NEBULAE

Hemina, the unsung heroes of Australian progressive music, have done it again and released an album worthy of consideration and comparison alongside their more well known contemporaries. Their sophomore major release, Nebulae, is loaded from start to finish with equal parts melody, musicianship and emotion. Production is strong, also, being in the very capable hands of guitarist and lead vocalist, Douglas Skene.

Another conceptual record, Nebulae is concerned with a journey through dreams. As a result, the songs are representative of the main character's episodic explorations of various facets of their being. From lustful urges to a need for true love, from delusions of something greater to a bad case of megalomania, the story enables music that is as varied as it is cohesive.

Opening with a synth pad slowly faded in, followed by Skene's double-tracked low-register vocal delivery, "Before" quickly sets the tone for the album. A sense of the grander is very effectively communicated by the electronica-fuelled sound field coupled with the climbing and expansive vocal range exhibited in the mere two minutes that this track takes up. Hard-hitting percussive strikes and lyrics such as, "Each day with head in hand seemed like eternity," paint the picture of a character discontented and frustrated with her life.

"Before" leads smoothly into the first full band performance, a song entitled "Nightlives". A busy yet catchy synth lead line, courtesy of Phill Eltakchi, is superimposed upon wide, distorted guitar chord stabs coupled with a syncopated drum pattern welcome us at the song's outset. This contrasts nicely with the following verse section which, whilst remaining interesting instrumentally, leaves ample space for the vocals to be digested easily. Continuing on with the vocals, this song easily has one of the most beautiful chorus sections on the album. Extremely catchy and full of energy, it showcases the band's four-part harmony prowess, and it's one that will certainly get stuck in your head. Following the chorus' second occurrence, another exciting moment can be found where Skene reaches for the song's vocal pitch peak on the word, 'except', over a well-timed sub bass drop.

Following a tasteful guitar-noodling moment reminiscent of John Petrucci's guest appearance at the end of Periphery's "Erised", we are soon greeted by the opening of the album's lead single, "Freedom". A prog metal anthem of sorts, this song is pure energy condensed into a tidy three- minutes that could be easily digested by the masses who may or may not have just been set free. Don't let the apparent accessibility put you off, however, as this song is anything but filler. It's groove and melody galore.

The following track, "Lust", is, in my opinion, is one of the album's stand-out tracks. Effortlessly blending the seemingly disparate worlds of funk and R&B with djent, the resulting experience is fun and inspiring. With a chorus spanning from falsetto to chest to near disruption in the time it takes for one line to be sung, a guitar solo from Skene that would make Guthrie Govan proud and a breakdown so hyper-syncopated it would make the most discerning rhythm-elitist grin, this song is indicative of Hemina successfully pulling out all the stops.

Quality is not lost in the grand statement of love that is "Soulmates". A semi-acoustically-charged ballad, this song feels like the spiritual cousin of "For All Wrong Reasons" off of the band's debut effort, Synthetic. Musically, the song has a great flow. Beautiful melodies feed off of each other like they were always meant to be together and the arrangement is carefully balanced. Lyrically, the wordplay in this song is tremendous. "Will I ever live my life in a lifetime, with a lioness to share my pride and goals?" Just one of many examples. Again, the four-part vocals are in full force for the chorus, however, particularly noteworthy is bassist Jessica Martin's first spotlight on lead vocals. She gives a stunning performance, and the love between her and Skene, who are engaged in real life, is very apparent whilst not hindering the narrative curve of the album - indeed, it fits right in.

Next, we have "Strength". One of the heavier songs, tight grooves speckle the eight-minute second-half kicker. Harmony isn't sacrificed, however. This song has some of the most interesting chord changes and the melodies are festering with the ability to be recalled in the shower. Prog aficionados will rejoice at the song's reprisal of lyrics from the album's opener, and guitarists will marvel at the mastery of Mitch Coull's melodic phrasing in the closing solo.

Another memorable chorus lies in the brooding depths of "Loss". A beautiful melody, again wonderfully harmonised by the rest of the band, with a delightfully unexpected shift in phrasing that, without it, may have rendered its contour as predictable. Lush string orchestration also permeates the bridge section here. This one, I believe, will particularly appeal to fans of Evergrey.

"Hope" follows. The opening reminds one of a similar sound aesthetic used at the start of "The Boy Is Dead" off of the aforementioned debut. This is soon interrupted by glitch-like sound effects reminiscent of old video games that quickly segue into the band on full assault. Dreamily modulated acoustic guitar backs a wonderful guitar solo followed by another deep and expressive Skene vocal. Also dreamlike are the choir voices, drenched in reverb, that serve as an interlude between "Hope" and the following track, "Promise".

Another song clocking in under four-minutes, "Promise" still seems to be bursting with musical goodness. A memorable chorus augmented by Martin exclaiming the word, 'eternally', and ear- catching piano tinkling from Eltakchi during the first verse help make this one another of my favourites from an excellent album. Additionally, we get a bit of nasty from Skene's vocal delivery in the second verse, which is juxtaposed by his boy soprano-like falsetto at the very end ? intended as a sincere compliment.

Closing the album is the eleven-minute epic, "Otherworldly". What I love about this track is how it showcases all four members of the band. Skene does an excellent job on lead vocals as usual, but we also get to hear a verse superbly sung by Eltakchi that climbs down to near-basso profundo territory, sounding quite sexy, really. This is immediately picked up by Coull giving us a verse with his soaring tenor vocals, giving us a taste of what we'd previously only heard to such an extent on the previous album's "With What I See". Later on, we also get a couple of verses from Martin who sounds sublime approaching the heights of contemporary soprano repertoire. Instrumental prowess is not forgotten, however, as there are a plethora of lead lines from the keyboardist and both guitarists with the rhythm section holding it all down.

At the very end, there is a short spoken word section that leaves me eagerly awaiting the next release that will, hopefully, tie together the story arc set by Synthetic and this album, and I hope you will be waiting with me as well. In the meantime? Nebulae ? get on it!