J-Man
Lacking In Originality
The debut EP from progressive metal band Post Mortem is quite enjoyable, despite being completely derivative of the prog metal giants. The four musicians are all extremely talented and the compositions are well-crafted and emotional. The only real issue I have with Lo Que Te Quiero Decir is the lack of originality.
This EP consists of 5 tracks in just over 28 minutes. In that short amount of time, we have a really enjoyable progressive metal EP. The musicianship is fantastic, and is surely the highlight of the album for me. The bass playing from Andres Antonelli is really superb, and he has some real chops as a bassist. The guitar playing from Marcos Antonelli is solid, and he does a really good job throughout the EP. The keyboard playing from Ivan Rolon is good, but not great. He is talented, but I often feel like he is lacking in his own distinct sound. Israel Gherman does a good job on drums as well. He never does anything really fantastic, but his playing suits the music well. The singing is completely sung in the band's native language, so I can't understand it at all. The vocals aren't particularly powerful, but they get the job done.
The songwriting is pretty great as well. This EP is filled with dynamic compositions, and the musicians deliver it well. Some parts are forgettable and some transitions bother me every time, but as a whole this is a well crafted EP in terms of songwriting. Some songs really stand out, and my favorite track is Libertad. The opening track, Por Que is pretty great as well. The title track is also pretty enjoyable, though it is more flawed than the other two songs I just mentioned. As a whole, this is a pretty consistent EP filled with memorable moments.
The only real drawback that this EP has is definitely a big one. Lo Que Te Quiero Decir has no real sense of originality or self identity. Despite the fact that the band is talented and has created some great music, this EP is severely lacking in terms of originality. This is typical run-of-the-mill prog metal with no real experimentations or innovations. It often sounds like Post Mortem is trying to sound like Dream Theater, Fates Warning, or Symphony X. If the band can develop a sense of originality, they can have a lot of potential.
Conclusion:
Lo Que Te Quiero Decir is a decent debut EP from Post Mortem, and a 2.5 star rating is deserved. Despite the fact that the songwriting and musicianship is above average, the band is lacking severely in terms of having their own identity. If Post Mortem can develop their own sound, I'm confident that they can create some great prog metal. As for now, this is an unessential EP. If you're looking for some modern prog metal this isn't a terrible choice, but there is much better progressive metal around before you get this.