ASTRA - FROM WITHIN
Lion Music - Out Now

Second album from Italian progressive metallers Astra. Following a route similar to early Dream Theater with some of the heaviest aspects of say Symphony X and Vanden Plas this is well written and well played material, arguably one of the best releases from Lion Music in the last few months. Led by the lead vocals of Titta Tani the band deliver 10 accessible tracks which will satisfy all but the most needy of prog metal fans. Highlights include the energetic opener “Over The Hills” and the commercially tinged “Memories Remain” and the adventurous “The Hitman”. If you are a fan of any of the aforementioned bands then be sure to check this out.

Rating - 90%

Tony Hernando is arguably the best guitarist to have come out of Spain in the metal realm. This is his fifth solo album and again sees release on Lion Music. Once again Tony is backed by drum monster Mike Terrana (Malmsteen, Artension, Masterplan) and “Actual Events” is also arguably the heaviest solo album of Hernando’s career.

Backed up a rich punchy production, Tony’s guitar delivers flowing melodies and scorching leads over heavy rhythms that vary in tempo yet have a nice crunch to them at all times. One can detect a little more subtle neo-classical elements in the lead work compared to the previous “III” album which is a nice addition. Fans of strong instrumental work that doesn’t require too much brain processing power to get into should check out “Actual Events” pronto.

Rating – 88%

Now here’s a name that is liable to excite German and traditional metal fans amongst out reader base. Herman Frank for the less informed is part of the guitar team of Accept and also of Victory fame (see you did know) with “Loyal To None” being his first solo album to date.

Given that Herman must now be in his 50’s kudus is given to him for not wimping out in the metal balls department as exemplified by powerful opener “Moon II” which is home to punchy riffs, double bass drum assaults and gritty vocals from Jiotis Parachidis who sounds like a more gruff Steve Grimmett - which is no bad thing and work better with the music than say a power metal falsetto screamer would. The rest of the album follows a similar path with highlights coming in the guise of “Father Buries Son”, “Lord Tonight” and closer “Welcome To Hell” delivering the goods in fine style.

This solo debut proves Herman is well capable of having a career outside of his more known bands, whether the record buying public thinks so it’s a different ball game in 2009 but with the quality control generally ticking all the right marks this comes recommended for traditional metal fans worldwide.

Rating – 85%

MIOSIS are a dark progressive rock/metal band hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden. Miosis plays a dark and dynamic brand of prog rock/metal with a sound that draws parallels to the likes of Tool and Isis but with its own edge and personality and its dark vibe that takes a little while to get into. There is no real nod to commercialism here with the track “Once Divine” coming closest to what you may call contemporary, but this is to be seen as a positive in this instance the album takes on its own mood taking you on a voyage of self thought and discovery. Not overly laden with complicated instrumental sections, this is more about the mood and for that the band have achieved their aim and delivered a strong album.

Rating – 84%

Second album from another Italian prog metal Farther Paint outfit picked up by Lion Music. To be honest I had never heard of them before and going by press it seems their previous label did very little hence the new label and increased profile.

Led by the female vocals of Monia Rossi this is much more technical than label mates Astra with more focus on intertwining individual vocals within complex music arrangements, drum work from Luca Prima is something to behold although the production here does makes his drum sound very digital. A lack of bottom end also takes away power from the final sound which is a shame as this shows real promise.

One to check out and keep an eye on and here hopes for a much more powerful production next time round as that would push the band to the next level rather nicely.

Rating - 80%

Mr Bellas is certainly on an inspired streak of late, this being his third album in 2 years following “Planetary Alignment” and Palace Terrace’s “Flying Though Infinity”. What separates this from his previous instrumental offering “Planetary Alignment” is the running time and number of tracks. The time clocks in at over 70 mins and the number of tracks is the long digit of 1, that’s right a whole cd of just one song. Obviously this is not for the faint of heart and to be honest I did find it heavy going in places, but if you have can find 70 mins to zone out and absorb this myriad merge of crazy time signatures, hyper complex chordal structures and Bellas identifiable guitar work then there is a lot to dissect throughout. That said, I felt the tempo changes were a little pedestrian for the backings throughout and I really would of preferred George to just open fire in other sections.

Fans of George’s first 2 solo albums will find this a completely different animal in terms of punch and maybe not for the better either. That said, one cannot deny the technical aspects of this album and as said give it the time and ultimately you will find stuff to enjoy.

Rating - 75%

“Darkness Will Fall” is the debut album from another Italian vocalist this time Eliza Pezzuto. A vocalist discovered on myspace by Lars Eric Mattsson who wrote all the music and performed pretty much everything aside from the vocals of Ms Pezzuto. Stylistically speaking “Darkness Will Fall” is symphonic goth rock which for the most part is enjoyable enough yet lacks the killer commercial skill and slicker pop appeal of the genre leaders. At times Eli does at time come across as a little pedestrian in her delivery and if given a greater offering of stronger material to work with such as more in the vein of “Turn This World Around” then the rewards would be higher overall. The production and music will be quite typical to fans of Lars Eric Mattsson with a production, guitar tone and mix not a million miles away from that heard on his “Dream Child” album (were the songs were better IMO) there is something here to latch onto for fans of Mattsson’s previous works. If Eli could inject more of her personality on this material it would be stronger for it and one wonders if this will be the case on any second album that may appear.

Rating - 60%