FORGOTTEN SUNS - review added 19th February 2009
Album Review: Innergy (2009)
For fans of: prog metal... and Operation Mindcrime-esque medical referencing
Forgotten Suns is a Portuguese progressive metal act with two albums (Fiction edge - 2000, Snooze - 2004) already to their name. Innergy, the 3rd release, comes from a modified iteration of the band and boasts improved production and a vastly heavier sound. To hear them is like breathing an inhaler made from essence of Dream Theater, Queensrÿche and Rush.
The 2009 line-up of Forgotten Suns is: Ricardo Falcão on guitars, Miguel Valadares on keyboards and programming, J.C Samora on drums and percussion, Nuno Correia on bass and Nio Nunes on lead vocals. Only Ricardo Falcão and Miguel Valadares remain from the original foundations of the band. All members contribute backing vocals.
The question is, how good is this album? The answer is more difficult than you might imagine. All prog bands stand with one foot either side of an arête. One direction contains brilliant, technically and emotionally-stunning music that makes hearts beat and brains purr. The other side may still be technically stunning, but it's as emotionally cack-handed as a drunk tramp in a brothel.
'Flashback' is as good as anything Dream Theater have produced since their early days. 'Racing The Hours' isn't far behind. 'News' is a never-ending epic which weaves and winds like a dust track scaling the side of a valley. It's heavy going, moody, light and fun all at the same time. Work that out...
'Doppelgänger' is a weird one. It's like the band have taken a Germanic power metal track and fused it's DNA with a progosaurus. The result is, unexpectedly, the most memorable song on the album. 'An Outer Body Experience' is the absolute reverse. It lapses into a yawnsome progressive feel and suffers a distinct lack of memorable hooks.
'Outside In' and 'Nanoworld' are both 10 min+ monsters that, arguably, go on a bit. Fortunately, held within their respective vastnesses, are plenty of catchy melodies, intriguing percussive digressions and keyboard musings. Neither of them are tracks you can recall once finished, but they are a pleasure to listen to.
The final track, 'Mind Over Matter' is a brighter and altogether more approachable way to finish. The spoken samples at the end of the song are annoying, but they certainly don't spoil the track.
If you are a fan of progressive rock or metal you need this album. It's the best example of the genre since Threshold's Dead Reckoning and by far the best this year. The first half is astonishing, the second half mostly excellent. Looking beyond the complex compositions there are some obscenely catchy tunes on Innergy. It took a lot of listening to get into the album, nonetheless the music is still very open and accessible... as far as prog metal goes.
The older albums by Forgotten Suns do nothing for me. Innergy pushes all the right buttons in all the right ways. It would be fair to say that Forgotten Suns have got both feet firmly on the none-tramp side of that arête!
Check out... There's another of those cowboy saloon pianos in there somewhere. Always worth a laugh!
Track List:
1. Flashback
2. Racing The Hours
3. News
4. Doppelgänger
5. An Outer Body Experience
6. Outside In
7. Nanoworld
8. Mind Over Matter
Label: ProgRock Records
Artist's websites: Forgotten Suns , MySpace
