Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
Overhead - Metaepitome CD (album) cover

METAEPITOME

Overhead

 

Crossover Prog

3.91 | 130 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

erik neuteboom
Prog Reviewer
4 stars Three years after their debut CD entitled Zumanthum (from 2002) this Finnish band came up with this successor. I read many positive reviews and stories about Overhead so I was very curious to this new CD. Let's analyse it song by song.

1. Metaepitome (19:40): This long titletrack starts with acoustic gutiar and melancholic vocals, then a mellow eruption featuring Floydian slide guitar and pleasant keyboards like organ and the Fender Rhodes electric piano sound. The dreamy climate is wonderfully coloured by majestic violin-Mellotron waves, followed by compelling bombastic prog delivering powerful organ. Then we can enjoy a varied and tasteful 'progrock stew': an exciting break with propulsive guitar chords (between Pink Foyd and early Twelfth Night), a fiery guitar solo with howling licks, a sensational synthesizer solo, a piece with metal riffs and sparkling piano, classical piano and dreamy vocals, soaring Mellotron with fragile piano play, concluded with the sound of the intro: twanging acoustic guitar and warm vocals. What a way to start an album, such an alternating and tasteful progrock!

2. Warning: Ending (7:56): This track sounds totally different from the first! First slow, then more and more compelling featuring swirling flute play. Suddenly the climate shifts to cheerful delivering modern progrock inspired music. In between some pieces with classical piano and dreamy vocals. A very varied and surprising one!

3. Point Of View 5:17: This composition is build upon very compelling, beautifully build-up guitar soli (from sensitive with volume-pedal to howling and fiery), supported by lush organ, wonderful!

4. Butterfly's Cry (7:03): A swinging rhythm featuring flute, powerful bass guitar and fluent organ waves. Again it sounds modern, far away from the mainstream progrock but still progressive. In the end a spectacular synthesizer solo, a nice musical idea.

5. Arrival Of The Red Bumblebee 2:16: A short, instrumental piece delivering sensitive piano and soft Mellotron waves, very mellow in comparison with the other tracks.

6. Down 16:22: The final song is a pleasant mix of many musical styles, again far away from the maintream progrock but for sure it sounds progressive! The keyboards are electronically inspired, the guitar howls, the rhythm-section is propulsive and the vocals contain a melancholical undertone. Very tasteful but so different from the first track, almost another band!

I needed a few turns to get into Overhead their music, not every song is my cup of tea but to me Overhead sounds like a fresh and inspired progrock band. If you are up to their varied sound, this musical chameleon will delight you!

erik neuteboom | 4/5 |

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Share this OVERHEAD review

Social review comments () BETA







Review related links

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.