FOR ALL WE KNOW

Supergroups have historically been known as a pretty double-edged sword. The artists involved are usually established , nd very good at what they do, and the thought of having such talent together is usually the answer to many listeners' dreams. The catch usually comes around by the time the music is released though; the music may be produced well or performed brilliantly, but the passion and inspiration usually shown with the artist's main work is lacking. To make this rant pertinent to the review of For All We Know's debut, this is a supergroup that breaks out of that preconception. Taking some of the best known artists in progressive metal and rock together under the one banner of this album, it is questionable as to whether this band will go anywhere else from here, but For All We Know stands as a great album of progressive metal that stands leagues above many of its peers.

Marketed as a collaboration between members of Within Temptation and Pain of Salvation, one could probably get some idea of what this might sound like if they are familiar with either of those acts. Although this project is led by Within Temptation guitarist Ruud Jolie however, the music here in fact sounds closer to Pain of Salvation than anything else, likely circa their 'Perfect Element' or 'Remedy Lane' days. Seeing as Pain of Salvation has since gone on to other things with their sound, it is very nice to hear this brand of melodic, dark, yet not power metal inclined progressive metal again. Both Kristoffer and Daniel Gildenlöw from Pain of Salvation are here, and while Daniel's distinctive and beautiful vocals only come in a couple of times in the album, they are a beautiful addition to the music here. The majority of the vocals however fall upon singer Wudstik, who I first heard guest starring on an Ayreon album. He has a warm voice that generally sticks to the comfortable mid range, but certain moments see him reaching for the higer notes, which he does very nicely. He has a great vibrato to his voice that compliments the more mellow moments that 'For All We Know' has to offer.

On top of those, Sharon Del Adel from Within Temptation does a vocal duet with Daniel Gildenlöw here that is a real treat, especially for a fan of both bands ('Keep Breathing'), and John Wesley of Porcupine Tree lays down a guitar solo here towards the end of the record. As supergroups go, the songwriting here is very nice; Ruud Jolie's songwriting is very melodic and often goes in a similar direction to that of Pain of Salvation, and while things are progressive here, each of these tracks sticks to the songwriting, there are no longer tracks to really sport the band's chemistry or ambition. The album's flow is not great, and 'For All We Know' instead feels like a collection of great songs rather than a flowing piece of singular music.

At the heart of all of these guest spots and flashy production though, there is strong songwriting, and this is what makes For All We Know a great project. I can only hope that there is a second album to come along after this, because this has been one of the strongest debuts I have heard this year.

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