INTO THE EYE OF THE STORM

I discovered this band and album by accident one day at a local CD store....It had a sticker on the cover that said something like: "If you like bands like Dream Theater, Queensryche, Rainbow and Rising Force, you'll like this!" And that is pretty much the case. Make no mistake about it, it is definitely Prog-METAL, with an emphasis on the metal. It is still proggy though- odd meters, tempo & time changes on a dime. Some of the keyboard work (much of it on what sounds like Hammond organ) even has a jazzy quality. The vocals have a bit of a Bruce Dickinson-meets-James Labrie-on-steroids kinda vibe, but he is definitely on pitch & on key, with a good range. The guitarist does a bit of neo-classical sweep picking, but there is substance with the flash, and he knows when to sit back a bit. My favorite tracks are: "Smoke & Fire" (Funky Bass groove), "The Wind & the Rain" (Very dramatic), "Lost Memory" (Bach & Roll), and "Red's Recovery" (great workout of an instrumental). Prog-Metal fand should definitel check this out!

What is ARTENSION?Well,propably the mix between the art of classical music and the tension og heavy metal.The art comes from the classical education of the leader of the band Vitalij Kuprij which is very obvious in his piano and keyboard work.The tension comes mainly of the hard rock voice of the heavy metal veteran John West.Beautiful combination and the result is better than satisfying...

I have reviewed a boring album just after lunch...I need to wake up, so give me some metal...

I have discovered the Artension, a band based in Switzerland but lead by the Ukrainian Vitalj Kuprij after suggesting the inclusion of him (rejected) on PA. Vitalij is an orchestra director with a double discography: classical as director and metal as keyboardist. He's one of those keyboardists classically trained and very fast, and his keyboards are one of the most distinctive elements of Artension's music. Of course also the other elements must be fast enough to avoid being just the keyboardist's support band. The vocals of John West are clean and very standard for the genre and I think that this band can easily been compared to the DREAM THEATER.

In this debut album, apart of the technicalities (all the band's elements are very skilled), the first song which shows also an excellent songwriting is "Smoke And Fire". The instrumental interlude driven by a great bass on which the keyboard solo is low-volume, so not invasive, has fusion moments as it anticipates the metal-fusion genre which will appear more than ten years after this album.

Another track which deserves to be mentioned is "Lost Memory" which starts with a classical intro of classic guitar and piano. After a pause the theme is reprised by the band and the track progresses still maintaining a classical mood but with a lot of rock, too.

Out of the highlights this album contains quite standard prog-metal skillfully played, but so standard to be non-essential. It would deserve more than three stars but it's not enough for the fourth. However I strongly suggest it to who likes fast played "symphonic metal", like YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, fans of the genre in general and also people who likes classically influenced keyboards. Even fans of Emerson and Wakeman can have some fun listening to this album.