PROGRESSIVE METAL

The drumming bugs me, I just feel like it has that power-metal style where your getting hammered into submission. The singer does remind me of James LaBrie at times, not the strongest voice and an accent. Now after saying those negative things about the singer and drummer they are both from TIME MACHINE a band from Italy I really like. It's also a band that has had many lineup changes and my favourite album by them "Eternity Ends" has a different singer and drummer than the two on here. Also, everyone mentions DREAM THEATER when describing this record so there's that.

I did find this entertaining but I'm not huge on the vocals and there's those predictable tracks where every box is ticked. This seems to have been a one-off and they're from Italy! Anyway a good album with some talented folks but not a 4 star record.

It wasn´t completely over for lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Biedermann though, and after a long break he opted to reform Blind Illusion in 2009. On "Demon Master" he is joined by drummer Robert Nystrom and bassist Danny Harcourt, making Blind Illusion a trio on the album.

Stylistically "Demon Master" don´t exactly pick up where "The Sane Asylum" took off. There are zero thrash metal riffs and rhythms on "Demon Master" and instead it´s a bluesy hard rock/heavy metal album with Biedermann singing instead of shouting/snarling like he did on "The Sane Asylum". So this probably came as a big surprise to the original fans of the band, who had been waiting for a follow-up album for 22 years. But changes aren´t always bad new, and Blind Illusion actually pull off playing this new hard rock/heavy metal style pretty well. Biedermann is still an excellent guitarist and his new rhythm section keep things organic, energetic, and powerful. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Biedermann can actually sing too, so all in all "Demon Master" is a pretty good quality hard rock/heavy metal release and a 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating isn´t all wrong.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

Blind Illusion went through several lineup changes in their career, but the lineup who recorded "The Sane Asylum" are Marc Biederman (guitars/vocals), Les Claypool (bass), Larry Lalonde (guitars), and Mike Miner (drums). It´s a well known "secret" that Kirk Hammett of Metallica produced "The Sane Asylum", although he isn´t credited on the album (who knows...maybe he was afraid of how James and Lars would react to him working outside Metallica). Hammett is of course not the only interesting name mentioned above as Lalonde came from a stint with Possessed where he played on the legendary 1985 album "Seven Churches" and on the other Possessed releases until that band split-up on 1987. Both he and bassist Les Claypool would find considerable commercial and artistic success in the 90s with alternative rock/metal act Primus.

Stylistically the material on "The Sane Asylum" is thrash metal but with strong ties to traditional heavy metal. So this has more in common with the heavy/speed metal tinged and often melodic inclined material of Megadeth than it has to the brutality and aggression of the contemoporary material by artists like Dark Angel and Slayer. It´s obvious that Blind Illusion are a gifted bunch of guys. The vocals aren´t that exciting (being pretty standard shouting/snarling thrash metal vocals), but these guys can play and there are some pretty tight and adventurous sections on the album (for the latter take a listen to "Kamakazi") and some well played lead guitar work. Sometimes it even borders technical thrash metal because of the many rhythm changes and the complexity of some of the riffs (just take a listen to "Death Noise" for proof of that), but then again Blind Illusion aren´t exactly Watchtower.

Less will do though and as "The Sane Asylum" also features a (for the time) well sounding production, which suits the material well, it´s a good quality debut album from Blind Illusion. I wouldn´t call it something way out of the ordinary for the genre, but it´s certainly entertaining while it plays. 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

A fresh and quickly accessible album, whether you're a fan of Damian's voice or not. For the trouble I went back to his discography with LANDMARQ and THRESHOLD, and if we mix a little of the two, we arrive somewhere at the LALU sound, stamped melodic ambient prog metal. Melodic but progressive attention with breaks, intimate cinematic atmospheres and energy to spare. In short, a very good album of which I do not dissect all the titles one by one, not having seen the short hour of composing the different titles go by. Ah the final bass on 'The Wondering Kind' with this hint of a flagship GENESIS title still made me raise my ears just when I realized that it was the end, proof if it I needed this album to flow naturally. on 'Is That a London Number? ' TOTO reminiscences emerge to bring a fresh style that I spoke to you about from the start. Good for the eponymous title 'The Fish Who Wanted to Be King', apart from the sound of 'Talk' by YES which made me look for the resemblance, I could not fail to point out that the guitar riff of SAGA, you know the one syncopated, gripping, which spurts throughout the titles, well I found it and got up to put the replay on before continuing with the next title; Joop's solo is incidentally one of the most beautiful on the album in this track; in short, an album to (re)discover in today's progressive world.

"Hush" as an interlude, dark air, spleen, contemplative, warm choirs to meditate. "Remind Me to Forget You" returns to this electro prog metal sound eyeing festive, dancing rock, plaintive guitar solo à la QUEEN; the chorus and the choirs bring a modern synth prog atmosphere, the prog of 2020. Fateful moment where the group stands out "Flaws" arpeggio piano and plaintive guitar, PAIN OF SALVATION in the distance; an introductory ballad which launches a heavy riff in very significant stereo and a nod to DREAM THEATER and for the voice, the guitar and the range; Wudstik's voice on Kristoffer's bass is just enjoyable, imprinting the chorus in your heads; the evolution is intended to be hard, animal before giving way to a melancholic solo, the beauty of Ruud's solo which has more fun here than with the precise symphonism of WITHIN TEMPTATION. "Guide Me in Getting Lost" has the band's signature sound, flirting with a musical reminiscence and then grafting it on to create a singular sound; difficult to find the taste, the color of this group, an energetic fusion sound like the SONS OF APOLLO. "Ghosts of Summer's Past" continues by offering this atmospheric, symphonic, contemplative prog metal track; the sounds of alternative groups from the 90s are striking. The gripping chorus that comes to mind, the soft and screamed voice, all the ingredients to be addictive. "Goodbye" yes the last one, piano arpeggio and Wudstik singing on a wire; choirs, a guitar bringing out a few tears, a plaintive air to consume the listener.

FOR ALL WE KNOW offers a resolutely modern sound, groove, metal flirting with djent, a musical melting pot; by design or by catastrophe yes the title is well named, in any case. (Initially on Profilprog 4.5)

Hemina is a band from Australia who create great progressive rock music in its heavy or metal vein, however, they really know how to contrast that power with constant atmospheric passages, which has led them to create a very particular and wonderful sound. Through the years they have released 5 studio albums, being this one their latest (2023), and as far as I know, the conclusion of a concept story which has in fact, covered all those albums.

'Romancing the Ether' is the name of this 35-minute album which could also be a one-song record, because it is, in fact the title of this long epic that is divided in 6 parts, chapters, passages, so with that it might be easier for us to notice the different moments of the story and also to feel and even relate them with our own experiences.

'Part I: Intention' is a one-minute introduction with a classical/symphonic sound made by keyboards. It leads to 'Part II: Strike Four', which starts with piano but all of a sudden strings and drums together create a powerful tune, in that heavy prog or metal prog vein, after that bombastic beginning, vocals enter for the first time and yeah, in a very emotional way, so we can assume the rest of the album and the story will bring emotional moments. We, as humans, are always competing, its part of our nature and also, of our impositions, so as a self it is normal questioning a lot of things while we grow up, or even while looking to the past. That feeling of searching for answers is present here and Hemina share it heartfeltly, of course, with wonderful musical compositions where we can find challenging rhythm changes, great nuances made by guitars (including some awesome solos) and keyboards, while bass and drums implement a powerful yet delicate base.

'Part III: Embraced by Clouds' is a beautiful track where female vocals appear in a delicate way as lead, then the protagonist's voice appears again and a new structure is being built-up, where emotional heavy prog prevail. The keyboards role is very important here, adding that diversity of nuances and textures a story like this need. I love the faster moments where guitar show-up his skills and how it dialogues with keyboards. There is a constant feeling of being in a rollercoaster, in a seesaw, some brief calm passages but overall, we can appreciate passages full of energy, intensity, emotions. Worth mentioning the harmony vocals episode they bring at minute 5 just before the song explodes once again. But wait, because at minute 6 a piano opens the gates for a beautiful and disarming passage where melancholy is present as the main ingredient. Heartfelt, emotive music is shared here, you can tell by those amazing vocals that will make you scream, even cry.

'Part IV: Dissolution' starts with a mid-eastern sound, interesting, knowing the band are from Australia, it is great to have this cultural richness. The song starts in a calm way, one can even close the eyes and feel relaxed, however, at 1:30 it drastically changes, fast electronic beats appear and then Hemina makes an exploration of sounds and musical genres, because one would not particularly say this is prog rock, but they put elements of other popular rhythms, tribal sounds, with the help of their own resources and expertise as composers and performers. Though I love the instrumental moments of the album, I loved the ones with vocals and mostly, those harmony vocals like in the end of this song.

The melancholy strikes back in 'Part V: Revelations', another great track where the protagonist realizes he is no longer a kid and now life is up to him, so better be careful with the decisions and everything that surrounds him. We can take the music and the story home and feel identified with some details, but I love how the band manages to represent life through music, so just like in our day by day, we are happy, sad, melancholic, angry, hopeful, etc. It is never a straight line, we have always walk through sinister ways full of potholes, but in the end when we reach our goals, we feel everything is worth it. Questioning ourselves is everything.

The album finishes with 'Part VI: Integration', a short one-minute ending which reminds me of the short 'Peace' tracks by King Crimson. Of course, this album had to finish with the protagonist accepting that life has a new passage and he has to embrace it.

Yeah, a great album indeed, congrats to Hemina for this amazing release!

"My Dark Symphony" showed that Conception had not lost a beat in the years they were inactive as a band, and that their early - to mid-90s Queensrÿche influenced take on progressive heavy/power metal was alive and well. Stylistically Conception continue playing that style on "State of Deception" led by worldclass singer Roy Khan. They are an incredibly well playing band, which isn´t surprising as that has always been one of their many strengths, but they´ve also maintained a high quality songwriting level, and "State of Deception" is also packed in a clear, powerful, and detailed sound production, making this album a high quality release through and through.

Conception successfully balance their music with heavy riffs and rhythms and softer more melodic sections, and they excel at both. So upon conclusion "State of Deception" is another high quality release from conception and it´s a natural successor to "My Dark Symphony". Both releases displaying a mature but still hungry Conception. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).

"My Dark Symphony" features six tracks and a total playing time of 26:41 minutes, so while it´s just short of being an album length release, it´s close enough in terms of quantity and getting your money´s worth. "Flow" is generally not the most lauded release in Conception´s discography and a lot of fans don´t feel that Conception went out on a high with that album, so expectations for "My Dark Symphony" probably varied from excitement to concern...

...well there was nothing to be concerned about. First of all "My Dark Symphony" sounds unmistakably like Conception, which means clever, sophisticated, and melodic progressive heavy/power metal in the vein of early- to- mid-90s Queensrÿche. So it´s heavy/power metal with subtle progressive tendencies where the song is in focus and not odd time signatures and other progressive metal noodling. Khan is a worldclass singer with a strong voice and a passionate delivery, and the rest of the band are skilled and well playing musicians too.

"My Dark Symphony" features a clear, powerful, and detailed sound production, which is perfect for this type of music and upon conclusion "My Dark Symphony" is a strong comeback release from Conception. It definitely makes you realise that they´ve been missed. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).