Cold Fairyland - Seeds on the Ground Review

Cold Fairyland is a Chinese progressive rock/fusion group based in Shanghai. They have several American influences including Jethro Tull, Genesis, and even John Lennon. This group is kind of interesting, because it combines the eastern traditional folk style and blends it with western symphonic rock. This is done by taking riffs in something like 13/8 and layering them with several instruments at a time, effectively creating organized chaos. The music itself is almost to the point of beautiful, from the classical Chinese folk style of Seeds On The Ground to the prog-y fusion sound of Puzzle to the simply brilliant beat heavy Ice Castle.

My issue with this album, actually managing to make me rethink my praise, is that the music is under what I like to call "heavy metal syndrome". This is basically my way of saying that the individual tracks don't have enough to give them personality, and it isn't due to the foreign vocals either, because I do love how it contributes to the sound instead of becoming the song. The songs just don't play with their fusion genre enough, and somehow manages to become stale by the fifth track. It is nice and calming to have in the background while doing other things, but it can't hold my attention by itself. This isn't to say I don't enjoy it, I truly do, but it doesn't have the ability to grab my attention and not let go, save a few tracks like Solemn, Silent Circle and the aforementioned Ice Castle.

In conclusion, this group is one of the most original groups you may hear in a while, jumping into genres you may not have imagined together. The music created on this album was made to flow with other songs incredibly well however, so much so that they had too many songs sounding similar to other songs and not enough songs that make you say "Wow, so this is what music really is!". I recommend this album though, if you are interested in hearing something fresh and original compared to what you may be listening to right now.

Verdict: Give it a shot
LINK TO DOWNLOAD: www.usegoogleyoulazyass.com