STARFOOTED

METAPHOR's debut "Starfooted" is a concept album about the forgotten religion of Gnosticism, but as they emphasize on their website none of their group members is in fact a Gnostic. The music is right from the beginning reminiscent of Gabriel-era GENESIS, but as well of some other bands from the heyday of Prog. Nevertheless the band has sufficient own substance to come away from its "fame" as a Genesis-Tribute band and is presenting its own style despite of this fact. Even if some people might call them a "Genesis clone", everyone has to admit, that it's at least a very good one. Epic long tracks joined to each other by the music and the concept offering many of the ingredients that finally defined what is Prog, like mellotron and keyboard soundscapes, complex odd-timed rhythms and a guitar playing that clearly reminds to Steve Hackett's. "Starfooted" is an excellent album and one of the best debut releases ever. It does not have any lengthy parts or fillers and never becomes tiresome. Although being an album that one likes from the beginning (at least it worked that way for me) it's as well one which grows on you and fascinates with each repeated listening. I'm quite sure that it will be classic in future and METAPHOR could become one of the most important Prog acts. Maybe their music does not give much to people who are not lovers of Retro-Prog and bands like GENESIS, GENTLE GIANT, YES and so on, although it's hard for to imagine. But for fans of this kind of music it's definitively HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. So 4 stars is really not too much for this album and bearing in mind that's in fact a debut, one could almost give 5.