Dagger...

Masstaden is the first album of Swedish Progressive metal band Vildhjarta. They have not relaeased any official material until now but they have made some impact in the Extraordinary League of Extraordinary Djentlemen as well as on the net.

The Djent movement has gotten increasingly popular these days, in which most bands just sound similar or exactly like Meshuggah, the band who inspired such movement in the first place. I am pleased to report that although Vildhjarta does take some of their influence with the odd time signatures and growled vocals, their take on djent is extremely original, in the sense that they use their heavy grooves, their intense pace and even avant-garde elements to create an atmosphere unique to the djent scene. They are sort of the combination of Volumes, Periphery and Uneven Structure, with a little Textures.

Now when it comes to the music itself, it is very good. Their musicianship is top notch, the production quality is much higher than their previous material, and the technicality is on another level here. Overall, its definately one of the best releases Djent has seen in a while and fans of this subgenre (or the sub-subgenre ambidjent, as some have come to call it) should not pass this album overlooked. 4 stars well deserved and i am expecting to see more from this awesome band. Long live THALL

revelation...

Flight of Fancy 10/10

In search of some prog metal that wasnt a Dream Theater clone, i wouldve never believed that a group as technical, proficient and unique as X-Panda would originate such masterpiece as a debut. It is certainly among the best albums ive ever heard, regardless if its prog metal or not. It is certainly a laid-back and relaxed release, think of it as the perfect mix between liquid tension experiment, planet x, and symphony x. It is certainly on a league of its own, and these guys managed to pull off an album that is easy to listen but is also quick to adhere to your senses. It definately grows on you at the moment you press play. All of the songs are different from each other: black is a strong yet controlled prog metal fest; dickybirds and flight of fancy are extremely well crafted songs with a very melodic presence; siren reminds me of "extension of the wish" by Andromeda (i also strongly recomend that album) and it is very catchy; journey of a dream is an adventure that cannot be put into words, it just makes you escape into a musical realm possible only in dreams, truly a one-of-a-kind track; keyboard solo is a continuation of journey, and it concludes such passage with passion and awesome musicality from keyboardist kaarel tamra; rhythm department is pure melodic mayhem, opposite as the title might suggest; calm waters really does calm the landscape portrayed by the previous track and it is among my favorites from the record; crystal gazing is an awesome track where the guitar and drums shine and it should be noted that none of the members of X-Panda try to steal the show at any time in the album, they all wirk together to create the best music as possible, like a REAL band; and the album finishes strong with revelation, my personal favorite, a very symphonic and powerful track, and the violin solo just took my breath away.

In conclusion, Flight of Fancy is a unique experience that is up to par with other heavyweight prog metal releases this year such as Dream Theater, Symphony X, Arch/Matheos, Anubis Gate, you name it.

If you think you've heard all the prog metal you'll ever need well think again, because X-Panda is here to stay!!