'Flying Beyond The 9' is definitive Byrd but yet its a new beginning in many ways. Firstly James has finally got the kind of production he has so richly deserved with everything on this release being crystal clear and ultra powerful. Second Byrd's songwriting has reached a new plateau with 'FBT9'. By cutting down a lot of the guitar work during the main framework of the song Byrd has given the songs room to breathe and they come across all the stronger as a result, guitar fans should not fear as there is still a lot of guitar on the album with the solo sections shining brighter as a result of not being cluttered by excessive fretwork elsewhere. Whilst long time fans know Byrd has a knack of picking hot vocal talent [in Robert Mason, Torey Kendall and Freddy Krumins] he has outdone himself this time with Michael Flatters, this guy has a set of pipes on a par with Geoff Tate and Ronnie Dio, perfectly able to blend his voice to suit the nature of the track and in now working with Takara. The majority of the tracks have symphonic backing / embellishments which all help to make the album sound huge, yet it avoids sounding cluttered and helps add to the majesty of the tracks. Bass, Keys and Drums were provided by Brian Hutchinson who also engineered the album and he has done a terrific job.

1. FLYING BEYOND THE 9 [4.20]
Opening with a mass of vocals the crystal clear production jumps straight out at you. Byrd's guitar enters and the new found clarity in his tone is astounding. The track recalls the metal crunch of Fifth Angel but with a more sophisticated edge. Michael Flatters' vocals work perfectly over the metallic crunch of the main riff and the track certainly sets the pace for the rest of the album.

2. DARK HEART [5.02]
Starting with a slow classical motif will please all fans of neo-classical metal. The track quickly changes direction for another mammoth riff that creates a backdrop for Flatters' vocals which here remind me of the best of Queensryche's Geoff Tate. The track actually has a little of the dark Queensryche techno metal feel to it, but the chorus is a bit more left field. "Sunrise upon my heart, waiting ships do oceans call...pretty one on golden wing - is your wisdom in your king?". The sophisticated orchestral backing here makes the track jump out at you even more whiles Byrd throws down one of my favourite guitar solos of the whole album here - stunning! A contender for track of the album.

3. W.T.O. [WE TOOK OVER] [4.59]
Another extremely strong track that fuses commercial melodic metal with the prog leanings of Queen. The chorus is extremely catchy despite the sharp lyrics attacking the shambles of the W.T.O. [World Trade Organization]. The symphonic backing here is mightily majestic with the horn sections being particularly noteworthy, don't let this make you think that this is anything but heavy though...many bands would be proud of the energy displayed here. Another strong solo from Byrd adds nicely to the track but its the infectious vocal melody that will stand out from this track.

4. NEVERMORE [5.12]
Opening with a menagerie of church organ and Byrd's guitar 'Nevermore' gets off to a haunting start. This feel is further enhanced by the dark pulsating groove of the track, and this is even further added to by scathing lyrics to former record companies over shady business practices and malpractice. It also offers a warning to those starting out in the business that it is not all roses and champagne. "Take it from an angry man, pay my wage upon demand what made you think I would bend? Counting my options and trying to stay cool when did you make up the rules - you're not God". Michael Flatters vocals again impress and the depth added to them by double and triple tracking pays dividends in delivering the songs message. Musically the track is again overflowing with imaginative ideas that are not heard everyday - especially in the metal genre - yet they still have a commerciality to them that makes them irresistible, the often complex harmonic ideas translate extremely well through the speakers while the counterpoints make the grandeur even more obvious, another splendid track.

5. EVERYTHING TO ME [6.22]
"Everything To Me" opens with a simple pulsating bass line over which drums, orchestration and grand piano is added, Byrd's HUGE sounding guitar enters the mix next and the track looks like being another stunner. Thankfully it does not disappoint and only gets stronger as it progresses. The chorus is super catchy and again will linger hours after in your head. The track is in effect a love song but the up tempo and upbeat nature of it certainly makes it leap out from other tracks in this style by other artists. Byrd's guitar solo continues the upbeat feel of the track with some cool licks throughout in major keys. "Everything To Me" features yet more superlative performances from all involved and the production is again top notch.

6. UNITY [WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING] [6.00]
Guitar and lone grand piano open the track and give it another haunting start, it must be noted that Byrd's guitar tone and phrasing is again stunning here. The rest of the band then kicks in for the verse and this is in a super quirky time signature. Michael Flatters must have killed himself to get the phrasing right here but he has and it sounds superb, this track again brings a Queensryche type feel but that is probably down to the simple fact that this is just well executed intelligent metal. The chorus sees a more basic time signature come into play and again it is super catchy, the track picks up tempo slightly for a ripping guitar solo from Byrd that enhances the track further. Another highlight.

7. PARADISE TONIGHT [5.05]
Another track that opens with harmonized vocals - "We'll be in Paradise Tonight, as fallen angels we must rise". A almost funky bass line is the basis for a great riff from Byrd that leads into more simplistic areas for the verse. The pre chorus has an aggressive metal element to it and the choir synth part here really makes it stand out. The chorus is the opening vocal refrain underpinned by Byrd's riffing and symphonic backing - creating a huge sound. The solo is another one of my favorites with a superb quirky part that leads into a beautiful classical motif before returning back into the catchy chorus. The symphonic backing is pretty wide here with horn fanfares, tympani drums, choirs all of which never gets muddied in the mix - excellent.

8. ALL OF ME [5.00]
This is the track that will probably throw long term Byrd fan slightly as it features NO guitar! What this does prove however is that James Byrd is not only a master guitarist but also a master songwriter as it is not missed one iota. The track starts out very dark with sound clips of sparse words that seem to tell a story if you can fill in the blanks. "All Of Me" is vocalist Michael Flatters magnum performance on the album, here he manages to make his voice run the whole spectrum of styles, from Alice Cooper type evil/haunting to middle ground to the soaring heights of Dio and Tate, truly impressive. The track is primarily led by Grand Piano and the sound is nothing but powerful and commanding, it reminds me in some ways as Byrd's version of Pink Floyd's 'Us & Them' combined with Alice Cooper's 'Ballad Of Dwight Fry' and then mixed with Queen's 'White Queen' yet retaining a totally original quality. Another highlight.

9. AVIANTI SUITE [4.15]
After the guitar less 'All Of Me' the album closes with the only instrumental of the album, the change in direction of no guitar then guitar certainly makes this track hit your consciousness. Words simply cannot sum up the beauty and royal ness of this track. Every melody is just right, every phrase, note and little inflection is just perfect. The mood of the track runs from light flirting almost humorous lines to dark, deep and complex passages - every base is touched and every one comes away victorious. Byrd's guitar tone is again something to behold - no excess distortion, just TONE that sings, weeps, moans and roars - everything is clearly audible and truly it is magnificent. Byrd's instrumental masterpiece.

FLYING BEYOND THE 9 is certainly everything it was promised to be, but that's not the half of it. It manages to take all that was great about James Byrd's previous works and build upon them to create not only a new landmark for Byrd, but in my eyes the beginning of a whole new career. Every track here jumps out at you as being 100% sincere and heartfelt, you can tell Byrd took his time to get this one right, every nuance and inflection sounds like it was meant to be here. Not only is the music superb but the production is one of the best I have heard in ages and those on big production budgets and in multi million dollar studios could all learn something from this, its the ears that count above all else. FBT9 multi-instrumentalist and engineer Brian Hutchinson deserves a special mention here as the whole symphonic backing works perfectly and the balance is just right making a superb success out of what could have been a potential mess - rest assured this is one massive sonic album. This basically leaves the question to what's for James Byrd. That I cannot answer but I do know that if its half as good as FLYING BEYOND THE 9 it will be good enough for me.