“Iluvatar are an American outfit who obviously love UK prog with a passion, as they take influences such as Genesis, Floyd, and Marillion and mix them with others closer to home. The result is a hard-hitting yet extremely melodic album that would happily grace the collection of any melodic rock or prog lover. The reason that I am so excited about this is that until I got this CD, I had never heard of them and Kinesis has got a real gem here. In the Eye is literally blasting out of the speakers as I write this and it shows that prog doesn't have to be sanitized and AOR-ized to death but can be played with a passion and conviction... I haven’t been this excited about an American album in years. What do I have to do to make you go out and buy it now? Kinesis have got a real discovery here and I look forward to the next release by a band that could become huge! Brilliance of the highest order.” [Feedback]

“Impressive debut album from this Baltimore-based progressive band. Iluvatar’s sensibilities extend outward and beyond their ’80s antecedents (Marillion, for one) in addition to quoting directly from past British masters without being especially derivative of either... If they lean towards a less commercial stance and explore the outer edge of things, their follow-up might just make mincemeat out of the competition.” [i/e]

“Iluvatar has more of a classic British prog sound than a Neo sound. Very dreamy, filled with delicious little interplays and nuances... I enjoyed this very friendly music.” [Music Uncovered]

“Highly recommended to prog rock fans everywhere!” [Chaos]

“The more you listen, the more you want, and the more you want, the more you wonder how much better Iluvatar can get ...should be getting so much radio air time that people should be filling very large halls to see them.” [Wondrous Stories]

“Is this the great Yes/Genesis album that Yes and Genesis never made? Of the numerous Yes and Genesis-influenced neo-prog bands making the rounds these days, Iluvatar comes closest I've heard so far to capturing the spirit and quality of their forbears. In fact, this stuff is so good I have trouble calling it neo-prog. It’s very progressive, yet also very accessible. It blows Yes’ Talk out of the water, and tops anything Phil Collins and company have done in many a moon. The sound is heavy symphonic progressive, with the same sense of drama and scope we’ve all enjoyed from early Collins-era Genesis and Yes... Quite a winner. And all this from an American band!” [Progression]

“Powerful mainstream prog-rock with balanced guitar and keyboards behind which is impressive percussion. All pieces are powerful and flowingly arranged, but extremely listenable. Iluvatar can be expected to reach a wider public. For this work, I give them the absolutely highest grade.” [Empire Magazine (translated from German)]

“Never very far away from Pendragon in its ways, Iluvatar is a gifted band with a great sense of climates, a personable singer, excellent musicians who are more delicate than demonstrative even in long suites and in heavy moments (not so easy!) Iluvatar is another star to shine in prog skies.” [Acid Dragon]

“This debut album from a brilliant new group is fresh and extremely well structured... This is a band with a bright future who understand the importance of playing off each other to create a multi-layered musical experience. Iluvatar uses well-written lyrics and strong melodic verses to set the stage for the varied and creative instrumental bridges that occur in nearly every song... This band must enjoy playing together because it really shows through the music they create.” [FishNet Indie Review]