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French band AEGIRSON was formed back in 1996, and ince then they have released two EPs and two full length albums. "Inside" was their first ever production, and was self-released back in 1997.
The main premise of this band, at least at this stage of their development, appears to be riff and synth constructions, the former of the slow, chugging variety and the latter ranging back and forth between atmospheric, hovering textures and free flowing movements with classical music inspirations. These guys are skilled in utilizing this combination to good effect, the contrasting dark and light sounds creating a strong nerve and presence that is effective and intriguing. But it would appear that they are still searching for manners in which to utilize those themes in an effective manner on this EP.
The songs are fairly repetitive as such, with few instrumental flourishes adding variety to the proceedings. The longer compositions does feature multiple themes and a certain progressive rock aspiration, but without quite managing to crack that particular code to my ears.
Then again, the low quality mix and production might have something to say for this, especially when the instrumental performance does leave a bit to be desired it doesn't help when the technical aspects are on the weak side. Add in a lead vocalist of dubious quality to this mix and you end up with a rather strange beast. A band whose aspirations exceeds their current potential, the latter of which is partially hidden by the technical studio work.
If you have an in interest in melodic heavy metal with refined ideas performed in a not so sophisticated manner, this initial production by Aegirson is one you might want to hunt down. It's lacking in quite a few areas, but their synth and guitar combos should be an intriguing experience for those with a special interest in just such constellations even of the rest of the material might be found lacking in a lot of areas.
My rating: 45/100
Track list:
1. Insurrection 4:17
2. The Fear Inside You 7:23
3. Final Request 7:55
4. Riding Freedom 5:30
Japanese label GOHAN RECORDS is a label I'm rather unfamiliar with, but from what I can tell it's not a high profile venture, if it exist at all these days. This sampler disc from 2002 is indicated as being their first, and most likely showcase the first signings of a then newly formed label.
And the contents indicate that this is, or was, a label with a good ear for high quality artists. Kunio Suma opens the ball with a driving, energetic number, bass driven with tight drums to match, with occasional Crimsonian guitar details and subtle dramatic synth effects, with a rather original, slightly weird lead vocal on top. Next up is massA, with tribal drums and synth voices crafting a hypnotic new age tinged mood, with an elegant melancholic emulated sax solo added in as the track settles. Magritte Voice follows, and after an initial tribal-tinged, new age inspired opening, their chosen track evolves into a richly arranged venture with melodic, dreamladen female vocals on top. Sophisticated dream pop a probable stylistic description, not too far away from mid 1990's Bel Canto - for those familiar with this Norwegian band. And finally there's Masumi Hisano, and his chosen creation takes a sharp left turn into avantgarde territories. Rich arrangements with a plethora of challenging features, with a hovering Mellotron wash and intense electronic bass and rhythms as constant effects, while instrument bursts in general and brass ons in particular come and go amidst darker synth surges and jazzy piano motifs.
But as intriguing as ale of these artists appears to be, this sampler disc has one fatal flaw: All of the tracks are excerpts, cut short at around the three minute mark. So while these compositions all appear rather tantalizing and inviting, we don't really know how much so they are. We just know that the first three minutes shine, and rather brightly so. And due to that I can't really recommend this sampler disc either. If you can get it for free it's well worth having by all means, but as a potential purchase it's without much worth. Except, possibly, for the avid, specialized collector.
Not rated.
Track list:
1. Kunio Suma: Watashi No Kokoro Wa Donarundesuka? (Where Will My Heart Go?) 2:12
2. massA: Sahara 3:03
3. Magritte Voice: Fatal Existence 2:55
4. Masumi Hisano: Coelacanth 3:13
Dual Experience is a joint effort from French bands FATAL and STRANGULATION, an EP's worth of material that in this case features three tracks from both bands. As with most such productions I suspect that there are two reasons for such a collaborative effort: To split the costs, and to get the material to be heard by a larger crowd. Both reasons important for many bands.
The opening three cuts are provided by Strangulation in this case, and to my ears they are not that successful. To my ears appearing as a second rate version of early Possessed, with dark growling vocals lurking beneath staccato riff barrages and aggressive drums aplenty. All songs have their fine moments, brief transitions with nifty guitar details made with a great degree of care, but the songs as such and the general level of performance does leave a bit to be desired. There's talent there, but at this stage a rough and raw one that needs a fair amount of polish, at least to my ears.
French band FATAL are slightly more impressive. Their staccato riff barrages and shouted intense vocals are closer to a band like Nuclear Assault in style, albeit without quite as many hardcore references as the rather more well know US act. These French guys do know how to put pace and intensity to good use however, they know how to use impact riffs to good effects and add subtle alterations in pace and tone to the guitar riffs for further variation. The drummer and bassist both appears to handle performance skills outside of the basic ones, without ever really shining, but by and large this adds up to three decent performances, and surprisingly enough the last and longest of these, Les Sept Epees, is the one that impress the most. Perhaps due to the band taking on multiple themes on this piece, and does so with a fair degree of success too.
In sum "Dual Experience" isn't that much of an impressive production, but it does document the early stages of two different bands, and to my ears documents quite nicely why one of them - at least to my knowledge - hasn't released any official albums while the other one does indeed have a few full length productions to their name by now. Borderline thrash/death metal is perhaps the best description to give the the style of music explored, and if you're interest in these styles is in depth you might want to add this disc to your collection. If you can get it at a reasonable cost.
My rating: 50/100Track list:
1. Strangulation: Mercenary
2. Strangulation: Purge
3. Strangulation: Evicerate
4. Fatal: Conscience
5. Fatal: Exutoir
6. Fatal: Les sept épées
French band THALIA was formed in 1985, and during the next 15 years they would release a handful or so of demo tapes in addition to two official productions. The EP "Reign of Philosophy" from 1998 was the first of these.
The name of the game for this French quartet appears to have been traditional heavy metal, with a certain emphasis on melody and frequently bordering more of a hard rock expression. In addition it seems that they aspired towards implementing features of a more sophisticated manner, at least of this EP is representative of their output.
The most striking feature is the lead vocals by Fabrice Emmanuel however. His voice is rich and soulful, and combined with a powerful delivery his performance becomes something of a trademark feature. In timbre and delivery he comes across as a powerhouse version of pop vocalist Seal, although with a distict French accent. Mixed on top of the instrumentation, and due to that it is the lead vocals that carry this album. For better or worse. For better on opening piece Love and Hate and the following Omniscient, the former a straight forward melodic heavy metal effort and the latter a quirky but not quite successful venture into hard rock territories, the vocals giving both of these compositions a slight lift, the opening track in particular.
But the following numbers Like a Question and title track The Reign of Philosophy might have fared better with more of an emphasis on the instrumental performance and compositional structure. Especially in the case of the latter we're dealing with a fairly refined creation, with multiple motifs coming and going, a distinct development of themes and in general a song whose structure and arrangements are much closer to the realms of progressive rock. Both of them interesting pieces, the latter actually pretty close earning a brilliant mark from me, mere details and nuances in personal taste just about the only reason for me not to hand out a perfect grade for this individual compositions.
By and large an interesting EP by a talented band with aspirations to venture beyond their apparent hard rock and melodic heavy metal foundation, and a band that might warrant inspection by those who enjoyed the debut albums by Queensryche and Dream Theater. At least as far as this particular production goes.
My rating: 60/100
Track list:
1. Love and Hate 5:33
2. Omniscient 3:18
3. Like a Question 5:15
4. The Reign of Philosophy 6:38
French band WIND OZ was a five man strong ensemble that was an active unit back in the early 1990's. There's hardly any information about them at all, and I presume that the EP "Feed Back" from 1994 was their only release.
This production consist of four tracks, which see the band explore material of a kind and style that will sound familiar to fans of so-called hair metal. Melodic lead vocals soar on top, and the dampened instrumentation underscoring consist of dampened riffs and subtle dramatic keyboard motifs in tight interaction, and while both instruments gets the chance to wander in the instrumental passages it's the guitar that is most prominently utilized for that role. Tight and steady bass and drums caters for drive and rhythm.
At their best this band is a pleasant experience too. Opening track Just For You a pleasant melodic AOR tune that should please fans of acts like Autograph and Dokken, and second track Bizarre Car sports a high quality anthemic chorus that deserves a better destiny than to be a part of the slightly awkward construction the band have chosen to use it in - a killer 3 and half minute long song that for some reason or another has been elongated with two instances of audience noises and a separate instrumental outro. As a hidden track experience to boot. The remaining pieces Dark Wild Night and Heaven's Door appear to be more typical and clichéd fare though. Fans of this type of music will most likely find them to be pleasant, but outside of that crowd I don't think these will have much appeal.
If you really like late 80's and early 90's AOR and hair metal, Wind Oz sole EP is worth seeking out, if for no other reason than to check out the opening two tracks. It's not a production that warrants spending an obscene amount of money to get hold of, but if priced as a regular EP chances are that you'll be satisfied by adding this disc to your collection.
My rating: 50/100
Track list:
1. Just For You 3:47
2. Bizarre Car 3:42
3. Dark Wild Night 3:28
4. Heaven's Door 4:10
SLIDIN' SLIM is the artist moniker of Swedish composer, vocalist and musician Anders Landelius. He's been an active musician since the late 1980's, and has dedicated this part of his life to the blues since 1994, with a number of CD releases to his name and a number of live performances in Europe and the US. "One Man Riot" is a production that dates back to 2007, which was reissued for the European market by Swedish label Transubstans Records in the late spring of 2011.
Ever since the blues evolved 100 or so years ago it has been a vital engine in the music business, at first in it's own right and later as the foundation for rock music. It's role as the origin of the species, so to speak, has meant that blues as a style has been kept alive and vital while other styles have come and gone by the truckloads over the years. It's a type of music relatively easy to perform, challenging to master and difficult to excel in. Not due to technical or compositional reasons, as the blues in most aspects is simplicity itself, but because the style has been so extensively explored. And, one might add, there's a rather limited framework to work with too.
But among a plethora of dime a dozen blues artists, Slidin' Slim manage to make an impression. His approach is a challenging one too, as the main premise for his excursions is the simplest one: Lead vocals and acoustic guitar. As extensively explored as the blues genre is, the tradition utilizing these base elements as dominating features is the one most thoroughly explored, where masters such as Robert Johnson are the revered idols one has to compete with. And I'll have to admit that Slidin' Slim isn't at that level yet, at least not for the half or so of this disc that features cuts consisting solely of these elements.
As a vocalist, Landelius has a voice very well suited to this type of music. Dark-toned, subtly nasal and with that slight complaining edge so often found in blues, country and southern rock. And with the faintest shades of what I think is most commonly described as a southern drawl, which adds a great deal of authenticity to the vocal performance. His delivery is to my ears, pitch perfect, and appears to be a true master of when to utilize the various aspects of his intensity and range within this style of music. A voice able to carry a tune all by itself, emotionally laden and expressive. The acoustic guitar, apart from featuring slide guitar (as might be expected), is mainly used for circulating, repeated motifs of a simplistic nature. Generally light-toned, and an effective contrast to the vocals. And with clever use of resonating notes and brief pacier runs in the instrumental passages that adds a life and vitality to the performance.
But it's in the cases where Landelius opts to expand his arrangements that he truly shines. Clever and effective use of textured guitars in what to my ears sounds like a post rock approach suits this material great, as exemplified by Somebody Wish That I Was Dead. When bass and drums is added to the proceedings they add a further level of energy and vitality to the compositions, and at best the end results of these excursions deserves a briulliant description. Opening track Brand New Face is perhaps the best of these, and the mesmerizing Call Me Mr. Misfit another instance of this artist at his, in my opinion at least, very best.
I'm not a blues expert by far, and dedicated genre aficionados may regard my sentiments with a fair bit of scepticism. But for me, One Man Riot appears to be a good quality production that should interest most people with an interest in blues as a stylistic expression, and one well worth seeking out if you'd like to try out an artist that attempts to explore this style without employing clichéd effects, honing in on the core values of the blues and limiting the use of additional effects as subservient enriching traits only.
My rating: 76/100
Track list:
1. Brand New Face 3:22
2. Devil in Disguise 4:18
3. God Knows I Tried 3:06
4.. Call Me Mr. Misfit 3:22
5. Rescue Me 3:20
6. It Ain't Right 3:14
7. Lead to My Grave 5:07
8. You Called Me Up 2:37
9. Please Tell Me 3:36
10. You've Been a Waste of Time 2:48
11. Somebody Wish That I Was Dead 4:19
12. Screwed 4:19
13. In the Darkness 2:55
14. This Ain't Drinkin' 4:31
Swedish quartet SKRAECKOEDLAN started out back in 2009. Following an initial period of composing original songs they hit the studio to record an initial 5 track demo in the fall of 2009, with an additional 3 track demo following shortly after. The demos got favourable reviews from all over the world, and also got some attention from commercial radio stations. In the fall of 2010 they strated to work on their official debut album "Äppelträdet", which was finalized in the early summer of 2011 and subsequently released by Swedish label Transubstans Records.
As with many other artists signed to the Transubstans label, Skraeckoedlan is a band that can trace their musical inspirations back to the 1970's in general and Black Sabbath in particular. In the case of this band they name a handful or so of second and third generation stoner metal and doom metal bands as their main influences, but those familiar with Tony Iommi and his gloomy escapades over the years will easily identify the origins of the sound explored by this Swedish act.
The end result is a CD that for me can be summarized as Black Sabbath, but on a heavy dose of steroids. The sound and to some extent development and structure is at times remarkably similar, but there's more of everything. The bass is more thundering, the dual guitars more massive and diverse, the drummer slightly quirkier. Lead vocalist Lamu is the exception to the rule, with more of an ordinary voice than Ozzy's famous light-toned subtly atonal delivery, but he does fit the music explored pretty much dead on.
Downtuned, thunder bass guitar forms the rumbling foundation for all compositions, and Larsson's stickwork supplements the deep rumblings with a steady, energetic performance. With occasional quirky flourishes adding a subtle but effective unpredictable nature to this part of the proceedings. And with a massive presence on top we have the dual axe attack of Lamu and Grüttner. Sometimes seemingly performing the riff patterns in unison, crafting a dark-toned, massive riffs that attacks the mind like tons of molten lead. Staccato riff barrages with effective use of impact riffs and fluctuating wandering riff patterns the two main choices of delivery, for the latter one guitar will usually provide subtle melodic overlays to flavour the arrangements. Both guitarists add some additional details to the proceedings too, clever use of alternating pace-filled riff inserts, drawn out resonating riffs and unpredictable melodic nuances coming and going maintains a good and solid nerve, and for the instrumental passages heavy psych-dripping guitar soloing is a welcome guest. As are dampened, mellow instrumental inserts with less distorted, lighter sounding guitar motifs, more often than not with a distinct emphasis on a psychedelic expression on these occasions.
But while there is a psych undercurrent that occasionally surface on this production, the main focus for this band is to deliver energetic, mid-paced, dark-toned metal. Hypnotic, captivating and in most cases well suited for headbanging too. Not too sophisticated from a structural point of view, but with many fine details to be uncovered for arrangements in general and instrumental performance in particular. Subtle nuances mostly, treasures for the careful, dedicated listener to uncover.
"Äppelträdet" is a high quality production through and through, perhaps not the most innovative album around but an invigorating experience to be treasured by those who like doom and stoner metal in general, and in particular by those who like this kind of music performed with a slight emphasis on the 70's sound whilst incorporating more of a contemporary expression.
My rating: 82/100
Track list:
1. Världarnas Fall 3:04
2. Soluppgång 4:08
3. Chronos 2:43
4. Äppelträdet 5:05
5. Haven 4:29
6. Doedaroedlan 4:17
7. Universe 5:27
8. Cactus 5:50
9. Fågelsång 4:55
10. Rokh 3:59
Norwegian duo SONISK BLODBAD is a new name on the scene, and drew attention to themselves in the spring of 2011 with the release of the limited edition vinyl single "Blue Room", a two track initial taste of the sound they plan to explore on their forthcoming debut album.
Minimalistic, dark and melancholic music is the name of the game on this production, ambient in style, hypnotic in expression and introspective in association. Or something along those lines. A-side Blue Room features a dark, slow moving fluctuating undercurrent as the foundation, on top of which a fragile, frail violin solo contrasts beautifully. Dampened, female lead vocals is almost as constant, while a subtle noise texture come and go infrequently. A suitable soundtrack for a journey into your inner space, meditative music of the kind that invites reflections and deep thoughts. B-side Varför Svek Du? is a slightly different beast, a slow minimalistic piece that opens with a slowly fluctuating synth motif that invites melancholic associations, gradually developing overlaying details evolving into two additional textures, and following this final development a slow fadeout commences for the last minute or so. More cinematic in scope and rather more of a minimalistic creation, but a compelling one nonetheless.
If the band still have copies of this single available, those with a taste for refined ambient music might want to get hold of it. And if it should be sold out at this point, there's still the debut album to look forward to. A production planned to appear in February 2012.
My rating: 80/100
Track list:
A. Blue Room
B. Varför Svek Du?
US band X OPUS is the creative vehicle of composer and multi-instrumentalist James Williams. Just when this project started isn't stated officially, but as their MySpace page was created in 2010 one might assume that the project was shaping up around that time. Doing everything himself apart from the vocals, Williams composed and recorded X Opus debut album "The Epiphany" himself, and project and album alike was picked up by US label Magna Carta Records and released in the spring of 2011. Since then X Opus has evolved from a one man project into a full fledged band from what I understand.
I'll give Williams a lot of credit for the end result of this initial disc as it really doesn't come across as a one man band project. He's a capable instrumentalist, and while the guitar does have a dominating place in all songs and arrangements the supporting instrumentation have important supplemental roles rather than merely functioning as a basic foundation for the guitar to play upon. In short: This is an album planned and assembled as a band would do it, more or less, but perhaps with a tad more of a singular nature to it than what one might have had with several band members participating in planning and execution.
In style we're dealing with a disc that follows tightly in the footsteps of early Yngwie Malmsteen, with occasional references pointing in the direction of a band slightly more refined: Symphony X. In style I'd think that neo-classical metal with some progressive metal aspirations is as good a description as any, power metal bordering on progressive metal with a slight emphasis on symphonic backdrops and classically flavoured soloing another one that should fit quite nicely.
Dark-toned slow to mid-paced riff constructions with occasional lapses into territories closer to thrash metal and perhaps even black metal is what we're served, mostly staying put within a frame of reference that makes associations to early Malmsteen inevitable. The distinctly neo-classical soloing throughout adds a certain emphasis to this, but Williams' does write compositions that in structure and arrangements both seek out slightly more sophisticated territories on occasion. Hence the further references to Symphony X, a band that developed Malmsteen's initial forays into the neo-classical realms into one of the most well known varieties of progressive metal today.
X Opus isn't quite there yet, and only time will tell if they'll develop into such a direction. On their debut their compositions are tight and compact, the symphonic bakcing courtesy of the tangents functions very well, and while the music as such isn't the most innovative it is well performed and well made. The main flaw, as is so often the case with bands exploring metal as a style, is in the vocal department. Brian Dixon and David Crocker, who lend their voices to this production, are able providers of powerful vocals well suited to this material. But when they attempt to take on operatic delivery the end result isn't as pleasing to my ears, more often than not resulting in rather typical metal wails and shrieks. Effective when restrained and perfectly controlled, bothersome when not. And in this case the latter is more frequent than the former.
If you enjoy neo-classical metal in general and have a soft spot for Malmsteen's earlier material in particular, "The Epiphany" by X Opus is a CD you might want to investigate. The sound and approach is of a slightly more refined nature, closing in on progressive metal in expression and refinement, but not to the extent to merit a description as innovative. It is well made however, and if typical old school metal semi-operatic vocals is to your liking there's a fair chance that this is a production you will enjoy.
My rating: 66/100
Track list:
1. Terrified 5:43
2. On Top of the World 3:56
3. Pharaohs of Lies 6:22
4. I'll Find the Truth 4:19
5. In the Heavens 5:38
6. The Epiphany (Opus Benedictus Interlude) 1:50
7. I Will Fly 7:09
8. Forsaken (Requiem of the Forsaken) 10:39
9. Angels of War 4:56
10. Never Forgotten 6:58
US composer, vocalist and instrumentalist REJYNA may be better recognized by some when adding that her surname is Douglass-Whitman, and is the long time creative force behind US art rock band Citadel. And while this band constellation has been her creative vehicle for more than a generation, she's also been performing stripped down solo shows for some time. "Solo Sojourn Live" captures one such occasion, and was self-released in 2011.
Naked versions of songs featuring acoustic guitar and vocals alone is a daring way to go, a single person presenting their material to an audience with no help whatsoever. It's also a tradition as old as the acoustic guitar itself, and is in itself a continuation of traditions dating back to when humanity first started to use music as means of relaxation and entertainment. But like many others active in the field commonly referred to as singer/songwriter, Rejyna seems to hone in on the contemporary approach to this field, writing and performing material written with a rock music tradition in mind first and foremost.
Wandering, fragile guitar motifs underscore on most occasions, light of tone and filled with a melancholic atmosphere. One of longing rather than sadness and sorrow as I associate the emotional aspect of these tunes, with the main thought appearing in my mind being one of needs unfulfilled. Be that as it may be - or not - these are emotionally laden performances, and ones of a fragile and tender nature. Rejyna has a rather unique vocal delivery, with a range and tone not often encountered among female singer/songwriters, and utilize that aspect of her performance very well indeed to add slight intriguing details to her creations. In addition she always finds ample room for instrumental passages, in which subtle but intricate instrument runs and soloing are utilized to good effect to enhance the material. Many of them brief overlaying runs of the kind that calls for some rather nifty fingerwork, and frequently on top of a slightly contrasting motif I surmise is pulled from a midi set-up or similar. In these instrument only sequences we're also treated to some occasional minor inserts of folk-inspired material, although referencing Americana much more than any older folk music traditions to my ears.
In sum this adds up to be tantalizing performances on the whole, with plenty of details to enjoy and emotional associations to be made. Occasionally I do get the feeling that a piece may have been crafted for a full band rather than for a solo performance, On Life and Living and In Wonder examples of that, other times the composition in itself doesn't quite manage to sustain the nerve and tension needed quite until the end. Then again, I'm most suited to cover material of a rather more challenging nature compositionally and structurally, and as such isn't an expert by far when it comes to songs of this particular nature. In short: My personal impressions shouldn't by any means be regarded as some sort of a universal truth.
"Solo Sojourn Live" is a good production, perhaps not to the point of excellence in any department but a well made, well conceived and well executed live performance captured and released. Those with a soft spot for acoustic, stripped down singer/songwriter material will be an obvious key audience, and I suspect that those with a particular interest in the acoustic guitar should find this one to be of interest as well.
My rating: 70/100
Track list:
1. Stygian Barque
2. Voice Inside
3. On Life and Living
4. The Songwriter
5. Another Dream Away
6. Freedom Dream
7. In Wonder
8. Dreamworld
9. Standing Alone
10. If I Cry
11. Are You Aware
12. Happy Hands
Initially the solo vehicle of composer, keyboardist and vocalist Guido Lisioli, SOUL APART has since it's inception in 2004 developed into a 5 man strong band project, with one demo and two full length productions to their name. "Worldpain Traveler" is the most recent of these, and was released in 2011.
On their initial CD we got to know a band that mixed in a wide variety of stylistic expressions into their music, with a symphonic backdrop as a central element throughout and an emphasis on cinematic themes and atmospheric laden folk-inspired ones put in side by side with various constellations of progressive metal. For their 2011 disc this approach have been altered ever so slightly.
"Worldpain Traveler" is a production with a firm foundation in metal. Heavy metal and power metal oriented compositions initially, but gradually developing towards and into a more purebred progressive metal production in terms of refined arrangements and compositional structure. While the opening tracks have more of an emphasis on the guitars alone, the later tracks feature keyboards given a much more prominent role in the soundscapes. Alongside multiple themes compositions and creations sporting a greater variety of stylistic expressions explored the progressive metal tag does become unavoidable, with epic length number The Big Lie the most prominent of these endeavours. Flavouring most tracks are inserts veering off into rather different territories, and like on this act's debut album cinematic mood pieces and folk inspired passages make up the most of these. There's also a couple of jazz-inspired takes to enjoy. But by and large these are inserts that adds variety and flavouring rather than central elements in the compositions as such, which is a marked difference when compared to their 2009 production "Road to Self".
It's worth noting that mix and production, which was a major weakness on their initial production, have been markedly improved for their 2011 CD. Up to par with what most will expect from a modern band, with good balance and smooth interaction between all instruments. But the other negative asset that for me made their debut album a production much less interesting than it might have been haunts this disc as well. And while I know I'm more sensitive than most to that part of any artists performance, I still think that the lead vocals of this band does leave a bit to desire.
Lisioli has a versatile voice, able to convey a wide variety of different delivery modes. But his delivery in itself isn't quite to my liking. I find him to be at best on the few occasions where growling is needed, and for powerful, talk-like shouts he's rather good as well. But whenever the melodic based lead vocals are called for, be it in a dampened, mellow variety, the forceful wailing needed for power metal based sequences or just about anything in between, there's ample room for improvement. At some points I found myself wondering if he has fallen into the old trap of powering his voice solely with the vocal chords rather than using the belly muscles for the force and the vocal chords for guidance, but for such an experienced frontman I guess that is an unreasonable assumption to make. But at some points I felt like that might be the problem. Apart from that, the combination of accented English vocals and a tendency to nasal vocals doesn't fit my taste in lead vocals, and while Lisioli stays in pitch almost to perfection, that he to my ears often is ever so slightly off key to the instrumental backing does rub me the wrong way. Not by much, perhaps a quarter or an eighth of an octave, but enough for someone rather sensitive to such issues to take notice in a negative manner.
"Worldpain Traveler" is a fine specimen of versatile progressive metal, well produced and instrumentally well performed, with careful flavouring of cinematic passages and folk-inspired inserts adding a neat and effective dimension of variety to the proceedings. Rarely challenging music as such, but well made and with a fair degree of innovation. The lead vocals is the one part of the whole that I suspect will divide most listeners into the like or dislike camp, with those sensitive to vocal delivery most likely ending up in the latter category. As such this is an album partially recommended, with reservations as described in some detail.
My rating: 65/100
Track list:
1. Suj Quarüru... 1:56
2. ...For Us All!!! 6:01
3. Run for the Sun 5:47
4. Lights in the Past 5:16
5. El Nadaista 5:57
6. Worldpain Traveler 5:39
7. Brokenheart Man 5:13
8. Blessed by the Dark Philosophy 6:37
9. Origin Gone 7:43
10. The Big Lie 15:25
11. Brokenheart Man 2:34
French band AEGIRSON was formed back in 1996, and ince then they have released two EPs and two full length albums. "Inside" was their first ever production, and was self-released back in 1997.
