S.U.S.A.R.

A very interesting album that puts some new ideas (and instruments like the violin and harp) into the world of prog metal/post metal. The band consists of a drummer, two guitarists, a violinist, a bass player and a harp player. The guitar and bass create a heavy, tempo changing rhythm undernieth of the violin playing a chilling lead. The drummer is very freestyle meaning that he almost never plays the same thing and is constantly changing the time signature. Mariusz Duda from RIVERSIDE is a guest vocalist on tracks 1, 2, 4 and 7. Personally, I think his voice is richer and cleaner than when he sings with riverside, but that's just personal opinion. The lyrics are sort of cheesy, but you dont really care when you are being graced with beautiful music.

The standout tracks are No.11811 and Uluru by far. I cant really explain to you why they are particularly good tracks, so you will will have to listen for yourself. I can say that the best violin work on the album is on No. 11811. There is not a single weak song though. The artistic talant is persistant throughout the entirety of the album.

The production is very smooth and clean simalar to the sound of RIVERSIDE and perhaps Watershed from OPETH. There are no harsh metalesk vocals anywhere to be found, all clean vocals here. The mood is pretty dark hence the violin in combination with the heavy gutars and dreamy vocals. There is a great ballance between creating the atmosphere and finding a melody which some post metal/rock bands have a hard time figuring out. They also show off how well they can play their instruments perfectly with out it becoming annoying. (*cough* Dream Theater *cough*)

Fans of the bands RIVERSIDE, OPETH, PORCUPINE TREE, MOGWAI, KAYO DOT, and KING CRIMSON will all be pretty satisfied if not fully satisfied with this album. Every fan of prog should check this out, because it isnt your normal metal album. Its something on another level. An excelent addition to your collection!

4/5 stars