Lanfear
This Harmonic Consonance
Rating
Style: Progressive/Power Metal
Release date: 24 February, 2012
Playing time: 49:41
 

Germany is not a country known for its many progressive metal bands. Power metal on the other hand is what a lot of German music lovers eat for breakfast. Perhaps that is why Lanfear's style can be put in between Power and Progressive.

After the intro, the leaning towards power metal tracks "Colours of Chaos" and "By-Product Nation" follow. With Nuno Miguel de Barros Fernandes the band has an excellent vocalist and that makes this album one of the better releases so far this year. On the fourth track "The Reverend" the more progressive side of the band appears; in the song the band shows that they can write excellent and arrange songs very well. Because of the rather heavy guitars and tight drumming the song keeps giving you a heavy feeling.

"Idiopathic Descreation" has a slow and serene start, but then the song bursts out. Yet another progressive track with nice keys and guitar riffs is born. The combination of  Nuno's voice in combination with the music almost makes me want to compare them to Fates Warning, but then a little heavier. "Camera Silens" blows you off your feet, starting off very fast and evolving into a perfect combination of power and progressive stuff; the Spanish guitar part in the middle fits in well. To put some more aggression into some songs a sporadic more aggressive shout fromf Nuno passes by, like for example in "I Robo Sapiens".

In "Spectrophobia" I have to think of the band Fates Warning again. If you are still not convinced about the vocal performance of Nuno, just listen to the softest song "Word Not Spoken". A combination of Warrel Dane with Ray Alder. Closing track "Disharmonic Consonance" is the strangest, most ADHD sounding song on the album, with some dance/electro sounds at the end of the song, but due to the choruses the track doesn't derail.

I don't dare to say that this album is better than their 2008 album 'X to the Power of Ten', but it ain't worse either. This is progressive metal the way it is meant to be.


Tracklist

01. Giorno del Giudizio
02. Colours of Chaos
03. By-Product Nation
04. The Reverend
05. Idiopathic Descreation
06. Camera Silens
07. I, Robo Sapiens
08. Spectrophobia
09. Word Not Spoken
10. Disharmonic Consonance

Label: Pure Legend Records
Distribution: Pure Steel Records
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 12 February, 2012
Website: www.myspace.com/thelanfear