BEYOND THE FRONTIER

In their debut album, the Polish art rock/metallers Hellhaven try to escape from the norm of modern progressive metal and, in some ways, achieve it.

Beyond the Frontier shows a band that is not afraid of experimenting, blending both typical and weird melodies with unconventional progressive passages. The music ranges somewhere between heavy art prog and progressive metal, most reminiscent of acts like Riverside and Pain of Salvation, utilising a plethora of low-tempo clean-guitar riffs and heavy breaks resembling to Black Symphony. The main difference with the aforementioned acts is that Hellhaven inject very theatrical elements to their music, from horror themes to operatic vocals, sometimes with more success than others. They also use movie samples and backing vocals to create their atmosphere, which at times approaches the post rock style.

The slightly-accented and, at times, exaggerated vocal lines may alienate the listener, but at the same time violins and horror-whispers may attract others. This is not a conventional mix whatsoever. Plenty of moods within the same track, plenty of ups and downs, boring moments interchange with inspired melodies and so on... This inconsistency does not help in making the album memorable but there are elements here that show big promise for a future release.

Best moments: Beyond the Frontier, Traum of Mr Twain Part 2