Miles Beyond

Miles Beyond is a young traditional power metal band from Flint, Michigan. Playing a style of power metal that blends the dual-guitar harmonies influenced by Iron Maiden with the aggressive melodies of bands like Iced Earth, the band's self-titled debut is a refreshing indicator that quality metal is alive and well in the good ol' U.S. of A.

Miles Beyond caught my attention from the first listen, and even after a dozen or more spins I find the 12 tracks to be just as enjoyable as the first time around. I'll say it right here at the front of the review, Miles Beyond play heavy metal the way heavy metal was meant to be played. Though the band has been together for just over 2 years, these guys sound like they've been playing together for a decade. The most prominent feature of the band's sound is the tandem guitar leads of Tim Moody and Paul Owsinski. These guys are in sync every step of the way, giving each song a distinctive feel with a multitude of unique riffs and licks. The solos are nearly epic in length, but never stray from the overall vibe of the song or detract in any way. I could provide example upon example of the skills put on display by these two axeslingers, but there is so much more to Miles Beyond - a remarkably multi-dimensional band.

In the vocal department, for example, Tim Moody manages to kick out the riffs while delivering the lyrics in a voice that exemplifies the classic metal sound. Most often resembling the distinctive voice of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), I can also hear similarities to Sean Peck (Cage) in Tim's style. His vocal execution is flawless, expelling the lyrics not only with passion and power but with conviction and creativeness. The rhythm section of Larry Moody (bass) and Tod Fisher (drums) also contributes significantly to the band's sound. The bass lines are often complex, and at times (such as the openings of the title track and "Vlad the Impaler") are at the forefront of the songs. The same can be said for Tod's skinwork, particularly on "Crazy Horse" and "Take Me Back Home".

I had a very difficult time with this review because there is simply so much on the album to write about. Each and every song contains something that is an integral component of the overall quality of the disc. While the majority of the tracks are over the 5-minute mark, not a single one feels as if it's dragging or plodding. The album flows very smoothly, which is quite an accomplishment given the band's short history. There is one final aspect that I'd like to touch on before wrapping this up, and that is the songwriting itself. Tim Moody and Paul Owsinski are the primary composers and they have done a fantastic job. The lyrics are well-written and frequently, in the traditon of Iron Maiden, deal with a variety of historical subject matters ("Vlad the Impaler" and "Crazy Horse", for example) in a way that is both informative and creative.

To sum up - Miles Beyond is an album that all fans of true heavy metal will eagerly devour. If you long for NWOBHM-influenced power metal, then these guys are what you're looking for as well. I confidently rank this as one of my personal Top Ten albums of 2004. - Harvest Moon Music

No frills here, no elaborate anecdote, no overly thoughtful (yet amazingly introspective) introductory paragraph, Miles Beyond just plain know how to rock!

That's it, all you get for an intro, on with the CD.

Revolving around the powerful dual guitar attack of Tim Moody and Paul Owsinski, this disc is a welcome trip back to days gone by. Old school production, the guitar attack of Tipton/Downing, the attitude of Manowar, good lyrics, with epic vocals reminiscent of Bruce Dickinson, what else you could honestly want from a power/thrash outfit??? The 2004 release from this young band is a reminder of the glory days of metal, plain and simple.

Let's go ahead and highlight the things that make this album cooler than your mother at an Ac/Dc concert: 1. Strong vocals .... i said it before, I'll say it again ... vintage Dickinson.

2. Not over the top ... alot of times, power metal tries WAY too hard, but Miles Beyond maintains the characteristic cheese without crossing the line.

3. W.A. Mozart .... yeah, that's right, the composer. "Eine Kleine Nachtmusick" is quoted in a solo here, that, my friends takes ball in itself. Any band with the gusto to put Mozart into a metal vein gets instant points from me. I had to listen to the solo at LEAST 10 times before i accepted they had done it. For having more balls than a Steven Seagal action flick, this gets some serious points.

4. Tasteful solos .... what a concept! Two guitarists who realize that playing like Yngwie Malmsteen can be often confused for 6 stringed masturbation. These guys aren't hyper speed shredmasters .... they're ROCKERS! The emphasis isn't on personal pride, it's about making listenable music. This is amazingly respectable and the solos presentd on this disc are done GREAT.

5. Two part guitar harmony .... well harmonized guitars are cool. Miles Beyond has well harmonized guitars. Get the idea?

6. Ego strokin', balls to the wall attitude. When you write a song about how much cooler your bands is than anybody else's and keep it tasteful and listenable .... you're awesome. You're twice as cool when the said ego stroke is ALSO the name of your band AND album. Rock 'n Roll fellas!

7. The lyrics to Vlad The Impaler .... cool lyrics mean something to me. I'm a death metal fan, and these lyrics are AWESOME ... the chorus to the song:

"Impaler, bringer of death torture your victims till their last breath

On stakes of wood they hang waiting for their blood to drain

Impaler, bringer of death torture your victims till their last breath

You see the pain in their eyes praying to God to let them die"


By now, you certainly get the idea. This is a fine slab of guitar driven power thrash, but without being overdone. While the focus of the band is obviously the dual guitar assault, bassist Larry Moody and drummer Tod Fisher have their roles in the band and fill them with absolute perfection. Their presence is felt throughout the disc, but no instrument ever dominates at an inoppurtune time. Moody lays down some solid bottom end with Fisher providing a very strong backbone, with the occassional double bass filled reminder that he can play with the big boys.

It's apparent what happened here. A bunch of skilled musicians got together to form a band ... they had two options:

1. Find a keyboardist and play Progressive Metal in the vein of Dream Theater.

2. Play good old rock n roll and have tons of fun doing it.

Luckily for us, they chose the second route. Each of the 4 members in Miles Beyond is a superb musician, and each has their place to shine on this album. The production is a bit lo-fi, but guess what? If this had been done with a crystal clear, 21st century production, it wouldn't have the same effect. This production is what their influences used, what the GODS of metal paved the way on. They've maintained this vintage feel and it really adds to the overall effect.

All in all, this album is just great. It's a well rounded, guitar driven ride on a heavy metal Harley Davidson. These 4 guys from Flint, Michigan have done what few bands today seem to be able to do: bring the focus back to the music. I'm more than satisfied with this release, and if you're a fan of the classics, with a tolerance for the standard helping of cheese, do yourself a favor an order this gem.

Rev. Spynal Rating: 9
- Metalwhore

Miles Beyond is a power metal band hailing from Flint, Michigan, here in the USA. The band plays a classic style of heavy metal, with the focus being on dual guitar and vocal harmonies. Their bio sites a lot of hall of fame bands as influences (Maiden, Priest, Sabbath) and listening to them I can definitely hear a little bit of all these bands contributing to their music. With that in mind, its pretty obvious the band is not going for the ultra modern sound here. This material is what I would call “throwback”, and that, depending on where you are coming from, can be a positive or negative. For me personally, this is the type of metal I grew up listening to, so in that sense it’s somewhat refreshing to hear a band like this. At the same time, the band really needs to be sharp to distinguish themselves from all the repetitive power metal that is out there, and I think that on this album Miles Beyond show that they have the potential to do so.


With 12 songs and approximately 70 minutes of music, this debut is certainly ambitious. The album flows along pretty smoothly with most of the songs coming in at a mid-tempo pace. Tim Moody, who sounds like a young Bruce Dickinson, handles the vocal duties nicely. Moody also proves he is quite the talent, as he forms half of the partnership of the dynamite guitar duo with Paul Owsinki. The most prominent feature of this band is the duel playing of this terrific tandem. While I found several tracks on the record to blow others out of the water, even on some of the weaker tracks the harmonies contained within make this quite an overall enjoyable listen. Killer cuts like “Out of Control”, “Vlad the Impaler”, and “A Call to Odin” should satisfy any fan of traditional metal whether it be with catchy hooks or soaring vocals. The band also seems to posses that “metal warrior” swagger that carries on throughout their music (the song titles should also be an indicator of this). All in all, anyone who grew up worshipping bands like Maiden or Priest will most certainly be left with a feeling of nostalgia. Factor in some quality production and what you have is a pretty damn good debut album from a band I look forward to hearing more of in the future.

Joe Grammatico
- Tartarean Desire Webzine

Miles Beyond sing about some fascinating shit. Songs like "A Call to Odin," for example. Odin is the Norse god of war and death, but is also the god of poetry and wisdom (for more info on Odin check out http:www.pantheon. org/articles/o/odin.html). Then there's "Crazy Horse," the Indian who was caught up in the middle of the white man's charge westward. Those are just two songs but the rest are pretty much the same.


This self-titled CD is like a history lesson, just not a boring one. I really liked the band's highly intelligent approach to rock'n'roll and that kind of music is harder and harder to get away with, even in the power metal genre in which Miles Beyond squarely falls. If you ask me, though, this band does it better than just about anyone else.
Miles Beyond breathes a lungful of fresh air into the metal scene. It's a little like absorbing a college course without even trying.
Go to www.milesbeyond.net for more info on this band.

Snidermann
- Rough Edge