AERONAUTICS

I wouldn't class this as progressive, hence the 3 stars, but it's worth 4 stars otherwise. Basically a melodic metal release, bit of hard rock and a bit of speed/power metal. Andy Sneap has given it a really nice warm sound which kicks in all the right places. Ex- Helloween, Grapow's down-tuned riffing is nice and the leads are tasty. Uli Kusch's drumming (Helloween, Mekong Delta) give the songs a backbone and perhaps contribute a bit to the 'progressive' elements. The keys add atmosphere more than anything else but they sound good too. Jorn Lande's vocals recall Coverdale and Dio and the melodies are really catchy in a good way. The downsides are some cheesy musical passages and some pretty silly lyrics (surely these bands know at least one person that could review their lyrics, I mean Andy Sneap is English....) Overall, there's not much to challenge a proghead, but much to enjoy if you like good accessible metal songs played with class.