EARTHBOUND

In the metal world, the concept of a female-fronted band has gained something of a bad reputation lately. Legions of tame and mediocre metal bands throw females in front and center to try to help their groups have a shred of distinction (and if that fails; sex appeal) to gain a bigger fanbase. One such exception to this string of cookie cut female fronted bands however, is To-Mera. A progressive metal band hailing from Britain, this group takes complex and intricate musicianship and works it in with the strong vocal pipes of singer Julie Kiss. With this EP 'Earthbound,' To-Mera have proven that they stand above the other bands that attempt to go their route, and outweigh their faults with strengths.

Despite being only four songs long, 'Earthbound' gives a good scope of what To-Mera is all about; a strong guitar presence with lots of atmosphere, rhythmic experimentation and alot of melody. On a very positive note, the instrumentation of To-Mera is always fresh and interesting. Just when you think you have worked out the structure of the song out and can be predict the next thing coming, To-Mera throws a curveball, giving something exciting and fresh. While it is a common ailment for modern progressive metal bands to fall into the rut of sounding like a Dream Theater derivative, To-Mera manages to put enough math metal (and themselves) into the compositions to give the band a relatively unique feel.

One weaker note of the band is not necessarily the vocal work of Julie Kiss, but more so the melodic lines she sings. While the woman is certainly a skilled singer and very capable of fronting a metal band of this caliber, it feels like theres a bit too much flair and unnecessary warble thrown into her melodic passages; it ultimately distracts the listener from the rest of the music. There are a few sections in which the vocal work is much more streamlined and to-the- point, which ends up being alot more enjoyable and effective as a result.

In any case, To-Mera have sparked my interest with this EP, and while I am sure they have some stronger work on their full-length recordings, 'Earthbound' has impressed me with it's technicality, and host of interesting rhythmic traits.

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