SCULPTURE ON ICE

I have three points to mention about this album. 1) The production-sound is really poor and doesn't help their ideas at all 2) The vocalist sings with a terrible greek accent (I'm Greek I know what I am talking about!!!) 3) Everything else is PERFECT!!! Ladies and Gents this is the greatest greek band ever! Their conception of Progressive metal is far beyond the Dream Theater idea. The use of Violin gives an extra point of interest to the crazy but at the same time so down to earth compositions. There are not many bands that could have written a song like the 16 minutes opening track "to count the stars". the whole band has an exellent tecnique ( not the singer, we said that!!!) but I have to mention especially the keybord player. Having seen them live 5 times (I am lucky enough to come from the same city) I have the opinion that he is the best keyboard player I have seen live. Make yourself the favour to listen to this album! (Ok, ignore the singer, he is not that bad, it's just this greeklish accent!!!)

The beautiful HELLAS-GREECE offers here a great prog metal band called HORIZON'S END, beautiful name ,but what is more beautiful is the music of the Greeks!A very interesting and artistical cover proves that the image of an album must have also an impact on the listener! And,from the first notes,we have massive riffs and some double pedal drum rhythms and overall a great vocalist called GEORGE STRAPATAS- a true revelation!For more than an hour the Greek band proves for a debut album some unbelieveble complex and mature musical ideas!Some influence from classical clichees of prog metal,but a very mature ensemble of all the instrumentation and construction of each song!Great tempo changes in the same song,surprising breaks and technical sparks of aguaranteed effect and plenty moments of virtuosity for each member of HORIZON'S END!The opening song of the album TO COUNT THE STARS with it's more then a quarter of hour of music makes a strong impression ,it's trully an impact which give to the listenre a very positive perspective of what follows!A succession of ideas,moments and themes that are so well ensembled in a complex musical structure,this opening track!From aggressivity to calm moments and a very wide range of vocal expressivity from George proves the surprisingly elaborated musical credo of the band! SCULPTURE ON ICE has everything what a prog metal loover wait from an album in this style- great songs,great compostions,fgood techical skills,good production too-it's guaranteed that amateurs of modern prog will be deeply satisfied.If you find this album,it 100 % deserves to be in your collection.It's not at all an ordinary album and HORIZON'S END is a band with personality and well defined ideas!The second album of the band is strong too,but this debut one is impressing! 4 STARS for a little musical revelation-especially the vocalist!

I remember my self, being in the late '90s a progmetal fan, searching to find this cd because I listen in the radio the track "New Jerusalem". When I finnaly find it I left behind every Fates Warning and Dream theater cds and listening again and again, over and over this cd! Well lets strar from the weak side of this cd. The production isnt that good, the vocals sometimes are a little bit out of tune (also too melodramatic for others!) and the synth sounds are ...bad and bad producted. In the other hand this is a music full of passion, beautifully composed and structured, with always a sence of creativity. Comblicated but also melodic, even the long pasages and the instumental parts are so intresting fitting enormously within a song form. And there is something more here: personality! They play prog metal(other call them neoprog(?))but there is nothing like F.W or D.T or even Psychotic Walls here! They have their own voice, their style goes beyond the standar prog metal. Classical influenses, jazz-fusion ,even greek "ways" (listen the enormous begining of "COLOURS". Great melodies on New jerusalem. "To count the stars" is a big journey with strange harmonies, complex rythms and an epic conclusion. So If you searching for the best 90's Greek metal cd, this is it! Inteligent, high passionate music in a complex and melodic form!(Next alboum is also nice but ther's something missing from Sculpture on ice's magic!

Here we have one of the best progressive metal bands coming from Greece who released so far 2 albums. The first album named Sculpture on ice issued in 1998 and graced by an excellent cover art made by Maria Staikou as booklet shows has a good and quite complex progressive metal pieces. I was pleasent surprised by this band who realy know how to please avery progressive metal fan with this thier first release. Long piece, the opening had 17 min named To count the stars is a realy great track where every musician shines. All is ok here, well balanced album, great performance, musicianship is more then ok, the main problem, if not realy bad is the voice of George Strapatas, who has sometime that special non english speaker problems, but in the end not bad only better said unpleasent to ears in some parts, to theatrical on high notes. So I will give to this debute a solid 3.5 stars rounded to 4 because of the cover art and rest of the booklet , anyway the music is also worth metioning if you are a prog metal fan.