ARTENSION - FUTURE WORLD
Lion Music - Out Now

Future World is progressive metal maestros Artension´s seventh album, and until recently is has only been available from a Japanese label (Avalon) only- this has now changed with the album out in Europe and the USA via Lion Music. The musicianship of the members of Artension - Vitalij Kuprij (keys), John West (vox), Mike Terrana (drums), Roger Staffelbach (guitars) and new member Steve di Georgio (bass) – has always been exemplary, but the previous album (New Discovery) came into some criticism for its guitar-light mix and lack of development in the song writing. Have these issues been resolved on Future World?

Sadly, no. Future World is beset by exactly the same problems that pervaded its predecessor, but perhaps more so. Something is not quite right on planet Artension. Most of the songs are… well, OK, but one gets the sense that it’s all been done before and what’s more, it’s been done better, and it’s been done better by EXACTLY the same guys who made this album! There are indeed a few good songs on “FW”: moody mid-paced Close to The Sun, power ballad Take Me In Your Arms, fast rocker Stand And Fight are all worthy examples of the genre. The problem is that they’re NOT great songs in the vein of Machine, or Your Victory, or Endless Days: just a few examples of outstanding songs recorded by Artension that made those albums stand out from the rest of the pack. Most of the rest of the Future World album is perfectly fine, acceptable melodic progressive metal (pointless instrumental I Really, Really Don’t Care aside: dangerous title, that, in these circumstances…!): but this band can, and should, deliver much more than that.

The mix on Future World doesn’t help matters. The guitar sound is more muted and fuzzy than even New Discovery and, while I can accept Artension is essentially keyboard wizard’s Vitalij Kuprij´s brainchild, the dominance of keyboards on the album simply detracts from the overall sound and eventually grates on the listener. What is worse is that the soaring, expressive vocals of John West simply don’t get the chance to shine here: listen to his vocals with Royal Hunt or on the Feinstein album and it’s clear that John has lost none of his explosive 4-octave range and technique. So, where is it here?

This is not a bad album but neither is it a good one. It is an album that Artension fans will buy because they have to but it will not convert new fans to their cause. Ultimately Artension – and, one suspects, Vitalij Kuprij in particular – need to think very seriously about their next move. The song writing seems to have reached an impasse that could perhaps be breached by involving the entire band. At present, it simply doesn't feel like a cohesive unit and the song writing and performances suffer accordingly. The production aspects also need consideration: bringing in an empathic but objective outsider such as André Andersen (West's foil in Royal Hunt) could readily resolve this too.

Given the talent in Artension, I would hate to see it dissipate. Let us hope that the next album will mark a return to form.

Review by Stephen Leon

Hot Spots : Close to The Sun, Take Me In Your Arms, Stand And Fight
Rating : 73.0%

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ARTENSION - NEW DISCOVERY
Frontiers Records - Out Now

Had this been an album by another band, I would be singing its praises from the rooftops. But it isn´t "just another band'. It´s Artension, a collective of five of the most gifted musicians in the genre. A group that has existed since 1996 and who have released some of the most exciting and challenging music around. In doing so, they have set their own standards. And the standards are high.
New Discovery is Artension's sixth album and their second for the Italian Frontiers label. The label has a respectable reputation in the melodic rock arena and this reflected well on Artension, since their previous album (Sacred Pathways) boasted some of the best production values on their material to date. Sacred Pathways also saw a reunification of the original lineup and the album as a whole seemed to show the band revived, full of new ideas and a new verve for success.

Unfortunately, New Discovery is in some respects rather a backward step. The production is first of all rather light on guitar, with keyboards dominating the overall sound. This is a pity for more than one reason: Roger Staffelbach is a superb guitarist, very much in the Yngwie mould (but not a copyist) yet on New Discovery it can be difficult to hear his capabilities. In contrast, there are no shortage of keyboard solos and one has to stand back and simply be dazzled by Vitalij Kuprij´s prodigious talent. He is without question one of, if not THE best keyboard players in neo-classical (even rock) today - yet, on this album, the endless wizardry becomes a little too much and one hankers after some guitar to get some balance. This is a metal band after all!

John West may be known to some as the best vocalist Yngwie never had. He was set to join up for the Alchemy album but it seems that "personal differences" got in the way. I have described John as "the Yngwie of vox" and for good reason. I have yet to hear a better vocalist in the rock/metal genre. Yet, New Discovery sees West inexplicably holding back: at times where his 4-octave range and incredible scream could be let loose, well, it just... doesn´t.

Then there are the songs. There is little progression from Sacred Pathways and all too often I find myself thinking "I´m sure I´ve heard that before"... such criticism is often levied at Yngwie and it is equally applicable here. It is one thing to have your own sound but quite another to plagarise it!

Despite all of this, let me make something clear: Artension working at 80% is 95% better than everything else out there. There are 4 killer tracks; New Discovery, a medium/fast paced rocker with a chorus to die for; Hearts Are Broken, a commercially-tinged mid-paced number; Endless Days, a remarkable progressive power ballad with some wonderful acoustic guitar and a breathtaking piano solo, and arguably the centrepiece of the album; and Story Teller, a fast number reminiscent of earlier Artension classics like Let It Ride or Into The Blue but no worse for it. Two good numbers (Remember My Name, Innocence Lost) and a couple of duff numbers (a neoclassical instrumental? How original! And while we´re at it, let´s "pay tribute" to Deep Purple by writing something that sounds just like them and call it Call Of The Wild...) round off the album. Oh, and on my copy there´s a under-120 second piano piece at the end, just in case you haven´t heard enough keyboard solos already... And whoever thinks that a "radio edit" of Endless Days counts as a proper song on the album needs to be shot!

Special note should go to drummer Mike Terrana, with Yngwie there were few opportunities for Mike to shine but those who experienced his furious drum solo live know how good this guy is. His work in Artension is similarly impressive: few drummers have double-kick technique faster and technically he is superb, precise and inventive.

I don´t think that newcomers to the band would be too disappointed with New Discovery but any of their three previous albums (Forces Of Nature, Machine, Sacred Pathways) would be better places to start. As to the future of the band, I sincerely hope that their much-awaited tour will indeed go ahead. I think they need some time to bond in the live arena (until now, Artension have been a studio-only project) and then I think Vitalij needs to figure out what he wants - a band or a solo project. New Discovery suggests the latter and given the outrageous talent of all other parties, I think that would a tremendous shame.

Hot Spots : New Discovery, Hearts Are Broken, Endless Days.
Rating : 83%