ALIAS EYE: In Focus (PROGRESSIVE ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Here is a band that made unanimity about his talent within our editorial team and which, at the beginning of this year, disappoint by a third opus that many already want to forget. Not that it is, in my opinion, what is known as a bad album, far from it, but here is a baby who will suffer from the comparison with its two elders.

The only advantage of this opus is that it announces the color from the beginning. Indeed, as soon as the guitar and rhythm section enter the first track, we jump on the equalizer, check that there is no false contact somewhere and, in a totally bewildered way, we skip from track to track to see if it will last for more than an hour. Two observations following this first mistreatment: it seems to improve at the end (that's the good news) and the end, precisely, is around the minute 40 (that's the bad news).

The album begins with 3 tracks on which the supersaturated guitar will tear our eardrums with assiduity and insistence. It's all the more unfortunate because "The Call", for example, has a certain potential with its ultra-heavy riff carrying Philip Griffiths' voice very well.

But it gets better with "Enlighten Them" which, by its jumping theme and accordion, is closer to what Alias Eye has accustomed us to. And there are also "Books" and "How We Perceive", two ballads as we like them. Talent and inspiration are showing their face again but unfortunately, these few good tracks won't help to forget songs like "History Lesson", with a fabulous potential and still wasted by a bad production.

Finally, in terms of ideas, In Focus suffers from a major flaw: where are the genius ideas like this fabulous entry of "A Clown's Tale" on the previous opus or the emotion released by "Just Another Tragic Song" on "Field Of Names"?

No doubt, it's Alias Eye; it's well executed, we recognize the style but there's so much missing that we'll soon go back to the past hoping that it's only a temporary weakness. As a first album, it would have been attractive and would have allowed us to see here a new hope of progressive rock but now, we have to admit that after what we were used to, the disappointment is great.

This album is therefore an accident on the road which, let's hope, will not sound the death knell for a band that still has a lot to say. - Official website

ALIAS EYE

IN FOCUS

QUIXOTE

PROGRESSIVE ROCK