King Crow : "Eidos"

From the onset the tricky syncopation seems to have more in common with Mars Volta than Kamelot. The vocals are filled with the kind of refined power that is required for progressive metal. They are soulful and more along the lines of Pain of Salvation than any operatic bellowing. They have some mathematics to some passages. The switches between the acoustic passages and the heavier riffs is well executed. This album's production all the way around is pretty spot on for their ambitious playing. They are melodic with out pouring on the cheese. Opeth and Porcupine Tree and both fair reference point, if we are talking about Opeths non-death metal days.

There is a slithering Tool groove set against the vocal melodies of "Slow Down" before the Kings X like prog sets in. They wait to slow down and get introspective on "Open Sky". There is a slight 70s prog tone to the keys. The singing is both emotive and original on this one. Its mid way into the song until any metal undertones begin to simmer up. These are kept at an more Led Zeppelin like intensity. They step into almost a folk metal place with the strum of the guitar on "Fading Out". This is not the only odd flirtation with other genres as I hear traces of 80s pop on the verse to "On the Barren Ground". They get closer to the Queensryche worship most prog-metal bands are all about on "At the Same Pace". They funny thing is they seem to be taking more cues from post-Empire Ryche than taking hold of the flame.

The title track finds the band getting a few degrees heavier, before flipping over into a more Porcupine Tree like acoustic verse.Honestly after reviewing the new Muse album earlier today I would say Kingcrow put more work into fine tuning the vocal melodies than Muse did. Sure Matt Bellamy might be the better singer, but when you are just dialing it in it doesn't matter. The end on a more introspective note than the album began on with delicate vocals and acoustic guitar that leads into a gradual build until it only goes metal for the final minute.  While this album is not metal in the strictest sense it has enough balls to appease fans of the proggier varieties. I'll give this one a 9 since it is so well crafted.