Stephen Like tasting a well cooked food with strong seasoning and right amount of spices, it leaves you with a certain good impression and the eagerness to come back for more. That's exactly my initial thought when I heard Athens-based metal act, Valet Parn's debut, "Riddle Figure". This album is so full of different nuances, either with elements from the past or the current trend, Valet Parn is a genius chef that can balancely combines progressive metal, American groove/power metal, and melodic metalcore into one plate.

After passing the 2.22 minutes intro, "Fabel", Valet Parn takes you high with the fast-paced blasting rhythm from Canavari's drumset and Venardo's soaring vocal in "Morpheus Fever". If Dream Theater asks Shadows Fall to jam an original song together in one stage, this song can be their hit. The title track sounds very metalcore, less prog but more melodic, especially on the verse. Both are my fave, along with "Neverland", that started close to the usual 4/4 tempo before Canavari twists the time signature with his rich fills that somehow reminds me of Chris Adler; and "Till We Rise", which I personally think is their masterpiece. Emmanuel and Haursen bring astonishing riffs and piercing solos, emerged as the highlight of this song, not to mention the beautiful melodies crafted nicely in a very tight composition, well done boys!

Funny thing is that "Fear The Bullet" and "Dark Room Conjuror" seem to be their leading singles but somehow I think both songs are pale and the weak points of the album. They showed a blood-soaked technical rage, check out those insane instruments handling, that I'd agree, but the songs just didn't do much for me. I humbly think "Blindfall" and the closing track, "Valetine's Night" are better.

The originality they have here is the winning factor of "Riddle Figure" and this is a crowning moment for George Canavari, the man of the record, his drum skill demonstration is fearsome and invigorating, though I think the rest of the band perform an above-average musicianship, it's Canavari that scored big time. Enhancing the already good and solid work is definitely a must for them, I highly expect a better album in the future, but fans of prog/groove/metalcore definitely must check this beast out as soon as possible.

J-Man Fear The Bullet

As the progressive metal scene becomes more and more saturated with Dream Theater clones and Opeth wannabes, finding an original band like Valet Parn can be difficult in this day and age. Riddle Figure, the band's debut album, takes trash-oriented groove metal and makes it progressive by including complex riffs and instrumental breaks, rather than being based in prog metal and trying to escape the genre's mold. Although Valet Parn may still have a bit of work in the "intriguing composition" field, this is a remarkable debut from excellent musicians with a unique and promising sound. I'd recommend all fans of progressive metal with balls (but not "extreme" in any sense) to definitely check out this young Greek band. They have something special to offer, and I can only imagine the future holding great things for them.

As previously mentioned, the music here is progressive metal with groove-based riffs and heavy atmospheres. There's quite a bit of an alternative metal attitude here, and the thrash influence is also indisputable. Valet Parn has certainly developed their own sound, which is surprising considering this is only their debut. The compositions are occasionally lacking in the form of memorable hooks, but everything is enjoyable nonetheless. My favorite track is probably "Blindfall" which has excellent instrumental interplay and great vocals from Steve Venardo. Two of the biggest highlights from Riddle Figure are the top-notch musicianship and stellar production. This is clearly a talented and tight unit, and Valet Parn sounds confident and professional throughout the entire album. The production is very powerful and commanding; this meaty production is yet another thing that sets Valet Parn apart from much of the competition.

Conclusion:

Riddle Figure is a great debut from Valet Parn that's equally filled with promise as it is great music. I would've liked a few more memorable hooks and the playing time is too short (at only 33:42), but those are nitpicky complaints for this generally outstanding debut. Seldom do you come across a young self-released prog metal debut that actually has something new to offer, and that's exactly what Valet Parn have provided here. I'll go with 3.5 stars here, even with an upward tendency. I have a feeling that these guys will be doing great things in the coming years. Great work!

The Block Valentines Night

It’s only fitting that I should call this review that since I am writing it on Valentines Day. I planned this in no way, but now that I am writing this review I’m glad that I did. For one thing, I am listening to a great, young musical talent and I am really enjoying it. And another thing is that they sure deserve the recognition. Valet Parn mixes great talent with progressive themes and even some heavier themes too to make this one very good album.

The musicianship on this album is very good to say the least. One thing that I would like to point out is the great guitar work by both George Emmanuel and Jimmy Haursen. They are especially good on the track “Fear the Bullet” which not only features great guitar solos, but some pretty good drumming from George Canavari. The double bass drum beats are placed very nicely throughout the song, giving it a kind off rigid and exact feel that is really cool. Another place where the guitars are very noticeable, and good, is in the beginning of “Till We Rise”. The bass guitar played by Stathis Ridis, takes the main highlight of this song, with his hearty riffs and chords, but the guitars also deserve recognition.

Another thing that I like about “Till We Rise” is how the vocals mix in very well with the overall sound of the band. Steve Venardo’s voice carries a great tone to it that is hard to find a lot in modern groove metal bands. He has a good talent to transfer between light and heavier vocals from song to song. In “Blindfall” he has a very light voice that fits fine with the songs feel. But then, he transfers seamlessly to a much heavier vocal pattern in the next song, “Valentines Night”. This song is perhaps my favorite on the album, and my only complaint is that, I think, it could have been longer, since I like long songs a lot. And, of all the songs on the album, “Valentines Night” is definitely the most sound technically and musically, so I think it could handle some elongation. But, this detracts nothing from the album.

The production on this album is very good, even though it is self released. The highs and lows are mixed well and it adds to the overall enjoyment of the album.

For a young band Valet Parn has so much talent and it really shows on their 2011 release, “Riddle Figure”. They have a great mix of talent and ability that when the two are mixed together it creates something that would be hard for any metal fan to pass up. Any fan of progressive groove metal, or even prog metal in general will really enjoy this album. For their very good release Valet Parn gets 4 stars.