Review by Denis on August 2, 2003.

If I'm basing my judgment on the cover art, an intergalactic dog warrior, this is not a very serious album, so once again, does humor belong in music? On the other hand, if you look at the songs title, they make you think you're dealing with a serious prog metal CD.

So what is it actually? Well this is more serious than my last album I reviewed (Method of Destruction's "The Rebel You Love to Hate") but not to the point to be considered a deep down prog metal opus either. To be more specific, I would rather call it a heavy metal album with a progressive song writing and some kind of a space opera concept.

The main musical direction are short compositions beating at mid-fast pace with some pretty intricate structure but bound to be good driving music as well. Complex and catchy too, definitely a kicker you know where... My feet just kept following the beat in happy harmony. "Traveller" is not too serious or extreme in any way, shape or form. Not as fast as a power album, thank God! Only on one song 'The Final Gambit' is included some double kick but far from me to make you believe that the drumming sucks because it doesn't! It's great and pounds loud enough for my taste and forms with the bass parts a hell of a good tight rhythm section brought upfront by good production work. The driver here is the awesome guitar work in whatever style or form it is used. Clean vocals reminiscent to uncle Ozzy with a lower pitch are being used for story telling, which by the way suits the music and style perfectly. Amongst the best compositions are: 'High Passage/Low Passage,' 'Asteroid Belts,' 'Vagr Theme/Confrontation(Genetic Prophecy)' and the much doom sounding 'Vagr Moon.'

Bottom Line: "Traveller" should keep you alive and kickin'.

Categorical Rating Breakdown:

Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 8
Originality: 7
Overall: 7

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Allan on October 15, 2003.

By the time I absorbed the opening song 'Maybe The Earth Is Flat,' all of my worries were put to rest. Eulogy Record's On Broken Wings, a six piece metalcore outfit from Boston, didn't introduce themselves with harmonized leads or half-assed screaming. Instead, they focused in on making the ground shake as they unleashed a heavy, bludgeoning sound. "Some Of Us May Never See The World" is their debut album, and already things seem very promising for these guys.

These days the melody infested hardcore scene is far too overcrowded for its own good, and even that is an understatement. On Broken Wings don't exactly fit into that roster, which of course makes me happy. Instead, they revert to keeping things down to their bare bones. Other than a subtle touch of synths and samples, to hell with all of the amiable melodies, the trappings of emo, and the pseudo emotionally charged clean sections and bright choruses... well, for the most part. What is all of that anyway? I'll tell you: it's a vein attempt at appeasing the legions of hardcore fans, and a good way to make yourself transparent and wear your influences on your sleeves.

Now, are On Broken Wings wholly original? No. But hey, at least their music has heart and soul. At least it's interesting and keeps your attention focused on the music instead of letting you drift off into other activities. Their sound is mammoth, and the death metal influence only drives the fierce rhythms and fiery vocals further into intensity. The thick, semi-warm production doesn't hurt either. The musicianship is also on the right track: tight, well played, and at times creative.

On Broken Wings provide a good listen that can be staggering and downright awesome at times. "Some Of Us May Never See The World" easily earns multiple listens and is easy to derive quite a bit of listening pleasure out of. It's not groundbreaking, and not what I would call earth shattering, but it is one of the better metalcore releases of 2003.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10