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New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
13.04.14
- Count's 77: Count's 77
- Three Lions: Three Lions
- Romantic Rebel: Romantic Rebel
- Mach22: Sweet Talk Intervention
- Iron Knights: Iron Knights
06.04.14
- Wishbone Ash: Blue Horizon
- Rocket Scientists: Supernatural Highways (EP)
- Scream Arena: Scream Arena
- Gloryful: Ocean Blade
- Existance: Steel Alive
- Edgedown: Statues Fall
- Raspberry Park: Scratchin' The Surface
- Teramaze: Esoteric Symbolism
- Anubis Gate: Horizons
30.03.14
- Holopainen, Tuomas: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck
- Heart: Magazine Limited Edition SACD
- Hong Kong Sleepover, The: Bolshevik Firecrackers
- Heavy Glow: Pearls & Swine and Everything Fine
- Diabulus In Musica: Argia
- Gamma Ray: Empire of the Undead
- Edguy: Space Police - Defenders of the Crown
- 12 Gauge: All In
- Kill Ritual: The Eyes of Medusa
- Edge Of Thorns: Insomnia
- Confess: Jail
23.03.14
- Brainstorm: Firesoul
- Morning Dwell: Morning Dwell
- RPWL: Wanted
- Magnum: Escape From The Shadow Garden
- Wesley, John: Disconnect
- Delain: The Human Contradiction
- Celestial Decay: Quantum X
- Bigelf: Into The Maelstrom
- Zeno Morf: Kingdom of Ice
- Sinbreed: Shadows
- Crystal Tears: Hellmade
Ashent: Inheritance
Progressive Metal
3.5/5.0
With 2009's Deconstructive, Italian metal band Ashent attempted to break from European power metal mold with a more progressive sound. Largely, they succeeded, although it was sometimes uneven. This year's Inheritance builds upon that foundation as Ashent tries press farther into the realm of progressive metal.
Ashent: putting the big guy up front.
Again, generally, they have succeeded. Some of the success comes from a new lead vocalist, Titta Tani, who is a quite versatile singer and arranger. Additionally, Ashent have made their arrangements more technical, even complex, adding sequencers, synths, some sax inserts, orchestral parts, and choirs.
Sometimes, however, this attempt at invention and complexity blows back on them. Songs like Eve, Shipwrecked Affair, and Spider's Nest are so thick that it sounds like there are several songs overlapping one another in the same arrangement. Some of this may be due to the mix, but I doubt it. Conversely La Danzatrice Scalza has the complete opposite feeling. It's nearly perfect prog, interestingly, but not severely, technical, and simply delightful to the ears. Actually, Ashent seems to better when they're not trying to fill a song with a trick in their bag. Renaissance and the closing instrumental Labyrinthique are entertaining in their lack of complexity.
Yet, overall, Inheritance Inheritance continues to deepen the Ashent's exploration into more complex progressive metal, but sometimes with mixed results. Recommended.
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