Reviews

Among the topical moments of the record we find the odd drum beats within "Blue Line (Inops)", "Can't Forgive Me (Invidia)", endowed by a powerful onslaught, a marvellous break making it magic and the real album's highlight, the theatrical chorus of "Silent Revolution (Insania)", the hieratic vocals and the angelic ones in "The Wrong Turn at the Right Time (Oneiroi)", the sweet dynamic tunes of "Red Glow Dreaming (Laetitia)", and the dark and crushing "The Echo of Chaos (Poena)", provided with the most mesmerizing vocals of the batch. Even if it's the first time I've approached the North American Progressive brigade, I immediately realized they have years of experience of recordings and tours behind them, which have allowed them to achieve such polished skills and arrangements. The cryptic lyrics and artwork add mystery to the whole and the clean production makes everything balanced and distinct, tho my taste would have appreciated a bit more punch and sharpness. The quartet is one of the best Prog metal/rock pieces happening right now; it's possessive of that rare combination of colossal ambition and enormous talent. This style needs more bands like this just like an unemployed parent having to support one's family needs a decent job.
www.rockmetalbands.com/Odin's_Court_review%20.htm

The follow up is in many ways simpler and more straight-forward than Deathanity and as such it grows faster on the listener. So this album is much easier to digest to the casual listener but there is a lot more for the casual listener to get here because while the album is catchy it’s also very diverse. Still in order to really get most out of this album you need to give time and attention. The diversity in the material is very interesting, but each song offers number of textures that lift the songs to whole new level. Fortunately the very core of songwriting on Human Life in Motion is also very good so there is plenty to sink your teeth into. Influences are so many that they are too many to mention, but they range from Pink Floyd and Genesis on one side of the spectrum to Metallica and Tool on the other. Still it’s not often that Odin’s Court sounds too much like any of these bands and thanks to Matt Brookins’ vocals the band’s identity is even more solid. His singing might not be technically most advanced you’ve heard, but his ability to mix emotion and mainstream is very good. At the same time there is certain warmth to his vocals that just suchs you in. And this is very important for a concept album.
metal-revolution.com/plugins/content/content.php?content.3701

This is, quite simply, gorgeous music. Between the melodies, the subtle yet intricate guitar work and Matt Brookins’s rich vocals, you just want to sit back and let the music wash over you. Brookins sounds a bit like Dare’s Darren Wharton and Marillion’s Steve Rothery, and Human Life in Motion has a bit in common with both bands. The melodies are so lush it’s tempting to call this a melodic rock album, but there are some metal elements. “Silent Revolution (Insania)” and “Echo of Chaos (Poena)” in particular have some real heaviness, and are very reminiscent of classic Pain of Salvation. There is also a strong progressive aspect to Odin’s Court’s sound. That’s progressive in the Pink Floyd sense, rather than the Dream Theater sense, which complements the melodic elements quite well. Conceptually, Human Life in Motion is an interesting album. It’s meant to be taken in as a whole, as a cohesive album dealing with the mind and the range of human emotion. It pays to give this album a few spins to really soak it all in. Once for the melodies, another time to appreciate the technical aspects, another to focus on the lyrics, and so forth.
hardrockhaven.net/online/2011/odin%E2%80%99s-court-human-life-in-motion

With Human Life In Motion, American progressive metal act Odin's Court aim to take a look at the "human experience" through eleven tracks, each dealing with a different primary emotion. While still creating interesting compositions to go along with the heavy lyrical content, Odin's Court deliver American progressive rock/metal just as it should be - heavy riffs, melodic vocals, lush keyboards, and interesting instrumental runs dominate most of this album's playing time. Human Life In Motion's general lack of experimentation and originality makes it seem a bit irrelevant in today's prog metal scene, but Odin's Court deliver enough quality compositions and musicianship to make this a decent purchase for fans of the genre. Human Life In Motion is generally a melodic and straightforward experience - no songs exceed the 6-minute mark, and most are conventionally structured with strong melodies. Of course, this isn't a major issue, but the conventional songwriting (while still very well-executed) does rub off as a bit unoriginal. Thankfully, Odin's Court is a group of extremely talented musicians and keep things interesting throughout Human Life In Motion's full playing time. The bass playing from Craig Jackson especially stands out to me - unlike most prog metal acts, Odin's Court manages to create interesting and memorable bass lines; surely a sign of their talent as songwriters and musicians!
seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=11340

Musically we get a nice combination of progressive metal songs and a number of softer power ballads that sometimes tend to modern rock. Blue Line 5:30 AM (Inops) is a good example of the blend of a softer and more emotional song with some fine progressive hints. Red Glow Dreaming (Laetitia), Blacktop Southbound (Animus) and Leaving Chicago (Moestitia) belong to the same category including some nice extended guitar solos. The heavier songs like The Echo Of Chaos (Poena), There Then, Here Again (Frustror) and Can't Forgive Me (Invidia) truly have a killer riff and show the musicianship of the instrumentalists. The combination of the guitar and bass with well-suited keyboards caressed my ears and I think they should play this card more often. To be more specific: use the force you have. As far as the drums are concerned, I can only have respect for the energy, the musicality and the ability to put so much to all compositions. However, sometimes Abella plays such different patterns leading a life of their own, that it distracts me from the song as a whole. 'Less is more' people sometimes say. My last remark concerns Matt Brookin's voice; you either like it or you don't. That may be too easy a definition for in my opinion Matt has a distinctive voice that takes a few listenings to get used to.
www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDReviews/Odin%E2%80%99sCourtHumanLife.html

Conversely, Blacktop Southbound and Red Blow Dreaming present a softer side, yet with some edge, to Odin's Court. Both allow for a rich texture of vocals with acoustic guitar and bright piano. Both can be up tempo and strong, but without being heavy handed. The closing track Leaving Chicago certainly enlarges this motif as the acoustic guitar and vocals over synths occupy nearly two-thirds of the song, before the tempo increases and the song finishes with an epic guitar solo. Honestly, there's much to explore and enjoy on Human Life in Motion, thanks to the imagination of the musicians in their compositions; several listens are required to plumb the depths. Yet, I was not persuaded by the aforementioned opening track or the later Feathered We Fly. But, they are still interesting songs with their own strong points. As a whole, Human Life in Motion is creative and entertaining progressive rock. Recommended.
www.dangerdog.com/2011-music-reviews/odins-court-human-life-in-motion-review.php

The US state of Maryland is not really known for it’s legendary Rock and Metal bands, but with ODIN’S COURT we do have an exceptional case. This band has been active for about 10 years now, released 3 albums independently, but was picked up by the mighty PROGROCK RECORDS for the release of their 4th album ‘Deathanity’ back in 2008. Now in 2011 the band delivers their 5th album ‘Human life in motion’, which might well be their finest effort so far. This time no guest appearances, unlike their first PROGROCK release, which saw the likes of Tom Englund (EVERGREY) and Tony Kakko (SONATA ARCTICA). Anyway, musically speaking we have here high quality Progressive Rock/Progmetal with excellent instrumental parts and the included songs feature some very strong melodies. All together it sounds a bit like THRESHOLD and EVERGREY, yet the only thing is that I do feel that the lead vocals are not superstrong. The vocals of singer and guitarist MATT BROOKINS are not bad at all, but seem to sound a bit monotonous and staying in the lower octave range and never contributing to the band’s sound. The use of massive backing vocals here and there are filling that gap happily, but to reach the level of THRESHOLD and EVERGREY you need to have additional impressive lead vocals and that can not be heard on this CD I am afraid. Nevertheless, it is a very nice listenable Melodic Progrock/Progmetal album that especially impresses during the melodic guitar solo’s and the rather catchy choruses of the songs. Definitely a nice effort to check out if you’re a fan of mentioned bands.
www.angelfire.com/ma/strutteraor/HOTNEWREVIEWS172.htm

Interview with Matt
www.somdnews.com/stories/05062011/weektop152106_32196.shtml