MACHINA VIVA

I wasn't aware of their previous material initially, but ultimately being impressed took the chance to receive a feeling concerning the already highly acclaimed 'Communication Lost' from 2011 too. They are appointed as a prog metal act in general, hence one or two might be irritated when listening to 'Machina Viva'. And this at least applies to the forerunner in the same way. WOLVERINE have become solid, well-behaved, are standing on relatively smooth melodic songs, somewhat in the vein of the later Pain Of Salvation and Opeth.

I mean, it is said, 20 years ago they have started as a death metal band! That noted, it doesn't matter to me though, this new songs are just what I want to hear. Headed by Stefan Zell's remarkable vocal presence they have developed some top-notch mid-tempo compositions for this album, really captivating the more I'm listening. 'Take a moment now, time to make a choice' - a wonderful relaxed start is happening with the extended suite The Bedlam Overture, though gliding over into a heavier behaviour soon.

In between Thomas Jansson changes to the fretless bass, there are some guest appearances to state, like a guitar solo from former member Per Broddesson, or just take Jonas Eklund's careful french horn. Overall a track which deserves the label perfect. Provided with some electronic drum loops Machina then is born to let us sing along, where the heart-breaking melancholic Pile Of Ash will lead into a very mellow direction, solely showing new guitarist Jonas Jonsson and Stefan Zell on the imaginary stage.

The impression is completely rounded, also including Marcus Losbjer's solid drum work and Per Henriksson, who pulls out all the stops with his mostly subtle keyboard input. Additionally cellist Stefan Moberg is in play again. WOLVERINE definitely have entered the ranks of my 2016 prog award acts. Mixed at Spacelab Studio in Germany by the way, 'Machina Viva' is an excellent album consisting of atmospheric songs, more tending to heavy art rock than metal, besides the already aforementioned bands also akin to Dropshard, Ulysses, Fates Warning.

This is album of the year for me. For those of you who haven't heard of Wolverine, they're a prog rock/metal band from Sweden who create moody music in the style of bands like Riverside, Porcupine Tree, Votum, Katatonia, etc.

They've been going for quite a while now and I originally discovered them in 2006 when one of their songs, 'A House of Plague', was featured on a free CD with Classic Rock Magazine. They should have made a breakthrough then with their album 'Still' which was a perfect balance of heavy and commercial prog metal songwriting but unfortunately it wasn't to be. They didn't release anything further until five years later in 2011 with 'Communication Lost'. That album was very different. The songwriting was more mature and the music a lot mellower and bleaker. With the inclusion of string quartets and lengthier compositions, it was a complex yet rewarding concept album that sadly went by largely unnoticed by anyone. Following that, the band seemingly disappeared into the void, until this year.

Another five year gap has proven to be well worth the wait with 'Machina Viva', their finest album to date. It's very much a continuation of the style found on 'Communication Lost' but the songs here are more instantly accessible and the concept a little more focused. The production and musicianship, as with all their albums, is fantastic. All prog fans should check this out. It's hard to pick a favourite song because they're all so moving and memorable. I think I will have to highlight 'Pile of Ash' though for its stark beauty and the incredible vocal performance from Stefan Zell. He reminds me of Geoff Tate a little bit and it's one of the reasons I initially got into the band as I'm a massive Queensryche fan.

This album is outstanding and just gets better with every listen. Check it out!