Of course the violin is an instrument that is no stranger to progressive rock / metal. Think Kansas, David Cross or Apocalyptica. Let alone all arrangements involving orchestrated music.
Ally the Fiddle is a band around classically trained violinist and singer Ally Storch. For Ally, progressive means spinning things around. So expect prog rock and metal, but don’t be surprised to hear parts beyond that. A dash of fusion here or a bit of folk there, etc.
Opening track Sisyphos is an up tempo melodic track with multi layered vocals and the violin adding all kinds of extra’s. The song is expanded with an instrumental section full of breaks and solos, adding the metal to it. Aphotic Zone continues in that mould, going from gentle to fierce and back. Solos are exchanged between violin and guitar. The choices of tones in the melodies do create a jazzy sense to the track. But the metal guitars keep you grounded. The title for The Bass Thing suits the song well as the bass gets a leading role, supported by the rest of the musicians. Well, with a bass player as well as a chapman stick player in the band, you do get the chance to expand.
Because of the 6 instrumentalists in the band, there was no need to add keyboards…
Overall the album is more melodic than you might expect. Of course there are lots of instrumental parts and solos, but a lot of those keep an eye on melody as well.
Nice album to get to know the band (even when this is their second album) and certainly a band that manages to add a fresh colour to the densely populated prog scene.
