SCUDIERO - WALKING THROUGH MIRRORS - 1999

Scuderio is a Swedish 5-piece who recently released their debut Walking Through Mirrors on Z Records. In fact, Scuderio is the first signing to Z Records that does not play straight hard rock/melodic heavy, but blend hard rock, AOR and prog. This doesn't mean they can't be heavy and powerful, because they are.

Originally formed back in 1994, the band has kept a high profile releasing a few promo discs during this time. Now, finally, the debut is out and has 11 songs on it with playing time over 54 minutes. The CD kicks off with "YMI" which has some pumping keys and a good staccato guitar riff. [Plus there's a] good melody line and a great chorus. The keys are dominant, but in a good way, giving the song the extra driving source. The variation is good throughout the song, and the mellow part in the middle with keys and guitar solo is beautiful. Track two, "Slave To Temptation," is another song with heavy guitars and great keyboards. The melody line and chorus is once again great. A good melodic guitar solo with floating keys filling the background and the vocals of H.B. Andersson is very good having both power and feeling. Track three, "Dragon's Lair" starts with floating keys and is at first very close to being AOR, with a superb melodic verse. But when the guitars come in, it's more back to the progressive style of the two first songs. Good vocals and a majestic chorus. Once again a good atmospheric solo accompanied by keys - good variation here too. Track 5, "Whispering Shadows" is another up-tempo track with good keyboard arrangements and powerful guitars. A very good chorus, time changes and good variation. Track 6, "Autumn Years" starts with clean guitars, keys and the good vocals of Andersson. When the heavy guitars come in, the song moves into a moody mid-tempo rocker with a superb chorus. Once again a great melody and a good performance by the band. Track seven, "Some Things Never Change," is a great ballad with nice piano/keys, tasty floating bass, and a great verse, pre-chorus to chorus with nice background chorus which fit the song well. The vocals of Andersson really shine on this song, showing his emotional side. The remaining four songs all keep up the high quality, with the exception of track nine which reminds me a lot of Swedish companions Lion's Share, which of course is not a negative thing. But the melody line and chorus does not have the melodic attack as the other tracks, coming off less accessible and memorable.

Once again Sweden is delivering the goods. This is another great album and will most likely appeal to fans of melodic prog metal and melodic metal, the Scandinavian way. The band has, without doubt, a sense for good melodies and are very competent as musicians. The songs are worked through very well and they don't seem to miss anything in the songwriting department either. No songs are totally mindblowing, but nevertheless the whole CD keeps high quality with good songs throughout. The production is good, not razor sharp, but letting each instrument come to its right. I especially enjoyed the atmospheric solo parts with the tasty bass lines, which emphasized melody, not just shred. All songs are filled with great keyboard arrangements, heavy guitars and great vocals. Good melody lines and choruses. It's hard to make any comparisons because Scuderio has definitively found their own style and musical direction, and they deserve credit for that.
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