An important rule in my book is listening to an album with an open mind and no expectations. You always have to realise that budgets, especially for independents, are limited and normally artists put their heart and soul into what they do. So even when I think something is not quite up to par, I try to find the good. Tastes differ, and what I like or do not like, might feel completely different to someone else.
With all that in mind, this album gave me a hard time. I am used to progressive metal being not the easiest thing around, and when raw male vocals are involved, that always takes me time to digest. So let’s see what is to like about this band and album. First I think they are a creative bunch with skilled musicians and a lot of ideas. The guitar and keyboard playing are class, and the rhythm section lays down a solid foundation for them to excel on.
The bad news is that I think the drum sound is quite synthetic, especially the snare drum sounds flat. The singing of Radina Dimcheva is not 100% in key, although her Gothic style is convincing. And where I said earlier they are creative, I also feel this sometimes leads to a lack of focus. Than the songs tend to become over stretched with too many things happening. Yeah, I am aware that a lot of prog metal is keen on showing off, but for me technique is a means and not the purpose.
Overall for me this needs some work, but for prog metal heads this might be the album of the year. At least give them a few listens, as I also noticed the album grew on me with every spin.
