Wine Guardian is an Italian prog rock/metal trio, formed in 2008 and they released one EP called Fool's Paradise and a full-length album called Onirica. Timescape (not a very original title by the way..) is WG's sophomore album and it still contains lots of musical influences from bands like Queensryche, Fates Warning, Savatage, Opeth, Porcupine Tree, Yes and even Rush..., so you could say that their overall sound is a mix of classic eighties and early nineties prog metal. The guitar riffs, hooks and melodies of guitar picker and lead singer Lorenzo Parigi really stand out on this album, just check out his riffs in excellent songs like Digital Dharma or The Luminous Whale. Most of the tracks on Timescape are exponents of modern prog rock, being fairly complex, also very melodic at times, but then again also maybe a bit too long, resulting in the fact that some songs lack a certain originality which makes it hard for the listener to keep the attention on the music through the entire album. Sometimes the songs, like The Astounding Journey are definitely too long, it lacks tempo and dynamics and therefore tends to become needlessly dull, which is a shame as Wine Guardian really has some musical potential. I truly think that Timescape will appeal to fans of traditional prog and prog metal; indeed, try it, you will not be disappointed. Recommended songs: Chemical Indulgence and Digital Dharma. ***+ Martien Koolen (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
