siLLy puPPy Emerging from Curitiba which is Brazil’s eighth most populous city with about 3.2 million inhabitants in the greater metro area comes the under the radar band SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND which was formed in the year 2000 by two brothers, João and André Fadel along with their childhood buddy Casmiro Araujo. In the vein of progressive metal bands like Dream Theater and Angra the band sought a singer who could animate a style of progressive metal that was envisioned and in the eternal hunt for the perfect fit brought them into contact with Diego Americo and with the addition of bassist Diego Porres the band was ready to write, record and perform!

So far the band has released three albums and this self-titled debut came out in 2002. The album is on the short side with four tracks amounting to only 31 minutes plus however this promising band found the perfect middle ground between symphonic progressive rock and the 90s progressive metal that was still fresh in the minds of promising young talent around this time. SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND ticks off all the requirements for a stellar prog metal experience beginning with the opening “Shadow Of Fate” and ending with the near 12 minute closer “The River.” This was obviously intended to be an international release as everything is in English however this band has remained somewhat obscure having been buried under a slew of similar minded bands seeking to be the next Dream Theater.

On the positive side, this band really honed its chops to become the next best thing in the world of prog rock infused metal at the turn of the millennium. Andre Fadel’s keyboard playing skills are a huge part of the band’s sound ranging from sensual piano rolls to hardcore synthesizer stabs syncopated to the time signature rich polyrhythms of the guitar, bass and drums. Likewise João Fadel delivers some excellent guitar playing with excellent riffing sessions as well as beautiful angelic sweeps and sizzling solos. The rhythm section of bassist Diego Porres and drummer Casimiro Araujo is no less impressive with the ability to transmogrify to quiet passages to choppy tumultuous metal outbursts at the drop fo the hat. However when it comes to this kind of prog metal it really requires a strong vocalist to take it to the next level and Diego Américo channels his best James LaBrie to bring a true Dream Theater a la “Images And Words” to life which is the album’s strength and weakness.

On the negative side, The Dream Theater antics are so strong that it really seems like this album was some long lost recording session that has fallen into the woodworks and although i wouldn’t go as far as calling SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND a clone. There are sure enough nods to 90s DT that they are without a doubt the strongest contributor to musical ideas present here. The third track “Memory Of A Dead” contains some of the strongest DT nods with a steady flow of progressive metal fury augmented by innovative keyboard use as well as the closing “The River” which offers a satisfying climax to an excellent album performed impeccably from beginning to end with strong instrumental interplay and excellent uplifting vocal contributions. While DT fit compositions is clearly the name of the game here, SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND still inject enough individual stamps to make this a really dynamic set of four tracks.

This is the type of album i’d usually look down upon for its reliance of musical derivation that i’m usually not too fond of but on the other hand it is also the case that SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND crafted an album that is actually more enjoyable than many of the albums from the band that inspired them. While Dream Theater had a few gems in their lengthy career, they also have had some lifeless locust shells that lacked passion with paint-by-the-numbers performances. SEVEN SIDE DIAMOND’s debut on the other hand is an excellent listening experience from beginning to end that clearly adopts the DT template but then adds some joie to vivre like only Brazilians can to its sonic scaffolding and brings an emotional connection that many DT albums clearly lack. Given the outstanding performances and crafty compositions that don’t outstay their welcome, i personally would rather listen to this one than an inferior DT album any day. This debut definitely invites me to explore their following albums.