UMUR
"Antithesis of Time" is an EP release by Italian progressive metal act Memento Waltz. The EP is a self-released affair, released in October 2010. While Memento Waltz have yet to release a debut full-length studio album (one is according to the band in the making as we speak though), the band are not new to the scene, having existed since 1994.
...and it´s audible from the get go, that Memento Waltz are seasoned musicians. They play a technical style of progressive metal not far from the sound of acts like Spiral Architect and Twisted Into Form, and they play that style to perfection. We´re talking musicianship on an extremely high level. Fusion influenced drumming, odd time signatures and a varied and skillfully executed vocal style are some of the ingredients on "Antithesis of Time". Lead vocalist Marco Piu is a versatile vocalist and masters quite a few different vocal styles, sometimes sounding slightly like Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) or Warrel Dane (Sancturary, Nevermore) but also occasionally adding more extreme vocal styles into the mix.
The five tracks on the 30:54 minutes long EP takes us through a technical/progressive journey with a twisted nightmarish atmosphere. For a progressive metal act, Memento Waltz are definitely on the darker side of the fence along with acts like Watchtower, Psychotic Waltz and Zero Hour.
Considering the fact that the EP is self-produced in the band´s own studio, the sound production is very professional and well sounding.
"Antithesis of Time" display a band in great form. The music is not only performed with great skill, but the tracks are structurally challenging and quite demanding, which should be a treat to fans of the more technical part of the progressive metal genre. I´m quite impressed and a 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved. Now give us that debut album!