2007-01-06
If Anything else, German prog metallers Vannila Rex's second full length album is a good example of how things that revolve around a band's music can seriously fuck up the end result, meaning specifically – the sound, the band's name, and the cover to the album.
I'll start with the bad stuff, all of these elements I mentioned:
The band's name is quite silly, doesn’t really connect to a metal band, and specifically not to a prog band, so it sure doesn’t serve their interests in any way or fashion. The album's cover is…well, disastrous, something that should not appear on the cover of any album, let alone on a prog metal cover; this makes this self released effort as unappealing as can be to someone who sees the album and would consider buying it, prog metal fans won't ever guess this album for what it is.
What it is actually, is not a band prog metal album at all, taking its influence from such prog metal bands as Dream Theater while combining it with some heavier melodic metal touches, these guys can play, with strong keyboard arrangements and solid guitar playing, a tight rhythm section and quite an able, if sometimes too highly pitched, vocalist.
The album's 8 tracks are mostly long and complex, with some impressive song writing and a solid potential. But, and that's one major but, they need the backing of a label, because an album that sounds like this one does, just shouldn't be released. The sound is so god damn shady, unclear and just horrible, that most of the band's potential is drowned and turns into unlistenable, and that's a real shame.
With a proper budget, a normal sound and a name change, this can be a great prog metal band, but this release just doesn’t do them any justice at all.
Alon Miasnikov
