THE COMPLEXITY OF LIGHT

Children of Nova's debut is a smart blend of symphonic and metal, and produces some amazingly memorable and creative melodies. I guess I would describe them as how it would sound if Coheed and Cambria or The Mars Volta started playing symphonic rock. Admittedly, the album tapers off a bit around the second to last track, but the final two tracks are still quite deserving of praise. If any of this sounds appealing, lend this album an ear- preferably both- because the arrangements and their execution are brilliant.

"The Complexity of Light" Hand percussion and a spacious lead guitar opens the album, which to me evokes images of ancient Mayans. The powerful amalgamation of symphonic and metal is a real treat, especially what the band does rhythmically in conjunction with the spectacular vocal melody (just listen to that refrain). The soaring falsetto is splendid to my ears.

"Arcaedion" Sophisticated guitar playing provides a stellar introduction to the second song. The vocals come across as especially impressive. Each flourish is excellent and tightly executed. The bass work and drumming are equally notable because they add so much to the overall sound whilst standing out in their own respective ways. There's enough energy here to power the speakers their music is coming from, and probably then some.

"The Fall of Aphonia" Muted guitar and electronic bleeps give way to lush, almost feminine vocals. The range of this vocalist is certainly impressive, and he does sound like a more restrained Cedric Bixler-Zavala. While the focus may be on the bright vocals, the rhythm never gets stale, using hard-hitting and tight riffs blended with softer fare to create a rich texture supporting the melody.

"Second Sight Blackout" The band provides the listener with an appropriate break by placing the softest song on the album here. It is smooth, with clean wah guitar and a gentle lead. However, it gets much heavier at times, especially as it moves toward its conclusion.

"The Order" Blasts of guitar and that exotic, ethereal vocal brings in a heavy verse. This composition itself is on the disjointed side, with a lot of machine-gun drumming and seemingly misplaced guitar parts. However, the subsequent, echoing guitar phrases are very interesting to listen to.

"We Collide" That fantastic clean, reverberating guitar is back, and gives way to the band's usual dexterous performance. Children of Nova make great use of dynamics even if the overall arrangement drags a bit. The group is as excellent as they have been throughout this album, but my mind simply wanders during this last piece, as it is missing the hooks and melodies that made the previous songs amazing.