ICEFISH

How is it that no one has reviewed this album yet? I'm in my late 50's so I've seen and heard just about everything that has come along in the prog metal/heavy prog genre, from Rush to Fates Warning to Dream Theater and everything in between. Much of what is being put out in the last 5-10 years or so has slid into the power/classical metal realms and that has led me to migrate to predominately progressive rock, yet always with an ear toward anything HEAVY yet melodic. The genre has definitely slid over the past few years but every now and then along comes a band that has all the technicality and originality that IMHO is required to create engaging and intelligent music. Icefish checks all the boxes! The guitarist, Marco Sfogli, is an absolute beast. The fluidity and melodicism that this guy displays puts him in the company of some of the most accomplished gunslingers the genre has ever produced. Supplemented by the rhythm section of Andrea Casali on bass (and vocals) and Virgil Donati on drums, the level of POWER in the songwriting, particularly the lead guitar, is an absolute joy to listen to. His tone is killer, and his ability to go from pummeling to flights of beautiful soloing is the hallmark of a musician at the top of his game. Listen to "It Begins', "5 Years" & "Solitude" and let the music speak for itself. Beautifully recorded with tons of low end crunch, this is a essential recording of modern progressive metal!