SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND

So far the band has released three albums and this self-titled debut came out in 2002. The album is on the short side with four tracks amounting to only 31 minutes plus however this promising band found the perfect middle ground between symphonic progressive rock and the 90s progressive metal that was still fresh in the minds of promising young talent around this time. SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND ticks off all the requirements for a stellar prog metal experience beginning with the opening "Shadow Of Fate" and ending with the near 12 minute closer "The River." This was obviously intended to be an international release as everything is in English however this band has remained somewhat obscure having been buried under a slew of similar minded bands seeking to be the next Dream Theater.

On the positive side, this band really honed its chops to become the next best thing in the world of prog rock infused metal at the turn of the millennium. Andre Fadel's keyboard playing skills are a huge part of the band's sound ranging from sensual piano rolls to hardcore synthesizer stabs syncopated to the time signature rich polyrhythms of the guitar, bass and drums. Likewise João Fadel delivers some excellent guitar playing with excellent riffing sessions as well as beautiful angelic sweeps and sizzling solos. The rhythm section of bassist Diego Porres and drummer Casimiro Araujo is no less impressive with the ability to transmogrify to quiet passages to choppy tumultuous metal outbursts at the drop fo the hat. However when it comes to this kind of prog metal it really requires a strong vocalist to take it to the next level and Diego Américo channels his best James LaBrie to bring a true Dream Theater a la "Images And Words" to life which is the album's strength and weakness.

On the negative side, The Dream Theater antics are so strong that it really seems like this album was some long lost recording session that has fallen into the woodworks and although i wouldn't go as far as calling SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND a clone. There are sure enough nods to 90s DT that they are without a doubt the strongest contributor to musical ideas present here. The third track "Memory Of A Dead" contains some of the strongest DT nods with a steady flow of progressive metal fury augmented by innovative keyboard use as well as the closing "The River" which offers a satisfying climax to an excellent album performed impeccably from beginning to end with strong instrumental interplay and excellent uplifting vocal contributions. While DT fit compositions is clearly the name of the game here, SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND still inject enough individual stamps to make this a really dynamic set of four tracks.

This is the type of album i'd usually look down upon for its reliance of musical derivation that i'm usually not too fond of but on the other hand it is also the case that SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND crafted an album that is actually more enjoyable than many of the albums from the band that inspired them. While Dream Theater had a few gems in their lengthy career, they also have had some lifeless locust shells that lacked passion with paint-by-the-numbers performances. SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND's debut on the other hand is an excellent listening experience from beginning to end that clearly adopts the DT template but then adds some joie to vivre like only Brazilians can to its sonic scaffolding and brings an emotional connection that many DT albums clearly lack. Given the outstanding performances and crafty compositions that don't outstay their welcome, i personally would rather listen to this one than an inferior DT album any day. This debut definitely invites me to explore their following albums.

Seven Side Diamond masterfully takes influences from the classic seventies up through modern prog metal, and blends them into something quite familiar, while remaining fresh and original. This is not a clone band, although many of the references to the past are quite plain. The song Shine has more than a few lyrical nods to Yes (and at least one musical one), but the song is anything but a Yes imitation.

The focal point of the album is the thirteen part Enigma, that takes the listener on a long voyage through many progscapes. To my ears, this is the finest work of prog to come out this year.

The instrumentalists are all exceptional, and singer Diego Americo has a voice that fits perfectly in the gruff metal passages, and even sounds amazing when singing in Freddie Mercury-like ranges.

I must say that this band should be a force in prog's future.

Lovely, thoroughly intricate, vigorously shining (maybe because they hail from Brazil, remember Bigorna) and I somehow can't help but get a feeling of a new Echolyn album from this Enigma. Which is not exactly an enigma, because it's album everyone can enjoy, there's nothing inaccessible, mysteriously hidden in difficult listening there.

One thing of importance, this music is heavily dominated by piano sounds, together with "lushness" of other instruments. Maybe that's not a proper term, but in this case, why not, its sound is really full, with heavy bass growling (this word fits perfectly into what the bass here is doing), occasional keyboards (they aren't as dominant as in most of other Prog acts and are because of that they appears muffled a bit) and of course, vocal work that is far from being flat and unemotional, with what sounds to me like a well sung English (not much accent, but then again, I'm not a native speaker). There are parts where acoustic guitar plays gentle intros/outros - rare, but nice. In this complex. Drums are sometimes lost in the lushness though, but they are there.

60 minutes, fine line between too short and too long of an album, because there is something like a theme, leitmotif that is used (with variations) on a few spots. Also, because of previously mentioned facts and opinions, Enigma is a very consistent album.

ProgArchives, in contrast to many other internet communities, is a very special place. With its age distribution, it has much higher average (35?) than for example gaming forums, where 20 or so would be my guess. I'm one of those younger generations, who have a disadvantage not to live in 70s (and see/hear/live it through myself). However, as I am thoroughly listening Prog for last 4 years, trying to make up for it and compensate somehow. The point of this paragraph, except the fact that it can serve as a quick study, is that I have heard quite a few hundreds of artists, with many thousands albums. The more I listen, the more sparsely I use 5 star rating. Yet here, without hesitation or a slightest doubt, I use it.

5(-), the right direction of a modern Prog ?