INURE

Well, it has been four years since their second album, which I raved over, but I can see that there has been quite some movement within the band between 'Anthem To Creation' and 'Inure' as only Theodore "Teo" Amaksopoulos (guitars) and Lef Germenlis (keyboards) are left from that line-up. But, it must be said that in the new members they have some real finds. I rated previous singer Yannis Papadopoulos very highly indeed, but Cons Marg is quite a find with a superb range. They have also brought in a second singer in Donna Zed who provides backing vocals where appropriate, and this allows for some powerful harmonies.

Teo and Lef are continuing to drive the band strongly in progressive metal, with some interesting time signatures and syncopation, and music that goes through the gamut of incredibly melodic through to intensely metallic and everything in between. They work together incredibly well, often both playing complex lead lines at the same time, and then each of them taking turns to provide backing for the other. There is a great deal of space within this album, and there is a great deal of light and shade, so that when they do turn up the riffs and intensity it has immediate impact. Incredibly polished, this is yet another great release from this Greek outfit, and I can only hope that with a settled line-up, which is currently on tour, that we don't have to wait so long for the next one. More to the Threshold end of prog metal than Dream Theater, just listening to this left me with a huge smile on my face, and who could wish for more?