THE WINDOW PURPOSE

It's another band from Sweden, in progressive metal vein. It's interesting to know the fact this band was originally established by drummer Marcus Losbjer and bassist and vocalist Stefan Zell and guitar player joined later. Will drums and bass become dominant factor of their music? In fact, it is NOT even though I have to admit that the drum work is really excellent but not dominant at all. Bass is also played good in this record. It could be most of them are played by Thomas Jansson as full-time player.

First time I listened to this album, I was not really attracted until I ripped the CD and put it as one of play list at my PDA MP3 player. The more I played it, it grew on me and I occasionally spun the CD. Even though the music is nothing similar with Dream Theater but it's not so far away from typical progressive metal music, this band has its own identity. Well, at least from this album alone, I can tell you how excellent the music is. The album starts elegantly with a short narration "End" (0:45) followed with excellent track "My Room" (8:04) which has heavy and rough guitar riffs. It's an interesting intro where dynamic drumming and tight bass lines combined with keyboard shot. I like when the music turns down into slower part just before the first verse rolled into the music. One noticeable thing during this transition is the bass line. The vocal enters in powerful voice, starting from mellow and it moves into crescendo and .. fabulous GROWL! Oh man . I bet even if you hate growling vocal, you would enjoy this growls by the drummer, Marcus Losbjer. It's really awesome. The music moves into high and low dynamically. On low part, there is keyboard work backed with mellow rhythm section where the keyboard melody and guitar sound like a Mike Oldfield's music. The interlude part with guitar solo is truly stunning. Well, my friends ., if you claim yourself as a prog met head, I think you will love this band to the bone! It has dynamic structure and changing moods. It's truly progressive.

"His Cold Touch" (9:42) was I thought a boring ballad but when I bear with the music, I finally found that this is an excellent epic. Yes, it starts with a mellow combination of acoustic guitar work and piano as rhythm section followed with bass and drum which bring the company of vocal work. The vocal quality of Stefan Zell is excellent both for high and register notes. At the first part of this song he sings in low register voice but as the music moves it moves into crescendo with vocal harmony of growling "This cold touch!" style combined with keyboard work that demonstrates symphonic nuance. I do enjoy this track especially on the high point where growling is added. It's so powerful!! At approx minute 5 the music turns into a transition that reminds me to the avant-garde style and then the music moves into next level with guitar solo and changing tempo. Oh my God .. it's so brilliant!

"Leaving Yesterday" (7:11) reminds me to typical art rock music with its electric guitar fills followed with a music which moves into vocal work, inserted with female vocal work. The duet vocals bring the music into high notes in a beautiful way. The music style is medium tempo with some high register vocal notes. "Towards Loss" (5:55) starts with keyboard and bass work followed with heavy guitar riffs that bring the music into energetic composition with keyboard as filler and guitar is played in heavy riffs. The vocal enters with nice growling. It's really nice!

"Coma" (7:25) is another excellent track that favors most of progressive metal lover due to its energetic style, heavy guitar riffs and dynamic rhythm section, followed with growling vocal at intro part. "Release" (2:12) is a short tune with piano as rhythm section followed with acoustic guitar which serves as main melody fills. It's an instrumental track that does not represent a progressive metal vein at all. "Post Life" (5:57) can be considered as a ballad.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to any progressive music collection. Fans of progressive metal will love this album. Keep on proggin' ..!

Do you want to discover the perfect mix between Pain of Salvation and Dream Theater? Then, The Window Purpose is your album...

Thanks to the marvellous production, this record sounds just great... Oliver Phillips and Christian Moos, both part of the band Everon, are also producers... They have their own studio, where they produce other bands apart from Everon. And Wolverine is one of these bands... And they are really really good! This is the only album I've heard from them, but surely I will hear more in a near future, because I'm really impressed with the quality of this debut.

The Window Purpose is not really original. Like I said, if you take some of the riffs and the keyboard sound (specially the Kevin More's one...) from Dream Theater, and you mix it with some of the Pain of Salvation ambiences and melancholy, you'll get something similar to this album... Nevertheless, I think that Wolverine have enough personality to make this album recognisable and original. Like the electronic elements they sometimes use (have the members of Riverside heard this album? I'd swear they have) and the use of the drummer's growls... This growls are specially cool, because they are used like an emotional and expressive weapon. They are really appropiate, specially to give strenght to some choruses!

In the choruses, the Oliver Phillip's voice is also hearable (Leaving Yesterday, His Cold Touch, Toward Loss...), and together with the female's guest voclas, they give the album a lot of vocal richness... Of course, thanks too to the pretty good Stefan Zell vocals, who sounds powerful and inspired the whole record through. His voice is deep and expressive, but sometimes he surprises with some nice high- pitched shouting! The rest of the musicians are also competent... The rythmic section is not spectacular, but they make their work really well. The guitars are rich and variated (I absolutely enjoy some parts...), and so are the keyboards: I LOVE the keys in every song! Specially in Coma and Toward Loss... I really don't know where Wolverine took this keyboardist called Andras Baglien, but he's a really talented guy!

I'm still impressed with the keyboards in Toward Loss and Coma...

Comments of the re-release version: apart from a renowed artwork (wich is really beatiful...), the re- release in Earache Records has a ten minute long track called Again! I recommend its listening, because is really good... I think the instrumental developement is great, and some parts are really hard, almost extreme metal. It even surpases some of the tracks of the album!

Best songs: His Cold Touch (the initial guitar melodies are just fantastic... And so are the lyrics, really touching), Leaving Yesterday (marvellous chorus for a semi-ballad, vocally stunning...), Toward Loss (it start very Dream Theater-like... But then comes the growls mised with the clean vocals, to make a original and different track), Coma (stunning beginning... And the best solos in the album, specially the first one) and Post-Life (Stefan sings his best here... And it's a really proper ending) But honestly speaking, I think this album has no flaws. I just can't mention one weak track in The Window Purspose!

Conclusion: if this album was a bit more original, I would given it five stars... But the evident similarities with Dream Theater and Pain of Salvation, give some sensation of déjà-vu to the experienced prog-metal listener. Nevertheless, the quality of this music is really high, and so is the luxurious production and the instruments playing. So if you like melancholic prog-metal... I just can say that this is one of the best album from this style I've ever heard, despite it has some lack of originality.

My rating: ****

"The Window Purpose" is the debut full-length studio album by swedish progressive metal act Wolverine. The album was released through DVS Records in November 2001. The 2005 Earache Records reissue features a different cover artwork, an improved sound production and an additional 10 minutes long track titled "Again!".

Wolverine apparently started life as a melodic death metal band which can be heard a few times on "The Window Purpose". The music is very influenced by the softer more melodic Dream Theater and especially early- to mid nineties Fates Warning. They do have their own sound even though the influences are clearly heard. Their death metal past is nowhere to be found in the instrumental side of the music but there are occasional semi-growling vocals on the album that tell the story of a band that started out playing a more extreme style of music. The semi-growling vocal delivery is something I could have done without though. Not because I don´t like growling but drummer Marcus Losbjer who growls on the album is not a very convincing growler. It sounds powerless and tame. He simply doens´t sound like he means it. It´s a minor complaint though and fortunately "The Window Purpose" features lots of great parts and quality clean vocals.

The music is pre-dominantly softer progressive metal with lots of non distorted guitar parts. The only really heavy riff appears in the track "Coma" and it´s only an element among others in that song. The whole album is of high quality but "My Room" needs a mention as one of the highlights with it´s very Fates Warning like off-beat drumming. Stefan Zell is an excellent singer and with his beautiful clean vocal delivery the tracks come to life. The musicianship is generally very strong though. One other asset is the well sounding production.

"The Window Purpose" might not be the most original sounding progressive metal album out there, but if you enjoy progressive metal which emphasize melody and only secondly complexity, "The Window Purpose" is a recommendable listen. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

I'd recommend any of WOLVERINE's first three studio albums.They play melodic and at times dark, heavy and atmospheric Prog-Metal. Interesting that on the first two albums they deal with the subject of abuse.Their second record "Cold Light Of Monday" deals with a woman and an abusive relationship, while this one (their debut) is about a man's personal struggles in dealing with his abuse as a child.

It begins with "End" which brings us to this man's funeral after he has committed suicide.The wind is blowing and a Preacher is gving a few words. "My Room" brings us to the beginning where the boy was the object of abuse. It kicks in heavily before settling a minute in as Stefan Zell starts to sing. It kicks in again before 2 minutes as these contrasts continue. I really like the way this sounds both the dark atmospheric sections and the heavy riffs with passionate vocals. Great sound 4 1/2 minutes as it kicks in again. Nice guitar and some powerful synths. "His Cold Touch" has some heart-breaking lyrics about the fear and loneliness that this boy experienced. "And though he fears his father's eyes, that's nothing compared to the cold touch of his hands".This song starts off mellow with reserved vocals with outbursts of power in contrast. Amazing sound before 5 minutes with the synths and heavy undercurrent as the guitar starts to solo over top. Growly vocals follow in anger. It's actually uplifting before 9 minutes then it turns sad and dark. It ends with piano. An absolutely fantastic track ! "..." is an instrumental of intricate guitar and drums. Gorgeous.

"Leaving Yesterday" is when he's older and has met a woman and falls in love. This sounds more positive and uplifting.The vocals sound really good and we get some female vocals helping out too. Piano 4 1/2 minutes in with tender vocals.This song reminds me of PAIN OF SALVATION. "Towards Loss" is him dealing with everyday life, trying to forget his past but losing the battle and losing his love in the process. Love how this sounds when it kicks in, it reminds me of FATES WARNING a little. The synths are great. Growly vocals come in revealing how frustrated he is. Clean vocals follow. I really like the heavy sections in this song. "The Storm Inside" has lyrics like: "Like a raging storm, my past keeps coming on. Like a thousand daggers, my memories pierce me. My body and soul unite in pain." The music is dark and heavy with powerful synths. It settles with vocals before 2 minutes. Growls 4 1/2 minutes in. Killer guitar after 6 minutes. Great tune ! "Coma" is where he's kept alive by a machine in the hospital after an attempted suicide. It deals with his thoughts as he lies there helpless. Lots of atmosphere in this one. It gets pretty intense though after 5 minutes. I like the synths that follow. Lots of bottom end here. "Release" is where he dies. It's a short instrumental of piano, strummed guitar and drums. A peaceful track. "Post Life" deals with the letter his love finds after he's gone. Strummed guitar and reserved vocals. An absolutely beautiful soundscape 2 1/2 minutes in as it gets fuller. Powerful stuff.

A meaningful and emotional album that I hope will help someone get through their personal storm.