METAFICTION

After their surprisingly good bebut ("Time Must Have a Stop"), the expectations of Votum's follow-up were high. "Metafiction" is a good album, but not that good, sad to say, because their music is really good. They are real professionals and by hearing any of these seven songs anyone can be sure that they work very hard on their music. The style of the band is melodic progressive metal and their main influences are Porcupine Tree and Riverside.

Lets start with the good things in "Metafiction". The sound is almost excellent and the use of keyboards is perfect, contributing to the emotional impact of the songs without tiring the listener with meaningless solos. Maciej Kosinski is a great singer. His voice is warm and expressive, reminding of Mariusz Duda (Riverside), without the typical polish accent.

On the other hand, each time I listen to the album, I can't avoid thinking that the songs are obviously less inspired compared to their debut. This is a concept album, but I really found it hard to follow, due to the weak lyrics, which are too emotional, introvert and desperate in many parts. The metal elements are less evident here compared to "Time Must Have a Stop" and I think that this represses the band's style and character. The only exceptions are "Stranger Than Fiction" (the only track which includes brutal vocals) and the starting riff in "Glassy Essence", which is my favourite song in the album (great guitar solo). I think that if Votum had followed the recipe of their debut, this album would have been better.