ONE SMALL VOICE

I was quite surprised when I heard this album recently. I though One Small Voice was released in the mid 90´s or later and the band was one of those so called melodic power metal groups of that era. The high pitched vocals, the epic keyboards, the fine melodies (with some obvious AOR influences) were typical of the style. But they did it all many years before, in a time you either had thrash metal bands (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth) or hard rock/glam outfits (Guns ´N Roses, Motley Crüe, Bon Jovi). Along with few others, they were quite ahead of their time and it may explain why this CD didn´t make it. A real pity.

This CD is a collection of fine power metal tunes much in the vein of Queensryche and Fates Warning´s best stuff. Steve Benito even had a vocal style very similar of that of Queensryche´s legendary Geoff Tate, which is a good thing, since the music is quite demanding in that field. Even if the songs themselves are not that much progressive, they were nevertheless quite inventive and innovative for the period. Even the apparently disastrous choice to cover such classic tune like Paul Simon´s The Sound Of Silence is successful here, giving the all too familiar radio sample a powerful arrangement that is respectful to the original melody and message. All 11 tracks are of the same quality and there are absolutely no fillers. Production is ok for 1989.

If you´re into melodic power metal with lots of personality you should not miss this CD. Rating: four strong stars.