OUT OF THE FREAKSHOW

After a rather long hiatus following their previous work (which was a strong effort by any standard), this Dutch prog metal group finally return with an album that shows maturity, technical progress and a surprisingly broad range of influences and styles.

I found myself reminded of Rush, especially with the song '24/7 smile', and there were really nice Psychotic Waltz references sprinkled throughout the album (PW lead singer Devon Graves/Buddy Lackey guests vocals and flute on the last track) - though these similarities never stray into territory that sounds like copying. My favourite track was 'Afraid To Bleed' - a highly powerful yet melodic song, with truly spine tingling moments and a sweeping instrumental ending that reminded me of Dream Theater's "Finally Free".

Cirrha Niva have managed to shape a sound that is authentically their own, which is quite an accomplishment for a band like theirs which at this stage may still be perceived by most as just another name among hundreds of similar acts. With this album, they prove they are not.

The music throughout the album ranges from neo-prog esque, to latin and reggae breaks, all the way up the spectrum towards almost tech metal sounding grooves. As with the previous album ("For Moments Never Done"), lead singer LeGrand carries the songs with his unique and versatile vocals. The rhythm section really stands out with interim drummer Nathanael Taekema and new bassist Michel Steenbekkers performing some truly adrenaline pumping stuff, while marked technical improvement and depth is noted between the dual lead guitarists and longest standing bandmembers Rob Willemse and Carlo Heefer.

The thing that lets it down just a little are the lyrics. While they do quite well at conveying some pretty dark and emotional aspects of human psyche, alas as with many bands where English isn't the first language, some minor lack of poetry is detected. However, most people won't be phased much by this and the absolutely spectacular artwork and costumes designs easily make up for any narrative deficiency. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable album that i expect to give plenty of spins. Now let's hope it's not another 5+ yrs before the next one!