FOR MOMENTS NEVER DONE

A really strong effort from this Dutch band, that arguably may have crafted the best progressive metal album of 2009 with "For Moments Never Done". At least for those who appreciates bands residing in the challenging and most sophisticated territories of this stylistic expression.

The seven tracks here are all elaborate and quirky, at least to some extent. From sophisticated riff patterns to highly detailed and carefully crafted sonic tapestries the album as a whole seems to be thought out and planned in minutest detail. Smooth transitions from leaden riff barrages with more than a touch of thrash metal to gentle atmospheric themes with an emphasis on melody and beauty as well as most variations in between are constant, and subtle as well as dramatic alterations in expression, tempo and intensity keeps surprising positively the more you get familiar with this production.

Excellent performances in general and by vocalist Legrand in particular are the final ingredients on a disc which should find it's place into the collections of any serious collector of progressive metal.

"For Moments Never Done" is the 4th full-length studio album by Dutch progressive metal act Cirrha Niva. The album was released through Parnassus Records (Europe) and through The End Records (US/Canada) in September 2009. Cirrha Niva were formed in 1993, and released their debut full-length studio album "The Mirror World Dimension" in 1997. Their last album before "For Moments Never Done" was "Liaison de la Morte" from 2001, so there has been an 8 year recording break between the two albums. There have been quite a few lineup changes from the last album too and the only remaining members from the lineup who recorded "Liaison de la Morte (2001)" are Rob Willemse (guitars) and Tommy White (drums). New members are lead vocalist Legrand (real name Michael de Groot), Carlo Heefer (guitars), and Daniël Huyben (bass).

The music on "For Moments Never Done" is a fairly eclectic type of progressive metal. Eclectic in this case means that the band incorporate elements from alternative metal and a few extreme metal traits too. Legrand is a relatively versatile vocalist and in addition to his relatively high pitched metal singing, he also occasionanlly ventures into semi-growling and other raw type of vocals. It happens very seldom though, and it´s not the dominant vocal styles on the album. Knowing Legrand´s background in various Dutch underground thrash and death metal acts in the 90s his use of those types of vocals aren´t as surprising as it may initially sound. But as mentioned he mostly sings using his clean voice. The alternative metal vibe mentioned above is also something that is only touched upon during the playing time, but I hear nods here and there and especially towards an artist like Faith No More. Again we´re dealing with a minor element of the overall sound, but it goes to show that Cirrha Niva deserves the eclectic tag although they are predominantly a pretty standard progressive metal act. The music can be quite heavy and punchy at times (listen to a track like "Self Chosen"), but also more mellow and atmospheric.

The material on the 7 track, 46:47 minutes long album is generally well written and relatively varied, the musicianship is on a high level, and the sound production is professional, powerful, and well sounding. So "For Moments Never Done" is overall a good quality progressive metal release. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)