HEART OF SUN

It seems like a long time since I've spent some time with a Prog-Metal record so I decided to do that with Italy's HEART OF SUN. A five piece including keyboards and two of them add programming. I really like the album cover art. The music though just doesn't do it for me overall despite being a little different at times from the norm. Some crazy synths at times and the guitar style on the opener reminds me of some jazz/fusion guitarists surprisingly. After that he's all metal though.

The drumming bugs me, I just feel like it has that power-metal style where your getting hammered into submission. The singer does remind me of James LaBrie at times, not the strongest voice and an accent. Now after saying those negative things about the singer and drummer they are both from TIME MACHINE a band from Italy I really like. It's also a band that has had many lineup changes and my favourite album by them "Eternity Ends" has a different singer and drummer than the two on here. Also, everyone mentions DREAM THEATER when describing this record so there's that.

I did find this entertaining but I'm not huge on the vocals and there's those predictable tracks where every box is ticked. This seems to have been a one-off and they're from Italy! Anyway a good album with some talented folks but not a 4 star record.

Heart of Sun a prog metal band from Italy formed around guitarist Gianluca Ferro who already had contributions in another italian prog metal band Time Machine and aswell he has a solo career. Heart of Sun released one album selftitled in 2007 at galileo records. In last years lots of prog metal bands emerged from Italy like Mind Key, Twinspirists, etc included Heart of Sun who definetly pay tribute to DT, musicaly speaking. The arrangements are well constructed there are plenty of great interplays and the musicians are skilful, what suffers as on many bands is originality, being to much same with DT. Lenghty pieces, complicated twists, changes in tempo, climates and a wonderful voice of Pino Tozzi who is fiting perfectly here. As highlights to me are, the opening instrumental Res Amissa, Evil Tree or another intrsting instrumental 2016 AD. NEt is places almost going progressive electronic but fueld with the marvelous guitar chops of Gianluca Ferro who realy know to handle the instument. All in all, nothing is awesome or groundbreaking here but is pleasent most of the time 3 stars that mean good. Similar with bands mentioned above.

Another Italian clone of DREAM THEATER,and that's too much already!Well,they aren't at all bad,no way,but it seems that in the prog metal zone,the comparaison with the American icons is made automatically after we hear some notes of any album which is in this style!Solid production for this album,very dense and compact,very clever keybords interventions and a good vocalist aren't sometimes enough ingredients to make a good album!Overall it's an album of one hour and in the end we ask ourselves when will be the next audition?!?!This is the paradox of this kind of albums,they have long compositions with plenty of breaks and changing tempos,the musicians are capable but the compositions,even they aren't bad at all,they don't have anything catchy or spectacular!Technically everything it's ok ,but it misses that spark of inspiration and atractivity!I can imagine if the band will not have a second album after this promissing debut,they will fall into an anonymous status ,they will be shortly forgot and that's a pity!We hope they will make a second next step shortly and they will bring new elements in their music,which is technically correct,but the compositions must be stronger and better defined!PROXIMA CENTAURY ,the instrumental track is impressive and it seems that HEART OF THE SUN is like a fish in the water in instrumental compositions or passages! GIANLUCA FERRO is a great guitar player with impressive skills,just check his solo album,and I have the feeling that sometimes it must be more democracy in the band!!Let's hope for a better second try! 3,5 STARS for the ambition!

Really interesting debut from this Italian band.

The basic sound of this band is from the Dream Theater school of prog metal, with dark and slightly gritty guitar riffs and melodic synths dominating the soundscape in a way much similar to what DT did on their Awake album. Heart of Sun have their own thing going here though; using the foundation to explore tracks in quite a different manner than this influence.

Heart of Sun is a band very much exploring in their tunes. They have a multitude of changes in style and pace in each song, constantly evolving the tunes. And always staying melodic too, even when rocking out. And a feature throughout the album are dark soundscapes, even when at the most mellow, there's a dark tinge to these tunes that is most fascinating.

Good album worth checking out by fans of melodic prog metal; only negative aspect here is the vocals, which are a bit on the weak side at times.