STRANGER IN THE MIRROR

I was none too fussed with the first Sleepwalker Sun album and in fact my disappointment was such that I shelved my copy of ''Stranger In The Mirror'' until finally listening to it today. In comparison with the slightly dull experience of their debut, ''Stranger In The Mirror'' is a major step forward for this Brazilian prog-metal band. The main issue I had with their first release was the rather nasal intonation of Giana Araújo's vocals, although that problem seems less evident on this disc; her voice doesn't grate on me here the way it did on the debut. They've also cranked the song writing up a notch or two with the megalithic title-track being an obvious highlight.

The band's strength remains its musicianship though; all tracks are full of motion and activity, with Luiz Alvim's shimmering Mellotron seemingly radiating from every track. This release should have strong appeal for fans of symphonic prog, especially those who like it on the heavy side. I don't know whether I'm simply a blockhead or if I need a bite of a reality sandwich, but I don't think there's a great deal of metal on offer here. No matter how Sleepwalker Sun are categorised I'm surprised to see that ''Stranger In The Mirror'' has only garnered one review so far. Anyway, it's the business and it doesn't deserve to be banished to obscurity so hopefully some readers will at least visit the band's website to check out their mp3 samples.