MATERIA

This was an interesting, melodic, and easy to digest prog-metal title. I was quite impressed with the overall mood and sound of the music, dark, drifting, ethereal, without the crushing excess of other metal bands. The lyrics are expressive and poetic. The cover art perfectly sets the mood for the music within. They manage to create a medatative trance-like state that carries through many of the songs, and this may annoy those looking for manic shifts and wailing solos, but that also means that Materia may be a good choice for non-Metal folks looking to dip their toe in the water. This is not an album that will scare off anyone and in fact could be described as quite lovely although definately somber. 3.5 stars.