tad Morose album from songwriting to production to musicianship. Leaving The Past Behind, on the other hand, is still getting a lot of replays from me because of its solid proggy background and Andren's fitting vocals.