A rock opera from Korea's finest.
The album opens with a song that perfectly fits the title of the album: Mars, The Bringer Of War. The title isn't just a clever name, it really is the same music as Gustav Holst's classical arrangement of the same name. Obviously they couldn't just leave it as it was, they added their own spin to the classic with thunderous guitar work and flamboyant guitar parts that are, in some parts, very reminiscent of some of Queen's work. They don't even try to do it by halves, considering this is essentially an introductory track the fact that it goes on for seven and a half minutes might seem a little excessive but when listening to it, it doesn't seem to be.
The second song doesn't tone down either. The song opens with operatic vocals with a throb of instruments at intervals until the song gets into full flow. The operatics continue until Shin Hae Chul begins singing and the song tones down slightly until he lets out a power metal scream that signals the return of the opera vocals.
The Power opens with exactly that. It's more simple in its technique and relies on slow riffs, reminiscent of Pantera, before Shin Hae Chul's distorted vocals come into the song. The song also makes use of operatic vocals, particularly around the half way point where the whole song slows down and simply consists of a throbbing guitar riff and the operatic vocals.
Man husnal anjenga (Original Version) slows the album down to a gentle ballad. While the change is a stark one, it brings a nice dynamic to the album and gives us a chance to see some gentler guitar and vocal work from the band. The next song, Haeegesa sonyeonege, brings a slight lift to the album with a nice mix of rock and strings during the intro. The song is still very much a ballad but it contains more dynamics than the previous track.
A Poem Of Stars opens with a gentle flute tune accompanied only by a piano. The song is possibly the most simplistic yet beautiful tracks on the album. The only signs of their rock roots appear towards the end of the song, where there is a guitar solo, which, while being quite impressive, sounds slightly out of place in such a gentle song.
Man husnal anjenge (Evening Star Version), is the same song as track 4 but in a piano instrumental version. For the most part, it is simply the piano playing the backing music but at around three quarters of the way through the song a saxophone comes in and takes the role of vocalist. While the track is quite nice, it does sounds suspiciously like something you'd hear in a lift.
The album comes to a close with the six and a half minute track The Hero. The song begins with piano, violins and vocals that almost whisper over the track. The song builds up into an 80s-esque power ballad, something which fits perfectly on this album and brings the album to a strong close.
This album really shows the diversity of the group, if you listened to the first and the last track back-to-back it would be difficult to tell it was the same group. Overall, it is a very strong album, which shows a different and more refreshing side of the Korean music scene.
