Prospekt - The Colourless Sunrise

Them Prospekt blokes know how to make some tasty prog metal, even if they can't spell so well.The boys from Oxford known as Prospekt are easily my favorite new progressive metal band. In a genre that feels like it may be at the saturation point it's rare to find a new band come out that makes you stop and take notice like Prospekt's impressive full length debut, The Colourless Sunrise.

One of the first things I noticed was the subdued keyboard spot that normally trades leads with the band's guitarist - which isn't to say there's no such instrumentation. The music at large, however, is aggressive guitar driven progmetal that doesn't screw around; these guys can rock like nobody's business. In particular, Lee Luland is an absolutely amazing guitarist in that he's not only incredibly fast, but soulful and melodic as well. The other standout musician in this outfit so far is vocalist/keyboardist Richard Marshall, whose clean, powerful singing reminds me of Gregoor van der Loo of Lemur Voice (one of my favorite progmetal bands of all time). My only nitpick is the usual complaint of a muddy mix that makes it hard to distinguish keyboards from guitar solos amongst the other driving beats, but future releases will no doubt provide a chance for this band to make a name for themselves. I can only imagine the energy of a live show and how it could hurtle this band to success.

The Bottom Line: Prospekt has put together a highly impressive debut that stands out in a genre replete with similar-sounding bands. If you're a progmetal fan, keep an eye on this group of amazing musicians and get. this. album.

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- Genghis had no idea that England had progmetal acts like this...