J-Man Fate Breed was an album that I came across a while ago, but never really gave it much attention until about a week ago. I listened to it two or three times when I first got it and then I just let the CD collect dust, until I finally picked it up recently. I'm really glad I finally decided to give this album a few more tries recently, because there are some really fantastic songs here. Planeshift is a band with a lot of potential, and if they can work out a few of the kinks in their music, they could easily become one of the more well-known modern prog metal acts.

The style of music played here is pretty standard progressive metal, and you can take that as you will. If you're a fanatic about originality before the actual compositions, Fate Breed probably won't appeal to you very much. There isn't a whole lot of originality to be found here, and it actually does bother me in some particular parts. I typically don't care very much about how original something is as long as the compositions are good, but there are some sections here that make me a bit frustrated. Musically this album is fantastic (despite a few typical debut-album-flaws), but the originality factor is a big issue here.

There are two main obvious influences in Planeshift's music; Pain of Salvation and Dream Theater. I love both of the aforementioned bands, but I absolutely loathe the countless clones that comes along with them. While Planeshift as a whole is by no means a clone of either of these bands, many of the aspects of their music come right out of the PoS and DT rulebooks. For example, there are quite a few times where Kevin Fontolan (the keyboard player) uses the exact same synth style that Jordan Rudess is known for. Eduardo Albert (the vocalist), while very talented, occasionally sounds like a second-rate Daniel Gildenlöw impersonator. On top of that, this style of prog metal is becoming pretty "run of the mill" by this point.

Of course, the originality (thankfully) only affects the music to a certain extent. While my listening experience is occasionally blemished by an unoriginal synth tone, the music is very enjoyable prog metal. Every song is memorable (some more than others), the musicianship is fantastic, and the compositions are filled with depth, yet accessible enough to enjoy without hearing it 30 times in advance. The best songs in my opinion are Outcast, Cage Pt. 1: The Encounter, Blindfold, My No, and Fate Breed. All of the songs are enjoyable though, and the instrumental Self Machinery is worth a special mention. This just shows how talented Planeshift is when it comes to instrumental prowess.

All of the musicians are pretty great, especially the guitarist Mike Rossinholi and vocalist Eduardo Albert. Even though I've complained about Kevin Fontolan's keyboards, he is still very talented, though not the most original out there. A small complaint I have about Eduardo Albert is when he does harsh vocals in My No, especially Fate Breed and a few others. It just doesn't fit the music and comes across as weak and a bit corny. I like growls when they're done correctly, but senseless shouting doesn't really cut it for me. Thankfully these aren't too frequent, but the album would've been better without them nonetheless.

The production is mediocre. A bit too synthetic sounding for my tastes, and the generally quiet bass doesn't help either. It gets the job done though, and I've heard much worse productions for debut albums.

Conclusion:

Fate Breed is a very good prog metal album, even if it brings nothing new to the genre. If you are a traditional progressive metal fanatic, and aren't a stickler about originality, the debut album from Planeshift isn't a bad place to turn. There is more than enough good music here to keep you busy for a while. This recommendable album is worth 3 stars from me.