Italian prog metal band return after a nearly 10 year absence, they formed in 1999 with a debut coming in 2004 and a follow up in 2009. From there two of the members moved abroad, one struggled with serious illness and their singer appeared on The Voice Italy. However the band returned to the studio and the outcome of that is this third album. The trio of vocalist Aurelio Fierro Jr. along with founder members Dario De Cicco (piano & keyboards) and Emanuele Colella (guitars) return with bassist Lucio Grilli and drummer Mirko De Maio for what is their most ambitious album yet. Progressive metal at it's very core is experimental but Mind Key have managed to retain their progressive nature but also focus their songwriting to make it a lot more melodic and hooky (as you'd expect on a Frontiers release).
Musically muscular built on the duelling guitar and keyboard riffs of Dario and Emanuele Mind Key are similar in style to Symphony X, Dream Theater and Evergrey, their music is emotional and powerful, take a song like Hank (The Blazing Eyes) which really displays the gruff vocal power of Aurelio who has voice similar to Russell Allen or Jorn Lande, he's able to carry weight giving the lyrics to more balladic tracks such as Hate At First Sight some vibrancy before a show stealing guitar solo of course. It's a little ballad heavy similar to the Falling Into Infinity period Dream Theater, but that's ok as the passion in them warrants having them. Though when they really let rip like on Be Polar it's a tour-de-force.
I'll admit I'd never heard of Mind Key at all but I will be investing in their back catalog after this, musically it's the type progressive metal bands I love listening to. An album full of big riffs, virtuoso keyboards, waves of orchestrations, sizzling guitar solos and brilliant vocals, this third album is definitely worth the 10 year wait. 8/10
Nad Sylvan: The Regal Bastard (InsideOut Records) [Matt Bladen]
The third part in Nad Sylvan's "Vampirate" Trilogy comes with The Regal Bastard, it marks his third album on prog label InsideOut. It's conceptually dense with all the trademark Pirate and Vampire tropes being covered, in an album that feels like an end of a saga. Yet again he has brought pretty much all of the people involved on the previous album back for this one with Guthrie Govan giving guitar to I Am The Sea, elsewhere guitars are provided by Steve Hackett (who Sylvan is the singer for). Anders Wollbeck co-writes, co-produces and plays a myriad of instruments, while Tony Levin plays bass on a song leaving Jonas Reingold plays bass on much of the album. Behind the kit is ex-Spock's Beard man Nick D'Virgilio, a long with a trinity of female backing singers for the more cinematic parts though nothing gets more grandiose than Honey I'm Home', which has a massive choir featuring every vocalist from the previous albums. Sylvan's sounds a lot like Peter Gabriel and he has a lot of Gabriel's quirkiness on this album it moves from classical baroque, to progressive rock all the way through to more dramatic pieces such as the huge title track. The Regal Bastard is a fitting conclusion to this trio of albums and a must for those who enjoy Sylvan's solo work along with anything he has done with Steve Hackett. 7/10
Oh Hiroshima: Oscillation (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]
"Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value (often a point of equilibrium) or between two or more different states." For Swedes Oh Hiroshima this album title and it's dictionary definition perfectly encompasses the sound of their third studio album. The post-rock purveyors have been working on this album for four years and in that time they have managed to make a multi-layered, dynamic soundscapes that often build from a single pattern into swirling, post rock dream states. The trio have composed this record with time on their side and it shows as each of these 7 songs take their time to unveil their complexity and ardour, often it's a clean guitar lick or a piano that starts things off with the remaining musical parts building like Lego on top of it. A repeating drum pattern here, a bass thump there and a vocal that is dreamlike makes numbers such as A Handful Of Dust captivating despite it's long runtime and on the surface ambient ease. It's in the background where Oh Hiroshima shine making this music feel effortless by putting as much time and endeavour into them as they can. Oscillation is an album perfect for sunset as the atmosphere's it creates suit the setting of the sun, the waves of ambience washing over you, almost perfect post-rock. 8/10
Vibrant Heels: Turbo Thunder Pussy (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Take a look at the band name and the title of the album, I know what you're thinking, this going to be a big glam record ala The Darkness of The Poodles maybe even Turbonegro, some filthy, flirty fun. Well you'd be very incorrect as Quebec based band Vibrant Heels are an alternative metal band that
have been compared to Deftones, Tool, Faith No More, and even Primus. So it's likely they are going to sound a bit left field, with a fondness for the peculiar. The two Alex's provide the heavy thick down tuned riffs on both guitar and bass (the bass is especially prevalent on Ruby/Engine), they add some ambient textures and the vocals of Jordan move from droning cleans to death metal screaming, Orbital Bombardment has both. Cycles takes in the sounds of A Perfect Circle or Tool, built upon Manuel's percussion it's followed by the odd pop of Lollipops which has the funk rock freakery of RHCP filtered through Mike Patton weirdness. Turbo Thunder Pussy is a quirky EP that brings together a number of styles showing why Vibrant Heels have had these comparisons made about them, if you like a band that don't take the normal route then Vibrant Heels will be for you. 7/10
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