DISTORTED HORIZON

Wow, where has this come from? This is supposedly prog metal, but it is very different from your average prog metal band. It has strong fusion influences as well as a lot of electronica, without losing the awesome heaviness. The female vocalist also brings in a lot to the table. One could say she sounds like a cross between Kate Bush and Bjork. All the tunes on here sound fresh and original but the strongest one is the 10 minute title track which starts with a sound that is practically indistinguishable from Bjork's music, but you're in for a surprise when the metal riff enters! This band has a lot of potential, I will be awaiting a full-lenth.

I'm always a bit skeptic when a metal band is fronted by a female vocalist, generally these bands mean symphonic/gothic voyage with opera-like vocals and I have nothing against this singing style yet it's a highly overused style. Echosilence is one of the exceptions to this "rule" since the Nowhere-Girl that sings has a very clear and beatiful voice, almost childish yet it's very sweet to the ear.

Echosilence reminds me a lot of Dream Theater pseudo-clone band Dali's Dilemma, also a part of this Archives. While not trying to show of with flashy solos, catchy riffs and sudden structure changes are the backbone of the band and they pull of this very good, often switching from very heavy power chord filled passages to soothing and dreamy guitar licks. Also, the vocalist helps a lot in this formula with her clean voice combined with the occasional calmness inserted in the songs.

Kudos to the drummer, Risto Motus, because Echosilence also bases their music on catchy rhythmic drumming and this makes Risto play non-stop through all the songs, especially in the calm parts where his drumming is used more as a lead for the vocalist than the guitar.

To resume, Echosilence delivers a very catchy and enjoyable set of four song in half an hour yet it's not music that hasn't been done before in the Prog Metal scene. Should please momentarily Prog Metal fans.

3 stars for me!

ECHOSILENCE are a Metal band out of Estonia with female vocals. This recording runs just under 30 minutes. I have to say this is one of those albums that just doesn't work for me. I can imagine the vocalist singing Christian pop music but not the style of music that we have here. It just doesn't sound right. The instrumental music comes across as being very predictable throughout even if it sounds good for the most part.

"Views On Views" opens with guitar that almost echoes as synths wash in, bass then an all out assault before a minute.The best minute of the whole album. Vocals come in as it settles but then it turns too sweet for my tastes 2 minutes in. Kicks back in after 5 minutes but then the vocals and sugar are back.

"Distorted Horizon" is led by bass and drums early as vocals come in. Some power a minute in as contrasts continue. I like the heavy sound 5 minutes in that continues for a minute. "Information Intoxication" is alternative sounding early on until the vocals come in. Guitars get heavy at times. "Human Animal" builds to some aggressive riffing as vocals (sometimes processed) join in. It settles 2 1/2 minutes in then kicks back in.

I can't even give this 3 stars. Just not a fan at all.

Born from the ashes of Estonian death metal act Decease, Echosilence is a five-piece progressive metal band that's been around as far back as 1996. Sporting four virtuoso instrumentalists and a woman with a beautiful set of pipes, Echosilence aims to create a style of jazz-metal that showcases their melodic songwriting skills while still showing their technical chops. Distorted Horizon is their first and (as of now) only EP release, as the band hasn't put out any material since this 2005 mini-album. Hopefully Echosilence returns to the scene soon, as Distorted Horizon is both promising and impressive as a debut statement. Fans of jazzy progressive metal will definitely want to check out this obscure gem.

Unlike many bands that explore the 'jazzy' end of the metal spectrum, Echosilence is entirely void of the extreme metal influences that characterize acts like Atheist, Cynic, Pestilence, and Death. Instead, Echosilence takes the sound of a band like Fates Warning or Queensryche, and expands their style to include touches of jazz-based instrumental technique, alternative-sounding song structures, and catchy pop choruses. Distorted Horizon should sound accessible and somewhat familiar to most experienced progressive metal listeners, but Echosilence still manages to put their own unique spin on the style to keep the EP sounding fresh and original.

Fans of technical metal will also be happy to know that the musicianship is held to an exceptionally high level on Distorted Horizon, and the crystal-clear production allows the listener to hear every small detail. This is the sort of release that challenges the listener's mind as well as their emotions, and that's what a good progressive metal release needs to do in my opinion. Distorted Horizon may not be an 'essential' release, but it does come recommended for fans of technical/progressive metal. I'd be very curious to hear what Echosilence is capable of in the full-length album format, and hopefully this lengthy hiatus does not signal an end for this promising act.