PHILOSOPHOBIA: Philosophobia (PROGRESSIVE METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

It would have been a real shame if this album had never been released. And yet, that's what almost happened. In 2007, guitarist Andreas Ballnus and drummer Alex Landenburg recorded demos for a progressive metal album. But very quickly the first one becomes the guitarist of Paul Di'Anno and the second one joins Annihilator on tour. The project remains in the cards ... until 2018 when Ballnus makes listen to the tapes to Kristoffer Gildenlöw (Kayak), who can not believe the quality of the compositions. The birth of the band Philosophobia is quickly decided. The line-up is completed by Tobias Weissgerber on keyboards and Domenik Papaemmanouil (Wastefall) on vocals. So the first album of what clearly looks like a great band today is released 15 years almost to the day after the first ideas were recorded. And let's say it right away, this "Philosophobia" is a huge slap in the face for all progressive metal fans.

Those who remember Wastefall, and especially the excellent "Self Exile" will not be surprised. Domenik Papaemmanouil's voice hasn't changed a bit, halfway between Daniel Gildenlöw's for the expressiveness and Geoff Tate's for the power. Pain Of Salvation and Queensrÿche are the most striking influences from the magnificent opening track, 'Thorn In Your Pride', with of course Dream Theater's.

But to reduce Philosophobia to these influences would be to miss everything that makes the originality of the album. The musicians are seasoned enough to have digested all of them, both for the metal side and for the progressive side of each track, some of which make without complex the large gap between Iron Maiden and Marillion ('As Light Ceased To Exit').

This is what makes "Philosophobia" so interesting and exciting: this alternation of heavy riffs, sometimes at the limit of thrash, and arpeggios of air piano sometimes jazz (the excellent 'Voices Unheard', the powerful instrumental 'Thirteen Years Of Silence'), this disconcerting faculty to pass from a melancholic ballad worthy of Evergrey ('Between The Pines') to a piece of doom metal inherited from early Anathema ('Within My Open Eyes') or these polyrythmies, particularly put forward by the production of the album, which surprise the listener unceasingly, as on the superb 'I Am' and its powerful refrains sung by a Damian Wilson always in great shape.

A constant melodic research, chiseled vocal lines, powerful riffs, judiciously used keyboards, original and very elaborated compositions, everything contributes to make this first Philosophobia album a must-have. If you add to that the already strong identity of this new band and a real faultless balance between metal and progressive, you get the most beautiful progressive metal surprise of the year. - Official website

PHILOSOPHOBIA

PHILOSOPHOBIA

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PROGRESSIVE METAL