FORMLESS

This album caught me by surprise. Having never listened to this band before, and extreme progressive-metal generally residing on the outskirts of my musical territory, I was immediately captivated by this release. From the exotic opening notes of "Lotus", which kind of sets the table for the middle-eastern influenced display of technical prowess that is to follow. In my opinion, the only weak track on the whole album is the second one, "Atmas Heave", which isn't really bad, just overshadowed by the towering achievements that make up the rest of the CD. I usually associate female vocalists with power/symphonic metal and, since those genre's usually don't make a big impression on me, I wasn't sure how this would go over. Her name is Diana Serra and she is terrific! Her flowing, almost mystical vocal style perfectly compliments the softer passages and also has the power to hold her own over the fury of Santiago Dobles's knife edge attack. Speaking of Dobles, his lead breaks, which punctuate each song, sometimes multiple times, are blistering! This guy pulls off each solo with speed and precision, and its not just a bunch of notes thrown together.....the composition of the break captivates the listener, showcasing a beautiful sense of melody within the context of the musical theme. As I mentioned before, the quieter segments appear frequently in each track and they stand out as some of the most interesting listening moments. The arrangements are top-notch, displaying a tremendous understanding of what it takes to keep the listener engaged. Just because I haven't mentioned the bass player or drummer yet, doesn't mean these guys don't know what they're doing, Both present spectacular technique thoughout. As I've said before, almost all the tracks shine, but one in particular just floored me........"Dual Alchemy". If you can find a way to sample just this one track, that should do it for you. Or you could just take my word for it and simply buy this outright. One of the best releases of 2006, hands down!!!!!!!!