SCARDUST

To be fair, I was not a big fan of Tantibus II when Strangers was first released, but I ended up loving the entire album. Same thing for Avenged Sevenfold's album, Life Is but a Dream... from earlier this year, which their single "Nobody" did not do it for me, but I ended up really liking the album and the song felt well placed in the context of the album. The Game of Now has grown on e a little since the music video first aired, but it does still seem a bit too "poppy" for me, despite this kind of being the band's thing. The band does embrace their alternative side here (I may even go as far as calling it a straight up alt metal song, which may be why I don't like it too much) and the song reminds me of "Under" from Strangers, which was one of the low points of that album.

What I do like here, however, is the new mastering engineer, Robin Schmidt. My biggest complaint from Strangers was the poor mastering job from Jens Bogren. The dynamic range was reduced and the album felt too compressed. Robin's master here really compliments Yonaton Kossov's great mixing work, and the song doesn't feel so constricted under a loss of DR - it feels natural and smooth.

Overall, mediocre start to the song, and decent ending. Good engineering value. I hope it fits well in the album. Scardust is at their best when they embrace their wanky side, and their worst when they embrace their conventional side.

The only weakness on "Sands of Time" is the occasional growling vocals. They're a nuisance. Fortunately they're not terribly frequent.

My version of the CD includes a bonus track, "Mist," an acoustic demo from 2019.

I'm tempted to compare them to Nightwish or Epica, due to the female vocalist, but Scardust is more progressive than either of those bands. A better comparison is somewhere between Dream Theater and late-era Therion.

This is very close to being a masterpiece. Highly recommended for progressive metal fans. 4.5 stars.

Let me preface by saying that Israel has a very strong progressive metal scene, and it's quite distinguishable, too as many of the bands have influenced one another separately from the larger European and American prog scenes, due to the country's isolation from them. It's similar to how Japan's progressive metal scene has a very distinct sound due to the country's distance from Europe/America. Many Israeli artists work closely with each other, and it's a very tightly knit group of musicians with a local fanbase small enough that the artists often recognize their fans by name/appearance - metal is still quite underground in Israel. With that said, Scardust really seems to be leading the pack at the moment, and this is especially noticeable now due to their recent performance at Wacken. While Orphaned Land is still Israel's largest metal act, they're in a whole different ballpark as the rest of the prog metal in the country, predating the majority of them and actually acclaiming mainstream (by metal standards) success and playing a different style of prog (although even they seem to be heading in the same direction as the rest of the Israeli underground prog scene), but I digress. With Scardust, they epitomize the eclectic theatrical sound for which Israeli prog is known.

Think "Disney metal;" I've heard people call them that before - very upbeat and theatrical with a wide array of influences in a cohesive, yet diverse package. What Scardust has that other Israeli prog metal acts haven't seemed to quite develop yet is refinement - that is a completely polished and confident sound that belongs to them, and them alone.

Edit - 2023 revision: Speaking of "Disney metal," well, well, well... I have just the surprise for any proghead Disney fan :) You can thank me later: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7lS9VQ7840&t=0s

The brains of Scardust largely belong to Noa Gruman and Orr Didi, both classically trained musicians who studied together at performing arts school. Noa claims to have been singing since before she began speaking, and from the beginning of the band's career Noa has proven to be quite a special singer, with many fans comparing her to the greats, such as Floor Jansen (under whom she studied for a while) and Simone Simons. Orr Didi, on the other hand, has been called a musical genius by many people with whom he has worked, including but not limited to Patty Gurdy, who makes an appearance on this album (more about that below). While Orr mostly handles the compositions, Noa mostly handles arrangements and lyrics, with input from other band members of course.

Now for some background information about the album. In 2017 Scardust completed their crowdfunding campaign for their debut album Sands of Time and recorded it and released it in the same year (and I was fortunate enough to attend the release concert as I was interning at an Israeli company that summer). This album was met with a very strong reception. In 2018, they promised to release an album within the next year, however, due to an intense touring schedule in 2019, they couldn't finish the recording before the end of the year. In 2019, they met Patty Gurdy and went on tour with her in the UK. During this period Noa and Patty would form a tight friendship with one another which would lead to them working together on various projects, and coincidentally, they both made an appearance on Ayreon's album Transitus and Alestorm's album Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum. While the compositions and majority of the recording was done in 2019, including but not limited to Noa's trip to the UK to record a children's choir (she claims her flight was only $30 from Tel Aviv to England), they planned for the album to be released in early 2020, with a live show featuring Patty Gurdy to accompany it. Everyone knows what happened, however, in early 2020 with the pandemic situation. Mere days before Patty were to fly to Tel Aviv to play at the live show, record her parts of the album, and play in the music video for the song "Concrete Cages," on which she made her appearance, the flights between Israel and Germany (and the rest of the world for that matter) were cancelled and she was unable to come to Israel for the show. What she did manage to do, however, was play with Scardust live at their pre-release show in Tel Aviv via Zoom, and due to capacity limits at the venue because of the pandemic, they played a pair of shows side-by-side to accommodate all of their fans. She ended up recording her parts of the album at her home studio, while videochatting Noa, in tune to the rest of the world. It would not be until March 2022, two years later, that Patty would actually make her trip to Israel for the music video and a live show.

The Scardust members eventually had to pay for the recording of the album out-of-pocket, largely due to being unable to perform to fund it. The ironic part about all of this is that this album, "Strangers" is all about isolation and estrangement, something we all felt during these tumultuous times and a large chunk of this album had been recorded while the musicians were in isolation like the rest of the world. They were able to release the album in October of 2020, before the end of the year.

The album utilizes the musical concept of theme and variation, such that the album is based around the first musical theme with which it begins as a way to play on the theme of familiarity and estrangement. It started out as a classical piece originally recorded by Orr Didi back in 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SG-m7qXKpvE). The songs are organized in an arch form - that is the album consists of five pairs of songs and an overture. Each of these pair of songs were recorded as one long piece and separated at the end of the editing stages, then put on opposite ends of the album to create a familiar sounding second half of the album, as a way to keep better the listeners' attention. The album, therefore, may be listened to the way it is, or the songs could be listened in their pairs.

The pairs are organized as such:

Break the Ice............................................................................(Mist)

.....Tantibus II...............................................................(Addicted).....

..........Stranger...............................................................(Gone)..........

...............Concrete Cages.......................................(Huts)...............

....................Over................................................(Under)....................

....................Under................................................(Over)....................

...............Huts.......................................(Concrete Cages)...............

..........Gone..............................................................(Stranger)..........

.....Addicted..............................................................(Tantibus II).....

Mist............................................................................(Break the Ice)

Therefore, if you notice similarities between the songs within each pair, that was done deliberately. It is especially noticeable, in my opinion, with the Concrete Cages/Huts opus. I actually recommend listening to the album in both its official release order, first, and to each pair of songs as pairs, second. I think it helps enhance the experience.

Strangers is very modern sounding progressive metal album. It has a somewhat thick and layered guitar sound with fairly groovy riffs. The album uses a lot of modern classical, as well as other styles of western classical music, such as baroque, to create a very fanciful and sophisticated sound, that isn't as prevalent on prog today as it was 20 years ago. In this regard, despite the modern sound and production, Strangers takes us back to the era when classical-driven progressive metal reigned king. The largest influences at play here are obviously Symphony X, with the occasional neoclassical metal riffage and classical-oriented progression (as pointed out above), and Dream Theater, with very distant power metal roots and heavy use of pianos and occasional foray into avant-garde territory. I've heard people compare "Strangers" with Rush's "Moving Pictures," and I would agree with that due to similarities with the synthesizer/keyboard and bass. With the more modern sound of this album, Amaranthe comparisons may also be made due to the variety in the vocals (provided by a single woman, no less), and the pop sensibilities - especially on the song "Gone." I suppose Arch Enemy could also be a distant influence here, as well. As mentioned below, this album even crosses into Unexpect territory.

Now for the review:

"Strangers" is the best progressive metal album I'd heard in 10 years, since Israel's very own Orphaned Land released "The Never Ending Way of ORwarriOR" in 2010. "Strangers" is cohesive and refined, yet eclectic and ambitious, while creating a brand new sound for itself that melds old school prog with modern prog. And when I say prog I mean progressive metal, not this pseduo-prog pro; that seems to be oh so common nowadays (which isn't necessarily bad, per say). The album showcases elements of celtic folk music, funk, modern classical, jazz, avant-garde metal, amongst other styles, wrapped within its progressive and symphonic metal exterior. All of these elements are brightly displayed in the opening overture.

Every member of the band here shines at one point or another. While many people would call Noa the star of the show, I personally would give that accolade to both Itai Portugaly's keyboard playing and Yanai Avnet's bass playing. How often is it that a band actually puts their bass player at the forefront of the mix? Scardust does and I love actually being able to hear what the bass player is doing. and on this album, he's doing some incredible things. The song "Gone," gives each member of the band a solo in which their strengths are sharply showcased. Noa, of course, showcases the variety of styles she can sing (in rapid succession at that). Yoav displays his ability to play polyrhythms with syncopation and provide a solid foundation for the band to play in odd time-signatures. Yadin displays his incredible virtuosity and ability to play with speed and style (his playing is distinct enough that I could recognize that he was the guitarist on Tillian's album "Lotus Graveyard"). Yanai displayed, also, his virtuosity, but also how well he can play grooves yet retaining a unique sound. Itai displays his incredibly dynamic and eclectic style that allows the band to be as diverse and multifaceted as they are, here. And by diverse and multifaceted, I mean I can make a dozen or so Unexpect comparisons here.

Lyrics on the other hand, are a bit harder with which to resonate. They are, in very Israeli style, not exactly... well subtle. Quite in your face, actually. I suppose for many European listeners, this may not be as much of a problem as we in the Anglosphere will perceive them. Due to the lyrical themes, which are nothing original - we've all heard the "we are isolated," etc. motif before - and can come across as cringeworthy, but if you're like me and don't care as much about the lyrics as the music itself, it's not so much of a problem as it just does not maximize the potential the band has to offer here. My only real complaint with the singing is the five seconds of rapping Noa does in "Over" and the fact that Noa is maybe a bit too technical and sometimes sounds like she's on autotune (and knowing Noa, she'll likely take that as a compliment), and we know she is not.

Unlike most prog (as mentioned above), nowadays, the songs here do not meander much, except for the tracks "Over" and "Under" which I think are the weakest points of the album.

The only true problem for me on the album is the mastering. While the Yonatan Kossov's mixing is very good - it's dynamic, clear, and the instruments stand out well, especially the bass, as pointed out above - I'm not a fan of how loud the mastering is. I've never been a fan of Jens Bogren, who provides the mastering here. Frankly, I wish most bands would stop hiring him as I feel he masters the music way too loud and as a result, they lose their dynamic range and becomes muddy and unclear. This is definitely the case here. At times, the music just seems needlessly loud and the otherwise great production job seems buried under the mediocre overlay that Jens has created here. This album clocks in at a DR of 7, which is better than a lot of other albums in this genre, but it still does sound a bit muddy at times (even Symphony X's "V - The New Mythology Suite," which is a very comparable album to this one, only has a DR of 6, yet somehow sounds better than "Strangers") - the best way to describe it, I suppose, is that the sound feels like it got constrained and can't project itself as well as it should; however, it is not as bad as Orphaned Land's "Unsung Prophets and Dead Messiahs" (which shares Hellscore as its choir [conducted by Noa herself] with "Strangers") which was actually mixed by Jens Bogren. With "Strangers" I absolutely can tell that the album was mastered by him due to his trademark sound, which I dislike.

Overall, this album is somewhere between a 4.0 and 5.0 - an easy 5.0 if not for the iffy mastering work here. While the tracks on their own aren't as incredible as the album as a whole, the cohesiveness of the album earns it extra points. Due to the fresh air this album breathes, and the impeccable musicianship here, I am giving it a 5.0 rating, despite the master from Jens DR 6 Bogren.

Ultimately, this album is a very strong recommendation for progressive metal fans, of both modern and old school. While "Sands of Time" was a tribute to Scardust's influences, combining the sound of Symphony X with Epica, predominately, "Strangers" displays the sound Scardust has crafted on their own.

While these trends dominated the mainstream of progressive metal, a new and internationally based generation of young symphonic progressive metal acts had been and continues to formulate, mostly underground. My impression of these acts so far has been underwhelming. As I have remarked in several of my previous reviews, the kids in these groups are undoubtedly talented. But rarely are they capably of anything that transcends mere imitation. "Prog" they may be, but certainly not "progressive." Scardust's latest release, Strangers, is not only the first release from this movement that I have come across to really grab my attention, but it is also one of the best progressive metal records of the last decade, period!

The music on this record combines choir and string accompaniments with a classic prog metal band format to create a fun, heavy, colorful, and larger-than-life symphonic prog sound that is at once familiar and comforting to fans of the genre but still entirely refreshing. Guitarist Yadin Moyal has the chops of Michael Romeo but the melodic and phrasing sensibilities of Brian May ? a most devastating combo of skills. Yoav Weinberg, Aaron Friedland, and Orr Didi, the group's drummer, keyboardist, and bassist respectively, each get their moment to show off their virtuosic abilities. But they are all skilled and tasteful enough to restrain their abilities for the sake of maintaining listenability and a high level of songcraft.

Of course, no review would be complete without addressing vocalist Noa Gurman's mind-blowing performance, the indisputably stand-out element of this release. In plain terms, Noa is not merely a vocalist, but an absolute acrobat. Her unrivaled control and discipline enable her to effortlessly deliver complex moving and modulating melodies without sacrificing an ounce of power and elegance. Needless to say, Noa's performance on Strangers places her right at the top of female metal vocalists performing today.

Noa is no newbie or stranger to achieving notoriety for her abilities. In 2015, her family's band earned the title "Israel's Most Musical Family" on a popular Israeli TV contest, no easy feat if you are familiar with Israel's developed and sophisticated music culture. The band's cover of Queen's "Somebody to Love" even caught the eye of US media though, admittedly, for only a fleeting moment. Noa also performed duties as the live female vocalist for Orphaned Land, Israel's most accomplished heavy metal band, progressive or otherwise. To this day, Noa continues to be a popular vocal coach for young Israeli vocalists looking to up their game.

On a personal note, I am elated to be writing this review only a few kilometers from where Sacrdust would regularly perform (pre-Covid days). I cannot to see them live as soon as circumstances permit.

1. "Overture for the Estranged" (6:34) brilliant and unusual "church choral" opening before tech/extreme metal takes over. For some reason I'm reminded of Canadians UneXpect--I think it's the chunky virtuosic Stick-like bass and frequent and unexpected twists and turns--though there is a Devy Townsend-like finish. (9.25/10)

2. "Break the Ice" (3:51) part QUEEN, part Broadway musical (Wicked and Frozen come to mind), Noa's vocals are all over the place--she's a one-person opera! Quite enjoyable and entertaining. Noa is even more impressive than I found her on the 2017 SOUL ENEMA masterpiece, Of Clans and Clones and Clowns. (9/10)

3. "Tantibus II" (3:39) again, Broadway musicals come to mind with the opening of this one--but then we get Noa's growl vocals )(one of the only women who, in my opinion, successfully present these). Great bass play. (8.75/10)

4. "Stranger" (4:10) zig-zagging metal music establishes itself first before Noa's vocals belt it out. Though the vocals are fairly straightforward metal, there are some interesting musical espositions--particularly the piano in the midsection. There are a few instances where Noa's voice convinces me that she could do a pop ballad as well or better than just about anybody on the planet. (9/10)

5. "Concrete Cages" (7:21) folk instrumentation sets a rather "smooth" prog metal with melodic riffs and chorale lead and background vocals accompanying Noa's storytelling historiography. Nice interplay between keys and bass in fifth and sixth minute soli is followed by choral finish within which Noa scats impressively. Pretty cool song. (13.5/15)

6. "Over" (6:14) muted djent with choral "ho"s and Noa's growls, and prominent appearance of Hammond organ. Transition into chest voice for the second half of the verse before choir and growl chorus. Very cool! Very militaristic. The music is full of twists and turns, with some great bass and guitar riffing in the third minute. I love the polyrhythmic passage that follows while the keys solo in an odd low whistle sound. The call and response between the two Noas (growl and chest voice) and the "Greek" "Hellscore" choir are awesome. Great almost rap/LINKIN PARK riff before choral finish. (9.25/10)

7. "Under" (4:13) torch singing jazz! I was privileged to hear a bit of this style from Noa on Of Clans and Clones and Clowns. The Broadway/Ray Charles gospel choir chorus is cool--and different (and totally unexpected). The spiritual slave-rebellion lyric seems quite in line with the music. Weird how the metal instrumentation can be almost rendered "normal"! (9/10)

8. "Huts" (3:26) some cool keyboard chord progressions anchor this prog metal song in some progginess. The Hellscore and children's choirs only take us back to the gospel feel of the previous song--but not so thoroughly. Nua's lead is so like that of something delivered by Prog Metal's female divas like Simone Simons or Floor Jansen that I think she deserves to be included in that esteemed company. (9.25/10)

9. "Gone" (4:43) great chord progression to open turns into something more like a standard classci rock song with metal instrumentation and awesome Alannah Miles/Lita Ford-like vocal. Nice melodies but really a pretty average. (8.75/10)

10. "Addicted" (5:29) back to UNEXPECT singing Broadway tunes. Perhpas not as wild and twisty-turny as UneXpect. Such a gorgeous voice when Noa goes into her head voice like she does in the beginning of the third minute. Hellscore Choir takes over and dominates the next 45 seconds before Noa rejoins. Again Noa hits some spine-chilling gorgeous notes and flurries in the fourth minute. (I think I'm in love!) Then lead guitar and piano take turns soloing over a kind of klezmer bass. Saw-synth takes the next solo before bass races to the finish to win first place! (9.25/10)

11. "Mist (3:22) gorgeous melodies, gently pacing, beuatiful singing by the amazing Noa Grumann and wonderful accents and embellishment from the use of the full choir, this is a great song--my favorite on the album. (10/10)

Total Time 53:02

Though prog metal has never been my favorite type of music, there is enough interest generated by Noa Grumann's exceptional talent and the preponderance of enjoyable melodies and diverse choral performances to keep this interesting and engaging, start to finish.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music; something to enjoy for even the most meek of prog lovers. Noa Grumann is a force!

This album has blown me away. It has the emotional force and instrumental prowess of prog power metal classics like Mind's Eye's A Gentleman's Hurricane or Kamelot's The Black Halo. I'm also reminded of Seventh Wonder's Tiara and Ayreon's The Source. It is well-composed and complex but manages to be cohesive, with tight song structures and incredibly catchy choruses. The band meddles with several musical styles and somehow pull off every single one. Musicianship is top notch. The lead guitar stands out with a wonderfully melodic style akin to Seventh Wonder and of course John Petrucci. The vocals are incredible; forceful and versatile; Noa Gruman is an amazing female metal vocalist.

There are very few week points - the lyrics have been described as a little cheesy by some reviewers (I don't notice). The growling on the song Over isn't for me, but thankfully it is used sparingly. The vocalist has a noticable Israeli accent, but utlimately just sounds exotic and adds to the band's charisma. Her enunciation is clear and, either way, I can't stop listening to her incredible performance.

Top prog metal album of 2020!

Looking at their newest release, many things have changed, but many stayed the same, which is the ideal recipe for a follow-up in my books. They still sound like themselves, still carry the same influences and musical building-blocks to composition, but there's been some boosting going on. I would say the band similarities have dimmed to some degree, allowing for their own spark to shine brighter. Their sound is better defined, arguably even more eclectic and develops an even stronger character. The technical and progressive aspects now take a turn for the more extreme, flashy and shocking approach, making this album as over-the-top as it gets when it comes to displaying virtuosity and complexity. But the counter-part, comprised of sweet, infectious melodies, hooky chorus lines and bouncy grooves is also enhanced, keeping the balance in check while the extremes push further.

On drums, we find a maelstrom of odd-times, syncopated patterns and tricky unpredictability that often throws you off, just to grab you back in by falling into clear double bass parts, grooves and headbang inducing drops. The level of detail on cymbals, strums and transitions, as well as the fluidity and cohesion to which the different ideas are fused together makes it an all-round engaging, creative and impressive structural backbone for the music. On bass and guitars, there's a tremendous back-and-forth between heaviness, melody and groove going on. At times, the bass lays down the chonk all on its own, leaving the guitar parts to go all flowery, through the lead melodies and eclectic riffage (see main riff in "Stranger"). Also, the guitar riffs have a sense of forward-movement and lightness of motion that allows the music to soar, while the bass often counter-balances that effect with a good dose of impact, expanding the soundscape on different levels. The keyboard parts are very diverse and complex, ranging from loud, fuzzy effects and fast runs (see keyboard theme in "Tantibus II") to softer, more delicate or atmospheric sounds (harpsichord effect in "Break the Ice") or piano sound, going even for a jazzy approach on some occasions (most notably in "Under").

Sounds like a lot? Well, that's before we even get to where the madness happens. Every member of this band puts up a ridiculous show when it comes to solos. Guitar, bass, keys and even drums will take turns in the spotlight, unleashing all they have to shock and impress, but will do so in a manner that doesn't disrupt the flow and continuity of the music. I feel that the energy Scardust aims for, is often so intense and exciting that this sort of shreddy, technical madness rather enhances their expressive value instead of diminishing it. And the players bring a lot of character on display, making their instruments come alive and speak through the sonic motions. It's not about the skill as such, but about exploiting it as much as possible to extract every ounce of energy and emotion you can from a song. And they interact a lot, alternating who takes the lead in order to create this back and forth dynamic in the lead sections that starts breathing life, as if you're seeing a cinematic scene with many simultaneously moving pieces. And that actually makes perfect sense given the "theatrical" tag they sometimes use to describe themselves. Of course, there are also the more tender moments. And I feel like all the elements used throughout the madness are equally put on display when the music slows down ("Break the Ice" and "Mist" are the best examples). We still have solos, complex time signatures and a lot of underlying technicality, but the aggression ceases, the details and melodies take hold and a story-like fantasy atmosphere emerges.

When the instruments themselves have so much vibrant energy bursting out of them, you need a vocalist that lives up to the hype, and Noa Gruman is just that. As with all the instruments, on vocals we also see a wide range of techniques being used from energetic rock/metal singing ("Concrete Cages", "Gone") to operatic moments ("Mist"), soft and cheesy emotions ("Break the Ice" and "Mist") all the way to rap screaming ("Under") death growls ("Over"). And once again, the variety is not used for the sake of technical display, but for bringing in the right flavour for each song. She brings an outstanding presence and charisma to the table, displaying a wide range of emotions so intensely and with such ease. And to top all that off, she also has a solo, on the song "Concrete Cages", which might be one of the most flamboyant and surprising tricks I've ever seen pulled off in a song.

The concept of "Strangers" refers to being estranged from one-another, from things you love or even from yourself, and this idea manifests itself in every detail of the music, from the sound textures to the composition and the structure of the album as a whole. It is built in a contrasting manner. It offers both raw sounds and super refined details. It feels both natural ("Huts", "Gone") and industrial or maybe even electronic to some extent ("Addicted", "Tanitbus II"). And apart from the first track, "Overture for the Estranged", which introduces all the main themes seen on the album in a medley approach, all other songs are built in pairs of 2, and separated in a symmetrical order between the first and second half of the album.

As mentioned previously, this album is as much symphonic as it is progressive. The classical influences in the composition are strongly noticeable and the use of a string quartet and lots of choirs also gives it the sound and feels it needs to truly stand as symphonic. The choirs especially do a fantastic job emphasizing the dramatic nature of the music, creating a sense of interaction with Noa's lead vocals, as well as with the string quartet and lead sections (most noticeable in "Addicted"). And as final touches, there is a children's choir on "Huts", giving a unique sense of brilliance and innocence to the song, and an amazing guest performance by Patty Gurdy (hurdy gurdy musician YouTuber) on "Concrete Cages". She offers both her voice and the sound of her unique instrument for the longest track on the record, making it into a truly epic piece and boosting that amazing contrast between raw and modern textures, with all the prog metal going on sounding so hi-fi and the gurdy getting folky, almost medieval in sound. At the end of it all, I can't even fathom how they crammed so many different influences, instruments and ideas in just over 50 minutes of music, especially balancing them out so well that it doesn't even feel tiresome or overdone. Everything fits in exactly where it should, putting together what is undoubtedly my album of the year for 2020!