Eynomia – Break Free (CD)

I will admit I’m not a big fan of power metal or symphonic metal bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation, especially when the vocals become too “operatic”. I do, however, have a soft spot for some stuff by bands such as Evanescence, but they are a bit too uneven to really grab me. Well, despite these slightly off-turning facts, for some reason, Eynomia really did grab me! They do have elements of power metal and they and Evanescence do have lots of common denominators, but there’s still something different with this band that I really like. Singer Phyllis Rutter is not a high pitch operatic singer but has a more smooth and classic rock touch to her voice, which fits like a glove with the music. I’d also say Eynomia has picked a thing or two from bands like Fates Warning and Symphony X (maybe because basist Mike LePond is in the band as well) to blend into the symphonic rock mix, making it more appealing to fans of prog-oriented metal. It’s melodic yet not poppy or overly commercial. Chris Bickley (Thunderhead) does a great job giving the lead guitars an extra edge as well. There’s some kick ass solos and really nice acoustic work going on here. The songs range from heavy, almost Queensryche oriented stuff like “Let It Go” and “Till We Meet Again” to soft and atmospheric ballads like “Through Your Eyes” with Bickley channeling his inner Roger Gilmour here and there. However, the song I feel could really hit home with fans of Evanescence is “Someday Maybe”. A killer track indeed! Could be a hit! Great production, great musicians and high-quality song material! Highly recommended!

Janne Stark

Label: Pure Legend

Year: 2018

Country: USA

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Link: www.eynomiaband.com

DREAMCATCHER - Souldesign (CD)

Man, it was actually a while since I heard any new interesting prog metal bands with the classic old Queensryche touch, but Dreamcatcher was a really refreshing acquaintance with a nod to the old school! The guys and girl however do look quite young. I must say this is a really classy production, both sound-wise and visually, for being a private release. This is something I would expect to see on a label like AFM or Massacre. Dreamcatcher fall in somewhere between bands like Symphony X, Andromeda and old school Queensryche, but with a strong touch of modern melodic bands like Within Temptation and Nightwish. The big difference being that Dreamcatcher are equipped with male singer Lucas Jackson, who reminds me a bit of Geoff Tate (back when he could actually sing well) and Midnight (R.I.P). What also makes me think of these bands are the way the keyboards are used, to create an ambient wall of sound more than the Rudess, Johansson style twiddling. The production is quite big and rich, where my only complaint would be the heavily trigged drums (which has more to do with me being an old school analogue fart). The songs are really good, well-written and flawlessly performed without feeling too technical or pretentious. This is a really good album I must say! Highly recommended for prog metal fans!
Janne Stark
Country: UK
Label: Private
Link: www.dreamcatcherofficial.com