FEEDFORWARD

Accessible, melody oriented progressive metal with plenty of space for the voice of lead vocalist Patrice to soar is what Feedforward has to offer on their second full length production "Upstream". An album I suspect will strike a chord amongst those fond of refined heavy metal just as much as those who tend to like the most accessible varieties of progressive metal.

Not very long after their debut album was released, Feedforward dropped me a note telling me that their singer Biejanka had left the band. She was moving to Finland with her boyfriend and her powerful voice, leaving the band behind looking for a new singer. After looking for a mail singer for a couple of months, the band decided to stick with femal vocals when Patrice auditioned for them. A wonderful choice, it turned out...

Where the first album, Barefoot and Naked, contained a lot of power, show casing the vocals of Biejanka and the musicianship of the individual band members on tracks that would always remind me of another band (Savatage, Dream Theater, Rush), Upstream takes a different approach. The power is still there, and even though Patrice has a quite different voice from Biejanka's, both ladies remind me of Anneke van Giersbergen, the music is much more... well, Feedforward. This means we get powerful riffs, nice guitar and keyboard solos and lots of changes in tempo, rhythm and volume without ever loosing the feeling that we are listening to a single track, or a single album.

This is a metal album of the kind where every instrument is allowed to contribute to the melody - maybe with the exception of the drums, but even Pi tries sometimes. The mid section of the long closing track For Now may be the best example of that. Guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals each go their own way, but stay together at the same time. This track really requires a couple of listens to hear everything.

Similarly, songs like Relevant, Deepest Thoughts and Promises have their own intricacies, where the latter is probably the only track where I really had reflections of another band. Somehow, I have the feeling that guitarist Mario is quite fond of Iron Maiden - the guitar work is on par with what Adrian Smith and Dave Murray did on The Trooper, yet the solo is 100% Feedforward.

After listening to the album on and off for a couple of weeks, I can only conclude that Feedforward has grown in the past 4 years, and hopefully a third album will follow. This band deserves more than a listen from those who enjoy female fronted progressive metal.

Last time, I rounded off 3.5 stars to 3, this time I'm inclined to round up to 4, with the notion that it would then mean Excellent addition to any prog metal music collection

In this case almost literally, given that Feedforward is based in Tilburg, some 30 kilometers from where I live. A progressive metal band, with a female vocalist and a lot of potential. On this album the band choose to include 10 quite varied tracks, making it a real show case debut album. A little bit more consistency in style between the selected tracks may appeal to some listeners, for me this variety was more than enjoyable. Straight from the opener Fade Away it is clear that this is not just another Dutch Within Temptation or After Forever clone. Feedforward vocalist Bianca (Biejanka) has a very powerful voice and she knows how to use it against the force her four gang members sometimes throw at her. That power really shows from that same first track. A piece with an 'ear catching' keyboard intro and a three minute instrumental break that (maybe because of the piano) reminded me of Streets era Savatage, while near the end the guitar and keyboards make clear that Dream Theater has been heard of as well. After this strong opener, the listener is treated to the differing sounds of Run the Race - again with Savatage influences, but also an interesting vocal effect experiment, the power metal tracks Crossing the Line and Innocense right to 143. This track, which a real metal opening riff, a male/female vocal dialogue and powerful keyboard and guitar interplay, could very well be the most progressive of the album, and it gets better on every listen. My personal favourite. After this it's time to cool of, with the piano ballad Our Sky (what a voice - the Feedforward guys are lucky The Gathering didn't come after Biejanka when Anneke left). In between this balled and the closing track Stop To Think, the band shows their view on symphonic progressive metal, in three consecutive tracks. Of this trio, Silent is easily my favourite and overall a close second to earlier 143. It beats the very well done instrumental Moving by a hair, even though as a Rush fan I really enjoy the YYZ-like drum fills near the end in that one.

All in all, I like this debut album a lot. Compared to other bands, the band has made a great start, but as with any first effort there's room for improvement. Crossing The Line might have been more powerful if it was a little shorter (less repetitive), the bass could've been a bit more forward in the mix on Stop to Think, and I could list a few other small things. Nothing big though.

As for the scales we apply on this site, this album is not a masterpiece, nor a necessary addition to a random prog (metal) collection. It's getting close though according to my book, and if I could give half a star extra for the package quality and the artwork (what's the story behind the cover photograph?) it would be theirs. Now it's 3 stars only, but 3.5 would have fit better. A must listen for any prog metal fan - even if only once.