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MJBrady
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Published on: 4 Feb 2006
This Italian group has been laboring away trying to find success as a progressive metal band, blessed with talented musicians, and a focus and dedication to the traditional progmetal style, they have been polishing and honing their sound by following in the shadows of the great Dream Theater, especially having been a Dream Theater cover band in their country. Eleven, displays the band's coming out party so to speak. After having created demos, and doing DT covers, they made it clear that they would be continuing with their favorite music, but creating their own personality in the process. As this cd shows, they do in fact deliver a high quality musical product, and remaining true to the progressive sounds that people expect from a progmetal band.
Having a good line up of musicians always benefits bands doing this kind of music, not only because it is a necessary requirement, but also for the idea that the songs will always offer the element of surprise. Solid Vision could easily be dismissed as yet another band that has placed too much importance on sounding like another DT cloning project, there is enough evidence on this cd to place that stigma on them, yet I would urge progmetal fans to give close listens to this cd, and hear the differences. Solid Vision has great chops, a good vocalist, interesting lyrical concepts, and sound production. All the ingredients that make for a band poised for greatness. At the time of this review (Feb/2006), the band already has a new recording ready for release, and I anticipate that they will have even taken their professionalism to even greater heights.
This is a young group of talented individuals, with a great balance of chemistry and ability. Each bringing a unique perspective of influences to this band, while the music is the of the classic progressive metal sound, they are surely one of the better new bands in terms of potential that I have had the pleasure of hearing for quite some time. A lot of bands have taken a stab at doing the DT thing so to speak, few have placed enough importance on being themselves in the process, sacrificing originality for the cliches of following a model. That's not what I am hearing from this band, they are not trying to sound like Petrucci, Portnoy and LaBrie. Yes the tendancies of progressive metal are ever present, with no apologies, this group begs to be recognized for their virtues and creativity. Hope this band gets some backing and is able to be heard by more people into progressive metal music, a 'solid' contender for the upper echelon of this musical movement.
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