WIZARD'S EYES

It is truly a blessing to live an era where, thanks to the democratization and globalization of the means of musical production and distribution, a talented group of musicians all the way in The Ukraine can affordably and independently produce stellar sounding music and have it reach progressive metal and rock fans the world over. Inside the Sound, a Ukrainian instrumental progressive metal group, have put together an album that can proudly claim its place beside other more widely known releases from the group's peers in this global scene of instrumental progressive metal.

The music on Wizard's Eyes is at its best when effectively blending Liquid Tension Experiment-style progressive metal with Procupine Tree-inspired psychedelia. Such is the case on the album's opening three tracks. The music is significantly weaker when it is driven merely by your standard instrumental guitar virtuoso style ala Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. And, unfortunately, it is these weaker elements that make up most of the record's run time. Still, it is an enjoyable listen all the way through with enough flashes of brilliance to make it a cut better than the competition.