OBLIVIOUS TO THE OBVIOUS

This band really surprised me. Based on other reviews I was expecting basic vanilla prog metal, in some cases there's truth behind that, but I believe that this is some solid progressive metal music. It took a few listens for the album to sink in, once it did I appreciated the album a lot more.

Musically HOURGLASS has their own style. It's progressive metal with neat song structures and instrumental parts. The bass is audible throughout the album, which I really value in progressive metal music. A few notable mentions for songs from this album are "38th Floor" and the title track "Oblivious to the Obvious".

"38th Floor" is at times peaceful, atmospheric, funky, and has the typical heaviness associated with progressive metal. It's a solid song and can be considered an epic (20+ min) and is one of the best from the album. The bass guitar is very good on this song, and the melodies are catchy.

"Oblivious to the Obvious" is the title track and 30+ min epic that ties the album together. It's a solid piece of music similar to "38th Floor" and has multiple parts. The progression in this track is neat as it plays through its five parts. Musically it might be the most diverse on the album, though "38th Floor" is also similar in that regard.

Nearly a 140 minute long double album, it may be a tad too long in duration for some, but I like having that much music accessible in one album, and it honestly goes by fairly quickly. This was a good find, and I recommend it to any fan of progressive metal.