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██▌ Artist...: Overtures ░▐██▌
░▐██ Album....: Artifacts ░██▌░
▓▐██ Year.....: 2016 ▓▐██▓
▓▐██ Rel. Date: 2022-12-28 ░▐██▓
▐██ Genre....: Heavy Metal ██▌░
░ ██▌ Label....: Sleaszy Rider Records ██▌
▐██ Source...: CD ▐██
░▐██▌ Type.....: Retail ▐██▌░
▓▄████ Quality..: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo ████▌░
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1. Repentance 4:48
2. Artifacts 5:28
3. GO(L)D 4:42
4. As Candles We Burn 4:38
5. Profiled 4:33
6. Unshared Worlds 4:31
7. My Refuge 4:19
8. New Dawn, New Dusk 4:53
9. Teardrop 10:20
10. Angry Animals 4:19
11. Savior (Alternate Version) 4:23
56:54
In May 2016, Italian progressive power metal band Overtures retuned
almost exactly three years later since their third full-length album
'Entering the Maze'. That album was my first contact with the band. The
album proved to be a bit of a grower, as can be read on my review for
it.
Overtures still play melodic metal, that contains power metal,
progressive compositions and loads of catchiness. They do sound Italian,
and remind of Vision Divine and Lab rinth at times, but are still
original enough an entity. Sometimes there are very German-sounding bits
and pieces, as Helloween and Edguy influences and coincidental
resemblances can be perceived.
On 'Repentance', the band offer some of their heaviest material to date.
Heavy guitar riffing, symphonic synthesizer work, not-that-straight
drumming and huge chorus immediately reminded me of Evergrey and
Kamelot. Vocals are partly theatrical, and still make me think of Andi
Deris, thanks to its range and both clean and raspy styles used.
However, it all stays on rather moderate level, so it is elegant, not
pompous; but yes, dramatic it is. The title track continues on heavier
note, not unlike Helloween's newer stuff (e.g. 'Paint a New World'), but
with classical synthesizers included and calmer parts with Tobias Sammet
style gasping. Slower 'Go(l)d' was the first music video off of the
album, and without no surprise; filled with catchy melodies and heavy
and simplistic guitar riffing, with punchy rhythm section; It's simply
hit material, but not pop hit material, if you catch my drift.
The band's ability to alloy memorable melodies and loads of tempo
changes, never but once settling for that "hit song structure" way of
composing the music, is mostly marvellous. And again, the ringleader is
vocalist Michele Guaitoli, head composer who also recorded and mixed
this. It's not mentioned in the credits, that he played a single note
here. While the influences and/or coincidental similar artists were
mentioned, I also want to underline Overtures' originality; it never
feels that they are copying here, but working on same territories. His
lyrics deal with humans, and loss is one more used theme.
As for the rest of the album, it continues in similar vein with
catchiness and being punchy. And somewhat adventurous at times, but
maybe not enough so! For example, 'As Candles We Burn' is a bit of
unsuspenseful in this pack of songs, but its nice rhythmic patterns,
shredding guitar work and great, catchy and stylish guitar solos might
win one on its side, just like 'Profiled'. It's clear that this album is
a grower, again. The drumming is magnificent throughout the album;
filled with tempo changes and technicality, plus loads of driving double
kick beats heard. Certainly a catchy choruses galore, this album, and
even with a dreaded pop chorus happening, namely on 'New Dawn, New
Dusk'. It happens to be sole throw-away track here with its Eurovision
(TM) backing vocals and being totally unadventurous. Certain kind of pop
music sensibilities seem be pester many of the latter songs, and the
vibe definitely gets pompous and over-positive with 'Teardrop', a bit in
vein of Avantasia, ending up sounding like a Meat Loaf pastiche. Urgh,
I'm feeling like I've having a sugar high... The only full band
composition, power metal blower 'Angry Animals', is a fantastic ending,
thankfully. Helloween would kill for its chorus... Bonus track 'Savior'
is a calmed down version of the original, with different arrangement,
too. Doesn't beat the original one, but is an okay try.
The album sounds good and totally professional. The playing is skilled,
as is singing. Stylish, weird cover artwork crowns it all. One sure bet
for those who like Italian progressive/power metal, and I really want to
encourage other prog/power fans to inspect Overtures out ASAP! Yes, it
gets pretty sugary at times, as Italians often do, but majority of it
doesn't. So go on and give this one a try.
---
Having formed in 2003, Italian melodic metallers Overtures has steadily
built a solid reputation of utilizing a series of powerful melodies with
churning heavy metal prowess. Having reverted to a four-piece now with
the loss of second-guitarist Adriano Crasnich, the group prepares itÆs
fourth full-length released May 27, 2016 on Sleaszy Rider Records.
Clearly having been around a while, the band is clearly a competent and
professional act that manages to get quite a lot right here which is
highly enjoyable. Starting with the riff-work, thereÆs plenty to like
about the way this shifts so effortlessly from tight, deep chugging to
galloping, mid-tempo rhythms that is wrapped up in gorgeous melodic
rhythms that contain a glorious sheen over the music. With the riff-work
burgeoning on the progressive with the way in which it incorporates some
nice technicality for an added benefit to many of the tracks here, the
melodies sprinkled throughout here are far more impactful with the
steady paces on display allowing the keyboards to mix together with the
shimmering guitar leads and the glorious sing-a-long chorus melodies
which all shine quite nicely while giving this a warm, inviting
presence. As well, once it features the tight, chugging patterns that
arenÆt really enveloped in those melodies itÆs still got a dynamic heavy
metal atmosphere that can kick up the intensity quite nicely throughout
here as thereÆs plenty of elements that kick up the tempo into a
harder-hitting rhythm and more frantic energy even with the vast
majority of the time this one manages to go in the mid-tempo range here
to play up the melodies. Luckily, this is kept to a minimum across here
as the fact that thereÆs not a whole lot of these rhythms present here
which tends to be the main element holding this one back as thereÆs way
too much of the bandsÆ admittedly stylish-yet-overly-bland patterns here
that donÆt really kick up the intensity all that much here, and it all
starts to run together into one rather big blur when it comes to these
rhythms and riff-patterns overall here. As well, the fact that the
progressive, overlong epic here is just way too long and bloated with
too many segments and tempo variations just makes it a chore to listen
to all the way through as it makes us innately aware of itÆs length
switching through so many sections. Otherwise, itÆs not all that bad.
Displaying plenty of the professionalism and power theyÆve become known
for here with only a few minor elements that stick out here holding this
one back, it manages to come off not only as one of the better examples
in the genre but in their catalog as well which makes this appeal to all
fans of the bandsÆ past works and the style in general.
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