TO-MERA

3.5 stars.TO-MERA are a female fronted(vocals) Prog-Metal band from the UK.These guys can play and i really like Julie Kiss' vocals,but something is missing for me.Funny but i read Dean's review as i sat down to write mine and he had some of the same thoughts as i did in that regard. "Traces" is my favourite and i wish they sort of stuck to this dark,atmospheric style throughout this album.Julie sings these haunting vocal melodies to open and when she stops the electric guitar eventually comes in joined by the drums.Piano only to end it. "Blood" is a good song with some Power-Metal flourishes. "Dreadful Angel" opens heavily as vocals almost whisper in between these heavy outbursts.A calm 1 1/2 minutes in then the guitar breaks out a minute later.Check out the jazzy calm 3 1/2 minutes in.The contrasts of calm and heavy continue. "Phantoms" is heavy with vocals until we get a 2 minute calm then it kicks in again. "Born Of Ashes" opens with reserved vocals and acoustic guitar.Then this epic sounding passage takes over only to be replaced by an uptempo and powerful soundscape. "Parfum" opens with piano then soft vocals and acoustic guitar come in.It turns dark and heavy before 2 minutes.Check out the drumming.Great section.Vocals are back. "Obscure Oblivion" kicks in around 1 1/2 minutes then settles with piano a minute later.It's heavy again after 3 minutes.Nice guitar a minute later. I like the heaviness that takes over before a minute in "Realm Of Dreams".Vocals follow.The contrasts of heavy and calm continue. Lots to like here but i just can't get into it enough to offer up 4 stars.Time may change that.

It is the first time that I hear To-Mera and the experience was more than interesting. First of all,I would like to say that I do not like bands with female voices but in this occasion I must do an exception. Julie's vocals are ethereal and perfectly fit with the music. So,what about the music? The guys are very technical and they combine different genres in their playing. Progressive metal,extreme metal,jazz and oriental elements. This blend is very persuading and it is not at all boring. If you like aggressive progressive as I calll it,then To-Mera are the perfect example. Their 4 first songs are groovy and powerful. One of the highlights is the first song, "the lie". It initiates aggressively but suddenly it calms down with a jazz aesthetic and it alters again in a more harsh image. One of the best songs for 2008. This band has many potentials and I hope that they will evolve more in the future. Because of their lack of experience I will rate them with 5 stars in stead of 4 which could have been the mark for this album if they had released more CD's. But as an only second work,they should be applauded for this excellent piece of progression.

I'm surprised with these British guys. There's as much music as innovation and fresh ideas on it, their music can recreate a present full of doubts and uncertainty, everything in a band that blends metal, jazz, gothic and a little bit from other things with total authority and authenticity for holding the fallen flame of a genre as rich as its own past but it crosses by a period of creative stagnation.

To-Mera and Transcendental (their first album), have taken back all those things that sometimes most of the new (even the big ones) progressive metal bands aren't taking in mind for making music, not only of quality but also with a real identity that can make them unique. In fact, that's one of the secrets of this great record, and is always taking in mind the details that get rich and notorious all the notes, rhythms and lyrics elaborated for all 8 songs here done.

Besides, the genuine talent of their components makes more impressive their musical proposal. Julie Kiss manages pretty well all her vocal ranges with a voice as delicate as personal, doubtless she's one of the highest points of Transcendental. Also the great performance on guitar thanks to Tom MacLean and not less important the stunning labour on keyboards and piano courtesy of Hugo Sheppard, generating amusing ambients and making good solos when the songs request it. Personally I would choose songs like; "traces", "blood", "dreadful angel", "born of ashes" and "obscure oblivion" as the best from this work.

I don't know what the future brings to this English act, I just want to recommend them to anyone who has the opportunity to hear them. Believe me, there will not be a disappointment with this sonic wall called To- Mera.

By: Epsilon.

I must say that I was apprehensive about rating this album because I did not want to offer any opinions without fully grasping the overall feel of the album. After owning and listening to this album for several months, I can say with confidence that to-mera has produced an amazing album. I love the rhythmic instrumentals and lush soundscape created by the band. The composition can be technical and powerful at times, with interludes of really chilled jazzy sections. Some bands have problems transitioning time signatures and BPM, but this album seems to flow very nicely. I wasn't too keen on Julie's vocals in the first album. They seemed a little out of place and borderline annoying. I feel the vocals in this album complement the music much nicer and the delivery doesn't sound forced. Overall, this album has everything to be desired in a progressive album (at least for me anyway), and I highly recommend it, especially if you liked the first one.

A fine female-fronted prog-metal album from this British-Hungarian band. Tom MacLean's guitar work shines throughout the whole album, alongside Julie Kiss excellent vocal style. Mature compositions and intricate, complex and surprising arrangement make this an appealing album. I've listened to this one about 40 times, and I still find new stuff all the time. Track development is almost always unexpected, and the music leads the listener in untraveled paths again and again. It's clear that the jazz influences from MacLean and Hen (keyboards) have contributed to the end product, which is still free-minded, genre-hopping and therefore so interesting.

The album opener, The lie is a stunning display of style and arrangement. The two closers, Fallen from Grace and Temptation are also very well written and executed. I know that MacLean is a SIKTH fan, but his melodic playing and contributions are much more digestible and dynamic when compared to the angry, loud stuff that SIKTH is making.

The only weak spot are Kiss's lyrics, which are a bit too obscure. Other than that, this is a fine addition to prog-metal fans willing to handle a delicate singer, smart progressive guitars and a few jazzy influences spread out on the table. When compared to their debut Transcendental (2006), it's exactly on the same level.

To-Mera is a young band coming from United Kingdom that plays a very technical and avant-garde form of progressive metal with enchanting female vocals. Their influences go from jazz to death/black metal (no harsh vocals at all, though) with some symphonic elements here and there.

This album has a very dark and 'dreamy' mood that fits perfectly with Julie's lyrics. There aren't too many technical bands able to create such an overwhelming atmosphere. The production is almost perfect: powerful and crystal clear. Most of the songs are quite complex and they often surprise the listener with lots of tempo changes. "Phantoms" is one of the most amazing tracks, containing an incredibly beautiful mellow part in the middle that suddenly turns into death metal aggression near the end. Some fantastic death metal riffs also appear at the end of "Dreadful Angel" and "Parfum", which contains some nice tribal percussion and a wonderful piano intro as well, as I mentioned above. Jazz influences are obvious in "Obscure Oblivion" and "Dreadful Angel". Even the album intro "Traces" is worth mentioning, as it might be the best intro I've ever heard, featuring a wonderful guitar solo in the vein of Riverside. But the most special thing about this album is the ending track "Realm of Dreams". Beautiful, intense, melancholic, emotional. it could only be compared to Opeth. I cannot imagine a better ending for the album as I cannot imagine a better title for this song either.

"Transcendental": a work of art coming from a very young band that will bring a lot of glory to the fans of this genre. It's easily one of the best progressive metal albums I've heard in quite a long time. Recommended for any fan of technical, forward-thinking music with an intense emotional feeling.

4.5 stars which I round up to 5 for being a debut album.

This is a killer follow up album to their debut, Transcendental. While I prefer their first album more, this one is still great. It took several listens for me to fully appreciate it because there is a lot here to enjoy. Very prog-metal sound. They have songs that are all over the place but they are all generally heavy. I f you like technical prog-metal, I highly recommend this group. One of my favorite discoveries!

I discovered To-mera in 2005 when they still only had their two-song demo out. "Born of Ashes" and "Dreadful Angel" were the two songs contained on this demo and obviously I was impressed, after all they displayed so well the musicianship within the band, the creativity, the perfectionism. Other people were apparently also impressed since this demo won the demo of the year in a metal magazine, I guess Metal Hammer. But now they have added to these two songs 6 more and made their big debut.

It opens up very promisingly with the intro "Traces", despite the cheesy atmospheric keyboards. "Blood" is a good metal tune with a catchy chorus and compact structure, perfect as the single from the album. Unfortunately it all goes downhill from here....

...as we enter "Dreadful Angel" one of the songs I liked from the demo. The problem with it is that, while it was certainly novel at the time to hear a band combining progressive and symphonic metal with jazz and with such instrumental finesse, it didn't necessarily mean that these were cohesive compositions during which the listener can keep track of what is going on. In other words, the band is trying to accomplish too much in too short a time and what comes out is directionless mumbo-jumbo. There are some truly beautiful melodies here, very heavy riffs, even some blastbeats - but that doesn't save the album from drowning in its bloated pretense.

It is hard to truly enjoy anything on here save for "Blood", which is okay, but not nearly as ambitious as the rest really. "To-mera" has a ridiculous amount of talent per capita but they need to work on songwriting.

It seems churlish to criticise Transcendental, it isn't a bad album - in fact it is a very good album, and To-Mera are an impressively talented group, their playing is faultless. Sheppard's keyboards are some of the best you'll hear in progressive metal, especially when he is going all classical and jazzy on the piano (acoustic and electric).

Barrett's bass does everything required to hold everything together while Pirisi on drums provides the rhythms and tribal-influenced percussion with a lot more self-control than some Prog-Metal drummers I could mention, never reduced to just hitting everything in his kit, he switches styles and rhythms to dramatic affect (notably on the track Parfum). MacLean's guitar work is expressive, with crisp riffs that never completely drown a song and enhance the Barrett/Pirisi rhythm section perfectly, while his solos are tight and musical without being flashy. This is not a band playing apart, competing against each other, they work as a unit and when it works, it works great. This just leaves Kiss on vocals. She can sing that is without question, and in the main her vocals fit well with the music, but her pitch is a little high for my personal tastes on some tracks here (the chorus of Obscure Oblivion for one) so she often gets lost in the stratosphere while the rest of the band are cruising around in the lower atmosphere.

Yet after owning this for several months now it still doesn't sit very well on my CD player - whenever it finishes it always leaves me feeling as if I've missed something. Unfulfilled even. The problem for me is that there is far too much going on, there are just too many chops and changes, too many influences and styles all vying for attention that it becomes hard work. Admittedly, this is improving with time as I become accustom to it, but I feel it will take a few more months yet to become fully comfortable. This album is an excellent addition to a Prog Metal collection because it is in the top 20% all PM out there, but it so easily could have been in the top 10% which would have made it an essential addition, so in truth 3.5-stars from me, which I have rounded up to 4.