METAEPITOME

Having just recieved this album it is constant rotation in the home CD changer and do not know when it will be replaced by something. This is one of the best prog albums I have heard this year. A classic with a excellent blend of long and shorter songs with one at 19:40 and another at 16:22 giving the band enough time to develope the tune. Good guitar, keyboards with flute, bass and drums.

Friends, I think we should be proud that a newly established Finnish band Overhead which the musicians' age do not exceed twenty-six years old because these young gentlemen would later carry the torch of prog music in the long years ahead as they are still pretty young, age-wise. And this album is the second release after their debut "Zumanthum" (2002). I just received the album about a week ago and was impressed with the musical quality these young lads produce. Yes, there are influences from previous bands like Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, King Crimson, Marillion (Hogarth era), Genesis. But if I can sum it up, the music is pretty similar with Lands End or RPWL but with more energy. As I have not listened to their debut album, but I can confirm that this second album has proved that their music composition has reached a level of maturity as the band has successfully combined melodic elements and musical harmonies from various instruments used.

Metaepitome (19:40)

This album opener may well explain what I mean with this album's similarity to Lands End music especially "Natural Selection" album at least on the first part. This track starts out as a fairly complete chord progression that guitarist Jaakko Kettunen brings in his acoustic guitar with the music flow accompanying low register notes voice line. The track builds-up steadily with the augmentation of thin mellotron sounds. Yep, the parts with mellotron work is really awesome. As the music moves at approx minutes 5 plus there is a nice flute work by Alex Keskitalo with rythmic section in the vein of Tangerine Dream, at least on the way keyboard is played in floating style. It's a really nice interplay. What I can summarize about this track is that the music floats beautifully through the acoustic guitar chord progression with some etheral keyboard sounds that project a symphonic nuance combined with stunning guitar solo during interlude. It's really a good composition.

Warning: Ending (without warning) (7:56)

Listening to the opening part you may have perceived that this is a spacey music. Indeed, it is (if we happen to listen the first part). The song moves slowly with some repeated keyboard work followed with drum work as the song builds into crescendo. The insertion of flute before vocal enters has enriched the textures of the music. There is an element of R&B when the vocal department takes its role, beautifully combined with keyboard insert and solid bass lines. At second verse of lyrics, electric guitar fills the music at the back whilst the singer performs its duty. The music increases into louder voice during chorus with "Warning: Ending .." Lyrical part. The insertion of classical piano during singing part is really cool. Overall, it's a simple track but it's enjoyable.

Point of View (5:17)

The third track continues the tradition of using acoustic guitar as main structure of the composition with voice line builds up as the music grows. Electric guitar performs its solo in Floydian style augmented with piano work. Oh man .. I love this guitar work - even though nothing seems too complicated. Prog does not necessarily mean complex, right? Or, am I wrong? It does not seem to matter to me; I come back to my philosophy: music is emotion. So, as long as the music penetrates to my mind and stays well inside, BOOM! I got it man ..!!!

Butterfly's Cry (7:03)

WOW! man . the opening part of this track has made me stunned and has caused my mind paralyzed enjoying the beautiful - and a bit complex - harmony of musical instruments (bass, synthesizer, drums and flute) that work perfectly to construct a cohesive opening. As the music builds up the vocal enters in duo voice lines during chorus. The keyboard solo continues the melody in a neo progressive style. There are actually not much complexity during the lyrical parts but it turns more complex with parts without vocal, accentuated in alternate between guitar and keyboard (dominant).

Arrival of the Red Bumblebee (2:16)

It's a mellow track that combines piano solo combined with mellotron work in floating style. A nice instrumental that serves nicely as bridge to the last track.

Down (16:22)

This concluding track starts off with guitar fills reminiscent of Steve Rothery works with Marillion's later album (Hogarth era). You might find this guitar fills in Hoildays in Eden album of Marillion. The music flows in medium tempo reminiscent of Lands End music. Hackettian guitar augments the music that accompanies voice line. This track is too long as the music flows relatively flat from start to end with no (or relatively few) tempo changes. It's probably composed like the way space psychedelic music is like. But for my personal taste, it's boring because there are many repetition of melody. So I'd better stop this review as I'm getting bored with this "elongated" composition. It's a regret that this album is concluded with this track even though it's not bad at all.

Overall Summary

Overall, I still consider that this album is very good, evn though not essential. The band has successfully created excellent composition, blending such elements of psychedelic, space music and symphonic prog into a good harmony. The fact that the concluding track is composed differently seems to me like a loose end of this album and it reduces cohesiveness of this album. But this band has a promising future in the years ahead. I'm sure about this. For those of you who want to enjoy a blend of neo prog and space psychedelic music, this may fit to you. Keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours,

GW

Three years after their debut CD entitled Zumanthum (from 2002) this Finnish band came up with this successor. I read many positive reviews and stories about Overhead so I was very curious to this new CD. Let's analyse it song by song.

1. Metaepitome (19:40): This long titletrack starts with acoustic gutiar and melancholic vocals, then a mellow eruption featuring Floydian slide guitar and pleasant keyboards like organ and the Fender Rhodes electric piano sound. The dreamy climate is wonderfully coloured by majestic violin-Mellotron waves, followed by compelling bombastic prog delivering powerful organ. Then we can enjoy a varied and tasteful 'progrock stew': an exciting break with propulsive guitar chords (between Pink Foyd and early Twelfth Night), a fiery guitar solo with howling licks, a sensational synthesizer solo, a piece with metal riffs and sparkling piano, classical piano and dreamy vocals, soaring Mellotron with fragile piano play, concluded with the sound of the intro: twanging acoustic guitar and warm vocals. What a way to start an album, such an alternating and tasteful progrock!

2. Warning: Ending (7:56): This track sounds totally different from the first! First slow, then more and more compelling featuring swirling flute play. Suddenly the climate shifts to cheerful delivering modern progrock inspired music. In between some pieces with classical piano and dreamy vocals. A very varied and surprising one!

3. Point Of View 5:17: This composition is build upon very compelling, beautifully build-up guitar soli (from sensitive with volume-pedal to howling and fiery), supported by lush organ, wonderful!

4. Butterfly's Cry (7:03): A swinging rhythm featuring flute, powerful bass guitar and fluent organ waves. Again it sounds modern, far away from the mainstream progrock but still progressive. In the end a spectacular synthesizer solo, a nice musical idea.

5. Arrival Of The Red Bumblebee 2:16: A short, instrumental piece delivering sensitive piano and soft Mellotron waves, very mellow in comparison with the other tracks.

6. Down 16:22: The final song is a pleasant mix of many musical styles, again far away from the maintream progrock but for sure it sounds progressive! The keyboards are electronically inspired, the guitar howls, the rhythm-section is propulsive and the vocals contain a melancholical undertone. Very tasteful but so different from the first track, almost another band!

I needed a few turns to get into Overhead their music, not every song is my cup of tea but to me Overhead sounds like a fresh and inspired progrock band. If you are up to their varied sound, this musical chameleon will delight you!

Ho wow!!!! Very nice....I don't listening the first album of the band, but soon as do that. This cd is surtenly on my top 5 for 2005 realesse..OVERHEAD delever a mix of beatiful melody and complexe arrangement, sometime remanind me Pink Floyd espacially on guitar parts...Ok the vocal don't look very powerfull!! But he have great own style and make good accompagment for the band...The highlight number 1. Metaepitome.. I think many prog fan like that and i highly recomanded...

Right after listening to their first and magnificent album I looked for this second masterpiece. Delightful, varied, emotive. A combination of styles that make a precious jewel with some unforgottable themes or/and passages. Melodies, excellent solos, a limited but well used voice... This album is a compendium (just like the first one) of good and beautiful influences. Once you listen twice you find yourself singing the melodies.

After listening to several cuts all I say is....WOW. These guys are really good. Sometimes the singer reminds me of Metallica, although the music certainly does not. If you read the song lyrics I think these gents have a Christian bent to the tunes, which is FINE by me. Can't wait to hear more from these proggers

Here we have a really good Finnish new prog band and a great album! I would not call this art rock but simply prog fock. The music is completely well controlled but yet extremely diverse. Music is mellow and fiercy, melancholic and boisterous. Very good and skilfull playing of diverse instruments. There are recollections of old music such as Uriah Heep, Alice Cooper, Santana, Pink Floyd, Genesis and other symhonic prog bands but the music is very much the bands own music. Overwhelmingly amply of musical motifs and ideas. It takes several listens to get all of this music but it is every time as enjoyable! I give this album five stars in my own web site because i like that it better than great but only time will tell if it becomes essential, therefore only 4 stars.

I consider this album to be a real masterpiece, so I give it 5 stars. I like long melodies (that are so common in prog), but I usually don't remember them well. Still after about a year of not listening to "Metaepitome", I can easily recollect all the songs in my mind. They have something special within, something, that differs Overhead from other groups. And one more thing. Though they are marked as "Art Rock" I used to call 'em "Psychedelic Progressive", but I'm not sure if it's warrantly, it's just a feeling)

2.5 stars really!!

Second album from one of the latest Scandinavian-associated (Finnish) group that specializes in a sort of retro-prog, even if this is more of a Swedish/Norwegian tradition than these ever-crazy Finns. This quintet (standard prog quartet plus a singer/flauter) is creating some rather run-of-the-mill prog that has been heard hundreds of times before, often resorting to 70's reminiscent sound and worse, the occasional shameless borrowings. A rather average artwork for an unremarkable album would seem to be the quick judgment, if Overhead did not have a few trumps up their sleeves, one of them being that the group does try to sound more modern than their peers. I got to listen to this album over the course of three months as I received it on loan from a buddy, but I must say that I returned to it a few times more on self-imposed obligations (rather than by pleasure) as I simply failed to recognize the merits my friend was hammering to me.

Right from the first notes of the opening self-titled "epic", the listener is warned that a thorough trip inside his nostalgia mixed with more modern sounds. Maybe this huge rip- off from Purple's Child In Time (or Bombay Calling if you wish) around the 10-min mark (but hints of it had started as soon as the seventh minutes) is upsetting me every time I hear it (the sad part of it is that it is from far the better moment of the song), but I find that the same old Neo-prog "ritournelle" (same old song >> and dance my friend ;- ) comes back. Can't help but thinking of early-Hogarth Marillion, Valinor's Tree, RPWL, Land's End (thanks Gatot, I couldn't put my finger on it), Versus X (the piano moments) and a few more like Discipline etc. Some of the shorter tracks filling (literally as well as figuratively) the album's middle section are quite unremarkable, borderline noisy and irritating (only Warning finding some grace to this writer's ears) until we get to the second epic Dawn. This second epic is carried out on a semi-metallic guitar riff until a lengthy instrumental passage where guitars and keyboards entwine, before the vocals takes over and finishes the track (it does die out beautifully, though). Although once again there is nothing unpleasant, I am particularly shaken to see that so few things are happening in such a long time. I am a little surprised to have heard so few flutes though.

More Neo than Retro, Overhead's second album is nothing you haven't heard before (except maybe for the subtle Child In Bombay Calling Time rework ;-) and although there I am sure all five musicians invested vast amount of time and labour of love (and most likely hard-earned money as well), this old pagan has not been able to appreciate much of it. Shame on me, maybe!! Some of you are wondering what I'm still doing reviewing albums in a style I don't particularly appreciate, and I can only answer: 1- I'm trying to keep up with the modern actual scene 2- checking out the hype around these newer groups (and I had heard lots about this one) 3- filling out my curiosity as I still hope to find a masterpiece in this genre 4- publicly exhorting/exorcising my shameful lack of understanding of such oeuvres. For the Neo-prog fans, I have no doubt this album is much worth the listen and investment, although I am not sure they would call it essential. At least I don't.

I suppose this is technically neo-progressive, but it certainly seems that the lines between metal, heavy/art rock, and neo-progressive have become quite blurred in recent years. Ever since Opeth discovered that music can be evocative even without growling, and that dude from Green Carnation went unplugged, and After Crying went ‘overground’, there seems to be a plethora of ‘sensitive’ metal bands on the landscape that put out beautiful music that still manages to be forceful and decisive.

And this band does just that, beginning with an epic length masterpiece of simple and unquestionably progressive music on the opening title track. The Fender and organ are dazzling in their easy cadence and in the surreal mood they set behind the throbbing bass. I don’t particularly care for the drums on this track as they seem almost perfunctory, but otherwise this is a great neo-cum-metal tune which has vocals that can actually be understood without the liner notes (which is always a plus for me!). Awesome guitar work as well, especially in the middle section, and the acoustic guitar and piano fading ending provide a perfect finish.

“Warning: Ending (Without Warning)” is one of the more melodic metal tunes I’ve ever heard, well-constructed, engaging and almost reggae at times, and even despite the slightly cheesy choral vocals and the weird minstrel-like passage at the end, this track provides some interesting variety.

The best guitar work on the album comes with “Point of View”, long whiny riffs full of inflection and emotion. This is the kind of ‘guitar god’ stuff that makes music worth listening to – Jaako Kettunen is excellent and expressive without seeming to need to demonstrate just how fast he can play or how many variations he can squeeze into a single tune.

Same goes for “Butterfly's Cry”, except that here the drums are quite interesting with an unusual rhythm, while the vocals could have been spared as far as I’m concerned.

“Arrival of the red Bumblebee” is a short instrumental that reminds me very much of the first After Crying album, but it seems the production is a little bit lacking here as the piano gets fuzzed a bit at times.

The closing “Dawn” starts off sounding like an Alan Parsons tune with a heavier rhythm section than Parsons usually employed, but with nowhere near as good of vocals as most Project albums had. This is a rather weak track, and was probably extended unnecessarily long in order to bring this to proper album length.

A pretty new band that I don’t know much about (another one of my kid’s discoveries!), but overall I think this is a very enjoyable album, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to most metal and neo-prog fans. Closer to four stars than three, but not on-par with most other albums I have given four stars to.

peace

For a long time Rush's Hemispheres was the only album of a previously unknown band I'd ever bought solely on the strength of recommendations from a trusted fellow proghead. Rush has since over the years become one of my biggest favorites, and that album is one of their five star masterpieces. Then a few months ago Hemispheres got company when, encouraged by some praising on a Finnish prog forum and a good financial situation, I grabbed Metaepitome by Overhead from my regular record store without hearing a single note. I put it on the next morning while having a quiet work day, and just listened and concentrated.

And what a great hour I spent. This album is one of the very few prog albums that have instantly struck gold on the very first time listening to it, and while some such albums tend to lose their appeal at least a bit over time, I still get the same feeling of excitement every time I listen to this one. From the first acoustic notes to the gentle verses and the shockingly stunning passage beginning at about 5:30 (I've just got to mention this specially, it's one of the best things I've ever heard) to the crushingly heavy parts and the lone piano the title track is an exciting adventure through various musical landscapes. And despite its versatility and impressive length it never falls apart. I admit there are some very Purple and Pink moments at times, but I can't be bothered by them, as they don't jump out to my face, but fit well in their places. The rest of the album is dedicated to more compact pieces of music. Warning: Ending is an upbeat number with a long soaring intro, really groovy verses and an aggressive chorus which after some instrumental adventures eventually blends seamlessly into Point of View, which starts off as a ballady kind of thing before the spotlight is stolen by Jaakko Kettunen's fantastically well structured guitar solo taking up most of the song's duration. A Butterfly's Cry is the most upbeat song on the album, actually it wouldn't be very inappropriate to call it cheerful. If I had to choose, I'd say this is slightly the weakest track on the album, but still a great great song with some playful keyboard melodies and funky guitar. Arrival of the Red Bumblebee is a melancholic keyboard instrumental leading into Dawn, which might well be one of the best closing tracks on any album. Built on a simple bass pattern we get echoing keyboards, guitar painting long lines on the horizon and a very strong emotional vocal performance by Alex Keskitalo, especially in the long beautiful finale. A relatively simple song, but carries itself proudly all those 16 minutes into the final silence.

The voice of Alex Keskitalo has improved with leaps and bounds since their debut. His vocals are the biggest problem I have with Zumanthum, but now he sounds like having gained a lot more confidence in his voice and he sings with great emotion from the start to finish. The instrumentation throughout the album is very strong, colourful and tight. Even funky at times. The tight rhythm section creates a solid foundation for keyboards and guitar to build on. Especially Jaakko Kettunen does some fantastic things with his guitar and the few flute parts are all very effective.

Every song on the album defends its place succesfully being clearly different from each other, thus having their own memorable character. It's a very diverse album ranging from cheerful to melancholic and gentle to really heavy, all the while creating a cohesive wholeness. The album hasn't yet stood the ultimate test of time, years and years of repeated listens, but I have a strong feeling that it will. Last saturday I had the privilege to witness a show where they played the title track and Dawn and as a surprise ending a stunningly thunderous rendition of 21st Century Schizoid Man, which wasn't the least bit less powerful than the original. That was one of the best gigs I've ever seen, as this is one of the best prog albums I've heard.

OVERHEAD's "Metaepitome" is one of the most enjoyable albums I've heard in a while. I think that it ends a little bit short of being a true masterpiece, mostly because of the derivative factor.

The Finnish band has no shame in showing their progressive roots throughout the whole record. This is one of the most honest prog albums I've listened to lately, with a group of musicians that choose to play very long songs, with several tempo and time signature changes and unusual structures, all trademark elements of the classic definition of progressive rock. That OVERHEAD's instruments of choice happen to be the mellotron and the flute, among others, is just a normal consequence of their love for retro-progressive rock.

The music can well be described as atmospheric, spacey, always moving, always flowing like an endless wave of liquid musical energy. The band pays sure homage to PINK FLOYD, one of the genre's biggest legends, constantly evoking their sound and emulating several of their techniques. The albums sounds very floydian because of this. But this is a more modern version of the classic. At the same time we're invaded by contemporary sounds and effects, rhythms that belong to the era when the impossible has been already conquered. There's a strong pop/rock sensibility running under the progressive bloodstream of the music. The "indie" flavor of the record is clear, and it shows very clearly on the vocals, which remind us of other indie/prog-rock artists like THE DECEMBERISTS. The music, on the other hand, takes influence from other bands like HAWKWIND and, in consequence, with another Finnish band, AMORPHIS. We can feel the same cold, the same freezing sensation by listening to OVERHEAD as to said metal band (in fact, "Metaepitome" borders on metal at times.) Other influences that constantly show through are neo-prog bands like MARILLION (Hogarth era) or prog masters GENESIS, as well as more modern acts like PHIDEAUX.

Without a doubt, the best tracks are the gigantic opener, the title-track, and the second song, "Warning: Ending (Without Warning)". Here we have an introduction to all the great faces of OVERHEAD: very floydian, classic-progressive in the former, more contemporary, even electronica in the latter. From here on, the music maintains a constant high level, even though at some points it starts repeating itself.

My only problem with this otherwise-brilliant record is my opinion that at times it sounds too-much like it's trying to sound like something else. The influences show and sometimes we feel we've been there, done that before. But that doesn't take from the fact that the musicianship is incredible, the melodies are fantastic and the disc is ultimately an extremely satisfying experience. For that reason, I'll give it 4 stars over 5.

I have a deep admiration for prog from Finland, with prized older stuff like Wigwam and Tasavallan Presidentti, more recent releases from the magnificent The Giant Hogweed Orchestra, Groovector, Viima and Hidria Spacefolk in my collection. I had therefore high expectations for Overhead, especially audacious when kicking off an album with a title track that clocks in at 19.40, a somewhat sultry embroidery of various influences, spooky space groove mixed in with great symphonic details, a incisive guitarist in Jaakko Kettunen that uses his clever fingers adroitly both in riffs and soloing, Tarmo Simonen handles piano and various keys with controlled effect, Janne Pylkönen drives a nasty propulsive bass and complements the soft/hard display by drummer Ville Sjöblom. The vocals are a bit problematic for me as Alex Keskitalo obviously comes from harder rock schooling and I just can't really get a grip on it. The whopping title track does create a compelling mood, full of contrasts with hard walls of guitar, jagged edges as well as gentle ruminations and dreamy passages that evoke, spellbind and stun. The subtle piano in particular is used as a moderating medium, weaving ornate sonic architectures, increasing the drama by adding majesty to the arrangement. The final segment has a plunge into heaviness that arrives suddenly and effectively, raising the level of grandeur without falling prey to typical metal clichés, pushing the music along towards some kind of release. A fantastic piece of epic prog music. Bravo! The next piece "Warning: Ending" covers a completely different spectrum of sound, this time letting bubbling electronics rule the sonic waves, rustling flute competing with riffing guitars, pushing the theme along relentlessly, the bass reptilian, the drums shuffling madly. The vocals are very contemporary, which means it is a bit weak to my ears, seemingly devoid of power and assurance (Galahad's Stuart Nicholson would have been a serious upgrade here) and flirting with distraction. The massed choir effect is also not a success, very stereotypical but the music is certainly very acceptable. A stinging guitar solo adds some nice spice to the mix, the piano waving a goodbye. Another sizzling highpoint (sic!), "Point of View" has acoustic guitars pinging gently while Alex' vocals are seemingly treated, making them actually pleasant. The lyrical Kettunen fret solo is a simmering triumph, with a variety of unusual "axioms" squeezed out with the phrasing, toying with the various volumes and effects; this is damn fine emotional playing. "Butterfly's Cry" is a bass-fueled rhythmic dance that succeeds in being inventive, introducing savant drum fills, twist n' turn organ forays, a well-thought out fluttering synth solo and somewhat oblique guitar work that are left cold because of a useless vocal that is bland and weak . Alex is good singer perhaps but not for this kind of material, here it becomes very self-evident. The next short instrumental track should have been stretched out more, as it contains wonderful promise that is left unfulfilled; Simonen's piano is pure joy and majestic splendor, so why cut out so quickly, damn! "Dawn" is another extended 16 minute epic, a groovy bass-led fantasy, simple but effective, correctly identified by a PA colleague (clemofnazareth) to be similar to Alan Parsons (referring to classic I Robot tune "the Voice" perhaps), with zooming synthesizers, cascading guitar chords, all held together by that unrelenting supreme bass riff, with Alex' vocals actually very a propos here, almost a hushing delivery. I happen to enjoy long groove tracks that noodle onward as long as the bass rules, no problem! Fans of Hawkwind, Eloy and other space cadets will enjoy this track and most of the album without a doubt. All in all, a good addition that could have been simply masterful with a few small changes, an improved vocalist with more oomph would have helped on most tracks. 4 frozen lakes.

Their first album ''Zumanthum'' was quite a good surprise for me and I was very enthusiastic to listen to their second effort.

This album is a more easy listening music, but by no means it should be regarded as a weak album. As usual, the band is playing quite long songs but it is true to say that I couldn't find the grandeur of ''Beginning To End'' from their debut. But this was a damned good epic!

In terms of epic, we have two of that kind in this follow-up work.

The title track takes while to kick off but it is quite melodic and the heavy organ featured in the second leg of this song is quite enjoyable. I'm quite confused though, when I read that this should be a rip-off from the great ''Child In Time (which WAS a rip off from the Californian band ''It's A Beautiful Day'' and ''Bombay Calling'' was the track). Still, I do share the feeling with Hughes that this piece of music has a whole damned lot to do with the neo- prog genre. But on the good side, I would say.

The following track opens on a brilliant instrumental part: a wild Tull should I say. Heavy beats and a remarkable flute part: gorgeous to tell you the truth. What follows might not be on par but this intro is a killer. Unfortunately, there will be only almost heavy metal noises afterwards (oooops sorry, this is called progressive metal now ?).

Things are getting a lot better with ''Point Of View'' which shines thanks to its sublime guitar solo. This passage is a definite highlight . The neo-prog feel is even more obvious during the intro for ''Butterfly's Cy'' (hi Tony)?

I am pretty sure that if the band had not released their very good ''Zumanthum'', it would have been easily categorized into the neo-prog style. The second (average) epic confirms this feeling IMO. It sounds as déjà vu and offers little astonishing moments.

''Metaepitome'' is not on par with ''Zumanthum'', that's a given. But it still remains a good album which I rate with three stars.

Another album that is right there between 3 and 4 stars as far as i'm concerned. OVERHEAD are from Finland and this is their second album. I think it's a little inconsistant but there are some amazing moments.

The opening self-titled track "Metaepitone" is my favourite. Acoustic guitar as reserved vocals join in. It gets fuller but doesn't really kick in until before 4 1/2 minutes where we get some power. It settles again but contrasts continue. It's FLOYD-like 5 1/2 minutes in. The guitar solo before 10 minutes goes on and on. Synths after 12 minutes then it's heavier again.The song ends as it began.

"Warning:Ending (Without Warning)" is kind of spacey early then it kicks in before 1 1/2 minutes. It heavy with flute. Vocals 2 1/2 minutes in as it settles some. Multi-vocals after 4 minutes. I'm reminded of ACT at times here. "Point Of View" is acoustic guitar and reserved vocals until this lazy bluesy guitar comes in and takes over. The vocals are back late. "Butterfly's Cry" is led by bass, drums and keys. Vocals and organ after 1 1/2 minutes. "Arrival Of The Red Bumblebee" is a short piano filled track. "Dawn" builds in stages early until the vocals come in around 2 minutes. I like the guitar especially around 12 minutes.

A really good album that just fails to hit 4 stars. 3.5 stars it is.

Metaepitome may not be a masterpiece but surely is a truly enjoyable album from the beginning to the end with no real weak point and several moments of great music. The technique of the musicians is without any doubt of high level (as evidenced by the remarkable guitar solo in "Point of View"). Its main stream is neoprogressive but with several heavy/rock insertions that give the melodic lines power and energy. There is no particular piece that shines over the others in my opinion, but all the tracks maintain on a very good level, even if the musical line of the closing one ("Dawn") actually seems to extend a little bit beyond what is due. This album definitely deserves 4 full stars.

Yes, this is one of my fav albums ever

Second album Metaepitome from 2005 of finish progressive rock band named Overhead is an excellent example of sheer greatness in this style. I find it great from start to finish, having one giant piece clocking around 20 min, the title track is the best band ever done in their career for sure. I like a lot the contrast and moods this album offers and specialy this piece, from Floydian atmosphere to a more metalized sections towards the end of the piece, with brilliand songwritting, nice guitar and in same time very intristing passages and above all some of the most great arrangements on keybords I've heared in last years, simply amazing, definetly the cherry on the cake here. Another highlight for me is Point of view with fantastic guitar chops in the last part of the track made in Jaako Kettunen, excellent again. The album ends with another long piece Dawn remind me in places with Marillion, specialy on guitar parts , but again this band from Finland done a fantastic job, no wonder that this album is the highest rated from all 3 released by the band, is their best by far and one of the most intristing I've heared coming not only from Finland but in general. I was simply blown away buy the musicians songwritting and how easy they handle the instruments. Overhead can go from slow mleancholic passages to a more up tempo with amazing ease, a thing that must be laudatory on this album , because has no faults at all, maybe the voice is less intristing for me in general , but overall this album must go highly recommended. 4 stars, kick ass release.

I had forgotten what a great album this is. I am going to see Overhead perform in Veruno at a festival in a couple of weeks so I have rooted out their albums for another listen. I first came across Overhead at another festival, ProgResiste at the Spirit of 66 in 2006, the year after they released "Metaepitome". I was very impressed with their performance, very powerful and Alex Keskitalo had a great stage presence. The intensity of the concert reminded me of Riverside, another great band to see live.

The album opens with the epic title track clocking in at 19:40 minutes. This is a superb progressive suite with a number of changes in tempo ranging from mellow to aggressive.

"Warning: Ending (Without Warning)" follows this. It opens with some interesting keyboard playing, the bass then joins in forming a nice introduction before the remaining players become involved, there is some good flute playing as well from Alex Keskitalo in this introductory section.

"Point of View" is the third track and starts in a mellow mood with Alex Keskitalo's vocals backed by acoustic guitar, then electric guitar. Jaako Kettunen puts in a fine performance on this track with some excellent guitar playing upto about the 4:30 minute mark when Alex returns on vocals.

"Butterfly's Cry" displays nice interplay between keyboards and bass at the start. It is one of the more mellow tracks and features some fine work by Tarmo Simonen on keyboards

"Arrival of the Red Bumblebee" is a short instrumental track. This is a bit of a throwaway,

The album closed with another epic track, "Dawn", 16:22 minutes in duration. It is a splendid end to a superb album. It sounds rather like Riverside in places mainly in the interplay between bass, drums and keyboards. Some fine spacy keyboard playing comes in around the 8 minute mark. It is my second favourite track on the album, just beaten by the title track

Overhead have their own unique sound with a distinctive vocalist in Alex Keskitalo, you can't really say that they sound like any other band, apart from the Riverside influence on "Dawn". They represent one of best of the new generation of progressive rock bands which are forging their own sound rather than replicating the music of the 1970's.

It is a magnificant achivement from a young band. It is a shame that they have not been more prolific in the intervening years with only two more studio recordings added to their discography since "Metaepitome" was released. It probably merits 4.5 stars but since I can't award it that I will have to give it a five star rating.

Metaepitome, the second album by the Finnish prog band OVERHEAD (released by the French label Musea) has got very warm reception here, though it's now already four years since the last review. In my opinion here Overhead are at the peak of their musical expression, but undoubtedly the more Metal-oriented listeners can say that they have improved further since then. It's all about tastes in the end.

Nearly an hour long album starts gorgeously with the (nearly) 20-minute title track that contains slight PINK FLOYD influence. Thematically it's a bit cryptic in its metaphysical view on everything, but actually I haven't paid much attention to the lyrics anyway. The long piece succeeds perfectly in maintaining the emotionally powerful mood. There's a good balance between the instrumentality and vocals, and plenty of dynamic variety.

Rather clumsily named 'Warning: Ending (Without Warning)' reaches towards the aggressive metal-oriented style on the choruses while there's also soft, key-centred soundscape and some Crimsonesque angular complexity. The sad-mooded 'Point of View' starts delicately reminding of bands such as PORCUPINE TREE, as if to burst into loudness at any moment, but to my pleasure it evolves into a superb, long electric guitar solo... okay, in the end the song turns heavier.

'Butterfly's Cry' is a fast tempo song with some JETHRO TULL reminding flute here and there. The vocals perhaps try to be too versatile; I prefer the instrumental sections. The next short track is then wholly instrumental, an elegant and atmospheric keyboard piece. The final epic, deeply atmospheric and suitably Floydian 'Dawn' (16:22) is the ultimate highlight for me, as I said already in my review on the DVD "Live After All". Metaepitome is among the finest Finnish progressive rock albums from the early 2000's.