Style: melodic prog rock/metal (clean vocals)
Review by: Sam
Country: Slovakia
Release date: 3 March, 2021
Here I am, reviewing the dozenth traditional prog metal release. Like Chris wades through hordes of tech death, I wade through hordes of this stuff. And yet, I never really get tired of it, no matter how mediocre it is. I love the genre’s combination of chunky riffs, solos, and melody. Also the frequent keyboard presence is lovely. I can safely say it’s one of my favorite genres. This time in my quest, the topic is a Slovakian band called Reflections, with the incredibly distinct album name of III. There was absolutely nothing to find about this band on the interwebz, so I guess we’ll just have to make do with the music right?
What drew me into this record was its very warm, melodic sound, and the fact that it had a Tom Englund (from Evergrey) guest vocal appearance. Tom is one of my favorite voices in metal, so seeing him always makes me excited. The songs seemed a bit generic, but there was enough to draw me in. What I did not notice upon skimming though is how this is often barely a metal album. The album is dominated by lush keyboard atmosphere, minimalist drum beats, and slightly sadboi vocals. The guitars are mostly acoustic, or provide atmosphere through melodic lead work. Only the first two tracks feature any real riffs, but even there it’s quite minimal in the overall composition. It reminds me a lot of Subsignal in terms of atmosphere and heaviness.
The album starts off rather weird. I mentioned being excited over Tom Englund doing guest vocals, but the placement on the album is really awkward, coming in on the first track as he takes up all lead vocal duties, almost as if they’re trying to hide their actual vocalist. What makes it even more painful is that both Tom and the music sound absolutely lifeless. It’s easily the worst track on the album. The next track “Her View” is the most aggressive track on the album, and fortunately also one of the better ones. Its more upbeat pacing helps pick up the slack from the opener. After that it becomes a lot easier to listen to. There still are some moments where the band sounds lifeless, but overall, pretty melodies prevail. Especially the guitar solos are delightfully melodic and soulful. They’re a highlight in pretty much every song. I also dig a lot of the vocal arrangements, though the delivery is lacking as he comes across rather lifeless, lacking in power. This band in general has a very low level of technical ability for a prog metal act. It’s all very straightforward stuff. Especially rhythmically they rarely break out of a simple 4/4 beat. For those who value intricate rhythms, this is certainly the wrong band to try.
That’s not to say this album is not worth listening to though. There are very strong melodies on almost every song, with “Wasteland of Dreams” in particular being a standout, giving a very touching journey. Despite the band’s lack of technical ability, the songs are written well enough. The record’s warm atmosphere and emotive melodies are really pleasant to listen to, and I recommend anyone who likes melodic music to give this a listen or two. It’s definitely not the best thing you’ve ever heard, but sometimes “pleasant” is all you need.
Recommended tracks: Her View, New Memories, Wasteland of Dreams
Recommended for fans of: Subsignal/late Sieges Even, 90s Fates Warning, Evergrey, Skyforest
Final verdict: 5.5/10
Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Reflections is:
– Viktor Halász (vocals, guitars)
– Tomáš Vala (guitars, keyboards)
– Milan Mockovčiak (bass, drums)
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