AS WE KNOW IT

Wow, I was just searching these guys up on google then and saw that they were already on the archives. This band surprises me for a few different reasons:

1. I'd never heard of them until I read the ProgArchives forum; 2. This style of music is completely fresh to Australia; 3. I can't stop listening to this and it's only an EP.

I am a sucker for a nice piece of abstract art and love this cover. I am not too sure what the concept is behind it but I am assuming it's got something to do with their album coming out next year, I guess we'll see when that happens.

The segues between songs are very smooth and the EP feels like one big piece, yet each song has it's complete identity and can be listened to on its own. The musicianship on this CD is second to none without the over-the-top histrionics and wankery that one can come to expect from the general sea of Dream Theater clones in the genre (and I love DT).

The vocal blend and harmonies are wonderful and when those third (or fourth) voices come in, the result is simply magical.

The guitar parts are neither overstated or understated and work well to show Douglas and Mitch's virtuosity whilst always complimenting Phillp's diverse pallete of textural layers and blistering leads. It's always nice to see a lady behind the bass and to hear such great counterpoint work is an added bonus.

In terms of musical highlights, I'd have to say 'And Now to Find a Friend' is my probably favourite due to the diverse and epic journey it takes you through on every listen. Notable mentions goto the piano outro on 'With What I See' and everything after the drums come in on "For All Wrong Reasons'.

I understand that 5 stars is reserved for progressive masterpieces and I would truly give this at least a 4.5 stars for the enjoyment it has brought me and I truly think that if Hemina's album is as good as this with all its great elements but on a larger scale, it will truly be a masterpiece.

The very first thing I felt while listening to "Hemina's" debut was that this was not entirely familiar. And it is not a feeling often felt. This album is not some rehash of old music posing as original, nor does it reflect the strained desperation of kids trying to impress beyond their abilities. Instead this album feels pure. It has a breath, a vision, and a power to place it among the very best of progressive bands to have come out in recent years.

Though the band derives its name from the Roman unit of liquid capacity, musically it seems eternal - at once modern and harkening back to places far beyond, to deep, forgotten ancientness of other times and other worlds, as if channeling the echoes of sorrows long gone.

The musicianship itself is immaculate: from Douglas Skene's sorrowful and powerful vocals, to Mitch Coull's and Jessica Martin's magical guitar work, from Andrew Craig's passionate precise percussion to Phill Eltakchi's soulful keyboard touch. But what separates this album from most bands that populate the musical scene these days is its multi-layered nature, its depth and complexity. It is music you can feel and touch. It is a world you will want to be in and return to, knowing that you will always find something new. It is fresh, pure, alive, vibrant and true. It is as we know it indeed, and is much, much more!

Hemina are a relatively new band in the Australian prog scene, although they share members with more established bands Lycanthia and Anubis, both from Sydney.

As such one doesn't necessarily expect much of a self funded 5 track EP from an unsigned band, It didn't take long for them to win me over. "As We Know It" is truly as good as any Australian - or for that matter international progressive metal I could compare it to.

The quintet has a very strong songwriting faculty, technicality aside all of the songs have a very logical and fluent progression, even when the arrangements themselves are rather recondite (in true progressive metal fashion). The EP has an overreaching theme to it and the track progression from one to the next is as polished as the songwriting. The EP sounds like a single coherent work which just happens to be made up of five fantastic songs.

Doug Skene's vocals are amongst the highlights for me. He has a very strong, confident timbre which never sounds overstated even in the song's climactic moments. The second track "And Now To Find A Friend" is a great example of such perfect dynamic heights. Skene actually reminds me of some of James LaBrie's early work in Dream Theater, particularly when he gets up into the higher register. Special mention should also go to the bands flawless vocal harmonies.

The production is very good throughout with a tight, punchy clarity and a large dynamic range. The acoustic guitar tone is a particular standout, as is the excellent vocal production which really allows Skene's personality full reign.

"As We Know It", although brief is an amazing work of art. To give five stars to an EP, especially a debut is perhaps over the top (considering this band still has many years and albums ahead) but it really is comparable only to Brisbane band Arcane's fantastic "Chronicles Of The Waking Dream" in Australia's national scene. As such I think it deserves the rating.

HEMINA are a promising new Prog-Metal band out of Australia.They mention in the liner notes that this EP is a sample of what to expect with their new album "Sythetic" due out in 2011. So we get over 24 minutes of music here to sample.

"Lonesome Angel" is an atmospheric intro really of spacey synths and vocals. "And Now To Find A Friend" opens with strummed guitar before it kicks in quickly. Synths too. Vocals before 1 1/2 minutes as the drums pound. It settles before 3 1/2 minutes but it's brief. A calm before 5 minutes as the piano comes in. It kicks in again a minute later before it settles 7 1/2 minutes in with reserved vocals. A full sound one more time before 9 minutes. Great tune.

"For All The Wrong Reasons" is my least favourite. Vocals and strummed guitar to start. I just like his vocals in the other songs a lot more. Drums before 3 minutes. Guitar follows. "With What I See" is better. Piano to open before it turns uptempo with pounding drums as the vocals join in. I like this a lot. Spoken words after 4 minutes then the guitar starts to solo.Vocals are back late. It ends with piano. "The Hunt" like the intro track is a short atmospheric piece.

I like their style and I really like the vocalist. "And Now To Find A Friend" and "With What I See" are the highlights for me by far. I look forward to hearing their new album when it comes out even if it is described as a narrative driven concept album.

A fine introduction to Hemina

My friend John Davie's review of this new Aussie band caught my eye and I decided to have a listen. The five-piece outfit led by frontman Doug Skene released this EP in the summer of 2010 and a full length debut is slated for sometime in 2011. When I heard the vocals were in the James Labrie arena I started to worry a bit (not my favorite guy to put it mildly) but Skene's vocals stop short of Labrie's overbearing melodrama. In fact Hemina, who I imagine are often compared to DT in reviews and articles, have some of the positive attributes of DT without the Labrie factor or the over reliance on shred. The tracks are powerful metal indeed, with a nice heavy melodic chug, but have two nice diversions.

First, there are some nice breaks from the heaviness where piano and acoustic guitar are used to very good effect, and second are some spacey synths which add another layer to the sound. Sometimes the production gets a bit too thick during the heavier parts, but for the most part it is reasonably easy to hear the individual performers. The band seems to possess a good grasp of vocal harmonies and mixing "mood" into their heaviness, the "mood" of this EP seems to be an upbeat/positive one. Skene's solos are tasteful and pleasing, and the drumming is mighty without incessant blast. These are well developed songs that are really catchy and enjoyable without being trite. While I'm not exactly a huge metal fanboy by any stretch, I might have to check out this debut when it drops. This is a good, really fun EP that shows off a band with potential and passion. My advice is that they keep following those little sound diversions and interludes which bring their own personality to the fore, while enriching the songs.

I've lost my specs again.

Misread the name of this band as 'Hernia'....

This Australian band play a fairly palatable prog metal. Yes, this is a fair debut, but to be honest there are so many Prog Metal bands doing similar stuff this one is in danger of slipping into a morass of like sounding bands.

The opening number 'Lonesome Angel' promised much with spacey synths and tasty vocal chorus.

This leads into - presumably - the flagship track of this EP, 'And Now To Find a Friend' (which of course, brought to this old fool's mind Budgie's ' Never Turn Your Back on a Friend'). Clocking in at very respectable 10 minutes plus. It's a veritable slab of Prog Metal, but I found my mind wandering at times. Not because it was boring, but because I felt I'd heard it all before.

'For All the Wrong Reasons' is an accoustic based track with fine vocals and a rather pleasant melody. Seems to be chopped off at the end. I'm not convinced that it is meant to end like that, perhaps I have got a duff copy.

'With What I See', brings back the drum clubbin' expected of a PM band. Some great melodic soloing here. Probably the best song on this EP by far.

The EP is rounded off with a short keyboard outro instrumental 'The Hunt' which is skilfully and tastefully crafted.

Hemina certainly seem to occupy the lighter end of the Prog Metal spectrum. There is no frenetic, mindless drum clubbin' and no lumpen welts of speed metal here that seems to preoccupy the heavier end of this scale. No, this is a very good effort indeed, full of harmony and well thought out songs but as I said at the start, Hemina lack identity.

The release of the full album may improve this, but they still have one hell of a lot of competition.

Here comes Hemina.

Hemina is a band from Australia who released this EP as a taster for their grand debut album, to be released sometimes later this year. That sounds like a good masterplan for taking over the world.

The music here is a mix of (mostly) progressive metal with some added neo and symphonic prog elements too. The vocals and their handling of their respective instruments are a good enough to carry out their masterplan.

The songs are good too. Good as in well crafted and with some clever arrangements. They are clearly aiming their music for a large segment of the market and they will do well in this market. The lack of some clever surprises and some really great songs are the things that I am missing. I am also missing a clear identity from this band. But I am sure the prog metal fans will lap this one up. Hemina may end up pulling off their masterplan.

3 stars

This is something I didn't expect. A metal band from the land of Oz named after an obscure ancient Roman chronicler. First off, you don't have to be a metal head to appreciate the melodious, philisophical elements that pervade this short work that is actually a 5 track EP prelude to a full length album.

The Dream Theatre influence here is evident but without the razzle dazzle and I would actually ignore any of the Dream Theatre comparisons that I've seen pop up in other critiques. No guitar heroes arpeggiating and shredding away in impossible 19/4 time signatures here either, although there are a couple of well placed fiery solos with acoustic guitars that give contrasts at the right moments. Dynamic well thought thought out harmonies and melodies that segue and complement one another in such wonderful ways is what gives the EP a rich complexity. It is obvious that a lot of work went into this and you get a feeling of determination from these guys ( and girl ). After hearing "As We Know It " for the first time I couldn't believe that the running time was only about 25 minutes such is the depth of the music. For some reason Hemina sometimes remind me of some Steve Rothery era Marillion rather than any metal bands that I've ever heard. There are sections of heaviness but I abandonned my all metal apprehensions after hearing guitarist / lead vocalist Douglas Skene's passionate deliveries after the choir-like intro Lonesome Angel that leads into the explosive and very proggy And Now To Find A Friend ( phew! no growling Satan vocals ). No Emersonistic keys here either and the layered textures are perfect, creating almost Tangerine Dream-like backdrops on this multi part epic.

It's hard to categorize Hemina but one thing for sure is that they would seem a bit out of place playing on the same bill as Slayer or Meshuggah. One can only hope that the full length follow up album slated for sometime in 2011sticks to the auspicious musical strategies that never over extend themselves which are displayed by this promising Australian band. "As We Know It" provides such a pleasant ½ hour listen that even an old geezer like me who is stuck in the seventies had to give it another spin.

Following a brisk atmospheric opening with thick, surprising vocal harmonies, one may expect a progressive metal onslaught, but this doesn't happen outright, as the band teases with a bright acoustic passage first. The band relies on a charging rhythm section, dual electric guitars, and a typical synthesizer lead. The proper metal music, particularly the vocals, makes me think of Blue Oyster Cult if they were a progressive metal band. The bass guitarist makes her presence known- I love the tone and the performance. The dual lead guitar is satisfying, as are all the guitars. The male vocalist reminds me of Incubus. The third song is acoustic and almost Enchant-like, as the vocalist is similar to Ted Leonard. The fourth is a more typical progressive metal song, but nonetheless engaging. The lead guitar playing is extremely tasteful, not indulgent, but not boring either, and once again, knowledgeable about dual lead in an impressive way. The last piece is a Neo-prog lullaby. Frankly, this is a dynamic and eclectic progressive metal EP that is extremely well-crafted; I like this as well as Dream Theater, for what it's worth.