PERSONA NON GRATA - SHADE IN THE LIGHT - 2009

From the land of Greece comes progressive metal band Persona Non Grata and their debut for Sensory Records, titled Shade In the Light. From the opening keyboard melodies and ensuing massive power chords of "Before the Reason", you know right off the bat what type of ride you are going to be in store for here, so the best thing to do is fasten your seat belt and enjoy the journey. Lead singer Bill Axiotis instantly draws comparisons to Queensryche belter Geoff Tate and Fates Warning/Redemption vocalist Ray Alder, as he soars over the top of these 10 tracks with his powerful, high pitched wail. The band has been around since 2003, taking a few years to solidify their line-up and begin the writing & recording process which would end up being Shade In the Light. Along with Axiotis, the band is comprised of founding members John Ioannidis (keyboards) & Chris Gatsos (guitars), Chris Vogiatzis (bass), and Akis Gavalas (drums). Together these guys have created a powerful album here, and one that should appeal to just about any progressive metal fan.

One thing you quickly notice when making your way through this CD, is that the band doesn't try to bludgeon you with endless, flashy chops, so instead of taking the Dream Theater route, comparisons are closer to the aforementioned Queensryche, Fates Warning, Vanden Plas, Threshold, and Circus Maximus, as Persona Non Grata focus on strong melodies and dramatic arrangements rather than showing off their soloing ability. Not that there's not plenty of instrumental pizzaz here, just check out Gatsos' tasty guitar solos and Ioannidis' stunning piano,organ, and syth work on "Dual Unity" and "Single Unity" for proof of their skills. However, it's their ability to crank out heavy, catchy, progressive metal numbers with plenty of symphonic and crunchy elements, and most importantly memorable melodies, that really works for this band. Tracks like "Collision Course", the power ballad "Fives", and the complex title track, are all songs that stick in your head long after the CD has stopped playing. As precise as the instrumentation is here, it's the vocals of Axiotis that really steals the show, his poignant, powerful pipes on the passionate "Longing" is just breathtaking, as he reaches heights that Geoff Tate used to achieve many moons ago but couldn't dream of going to these days. His varied attack on the proggy "Personal Gratitude" blends in perfectly with the layered sounds from the band, as they inject heavy riffs, sitar, walls of keyboards, female backing vocals, and intricate rhythms into the fray. If it's virtuoso playing you want, there's plenty of that on the closing number "Stillness", a intricate yet symphonic piece with plenty of wild guitar/keyboard/bass/drum interplay, Axiotis playing the ring leader with his majestic, soaring vocals.

Shade In the Light is one of those CD's that doesn't quite make a huge impact on first listen, but slowly uncovers many treasures with each passing listen. Rather than try and impress the listener with quick thrills and lots of flash, Persona Non Grata have crafted a moody, textured, and multi-layered gem here with their debut that forces the listener to really pay attention to divulge all of its rewards. Fans of the darker and certainly melodic end of the progressive metal spectrum would be well advised to check this out.
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