VIGILANCE - SECRECY - 1997

This is a very hard to find CD. It is the sophomore release from a band that vanished shortly after this CD was released. It's really a shame that the band is no longer around because they put out some really good neo-progressive metal somewhere on the scale between Symphony X and Shadow Gallery.

The sound takes the heavier guitar work of Symphony X, the keyboard use of Shadow Gallery, some of the epic feel of Vanden Plas or Ivory Tower with hints of Rush and mixes it all together for a very interesting progressive sound. The music is technical and crisp without being cold or devoid of emotion. A lot of the emotion is provided by the vocalist who has a harsher voice than what one normally associates with progressive metal. His voice is operatic, but gravelly at the same time and there is an accent that actually enhances his singing in a very pleasant way.

The music changes time and direction enough to keep fans of progressive metal listening but without approaching the frenetic pace of Spiral Architect. The keys stay in the background for the most part, making forays into the limelight as called for by the song. The songs are wordy, reminiscent of Shadow Gallery's Tyranny disc. They are also long, six of them being over six minutes long.

If you happen to find this disc, it is certainly worth the money. Fans of prog metal may want to try to track it down along with the first disc, Behind The Mask.
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