Time Signature Songs from the future...

Genre: progressive metal / hard rock

Knight Area are perhaps best known as a neo prog rock band whose style contains the odd metallic element. However, with the addition of guitarist Mark Bogert and bassist Peter Vink, the band has taken their music in a considerably heavier direction to the point that, on the 2014 album "Hyperdrive", they venture so far into progressive metal and hard rock territory that the album (to me at least) is a bona fide progressive metal release.

The new heavy Knight Area is underlined by the hard rocking opening riff of 'Afraid of the Dark'. After an epic power ballad in the form 'The Lost World' with its power chords, Queen-like background vocals, and "Trick of the Tail"-inspired bridge, 'Bubble' kicks into a couple of heavy and groovy riffs. This track also features a bridge with a retro keyboard solo on top of an old school heavy metal passage. After another ballad in the form of 'This Day' (which, strangely, reminds me of the obscure Danish 80s prog band Zaragon), the listener is treated to a heavy and groovy tune in the form of 'Crimson Skies'. Slower, but also more melodic, is 'Avenue of Broken Dreams', which also features some quite aggressive riff-bursts in the transition between the verse and the chorus. 'Living in Confusion' takes a more AOR hard rock path, combining this with influences from 80s progressive rock. 'Stepping Out' is an instrumental metal track that rivals those of Steve Vai and Joe Satriani in both melody and shredding. Both 'Running Away' and 'Hypnotized' combine chucking hard rock guitars with retro prog rock keyboards, and 'Songs from the Past' is a nice little ballad.

The musicianship and songwriting are top notch. While completely different in style, "Hyperdrive" is characterized by the same dynamics and vacillation between heavy and mellow parts as, say, "Parallels" or "Inside Out". In particular, there are some amazing guitar solos on this album. The production is perhaps a bit thin, and the guitars could have been louder, but Knight Area manages to convey both the heavy and epic aspects of their new style of music nonetheless, and it only takes one or two songs before the slightly thin production stops being distracting.

Combining heavy metal and hard rock with influences from classic progressive rock and neo-prog, Knight Area's "Hyperdrive" is a bona fide progressive metal album, in my opinion, and should appeal to fans of Ayreon, Touchstone's "Wintercoast", Adramelch's "Lights from Oblivion", Teodor Tuff's "Soliloquy", and possibly also Fates Warning's more commercial efforts.