Review of Steel Prophet - Unseen

If I had to describe Steel Prophet's latest release "Unseen", I'd say that it is a power metal album with a classic Fates Warning vibe. I don't mean to say that Steel Prophet is Fates Warning, not by a long shot. But I'd bet a few Fates Warning albums have been studied by members of Steel Prophet. The album's artwork was the first thing to tip me off. Unfortunately, the first song, "Truth", is more of a "power anthem" which didn't impress me. Later in the song we get our first feel for the dual guitars that carry us through the album. These are really the highlight of the cd and should be exploited on future releases. The sound of the recording was very reminiscent of classic Fates. This was both good and bad. It's cool having a bit of a retro sound, but I found fault with it too. There are some annoying passages in the music due to the recording. The drums sound muffled or dead most of the time and the bass is essentially non-existant in a good portion of this album. There's a difference between "transparent" and non-existant. Most metal albums from the old days went with the non-existant approach. The musicianship on this album is fair. The vocals don't have enough overall power for my tastes. Couple that with lack of dynamic ability, both in terms of range and style, and you end up with annoying vocals after about 20 minutes. I've learned that the vocalist has recently parted ways. My suggestion would be to get the woman who makes a guest appearance on this cd to take over as vocalist. No highlights for the drums and bass guitar to speak of. This album has some guitar highlights, but the songs are written with such basic progressions and timing that it all really becomes somewhat stale. Not very Fates Warning-eske. Overall, a fair attempt, but it falls short aside from some of the Fates Warning vibes.

Release Details

Steel Prophet

Unseen

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