DISTORTED HARMONY — Utopia (review)

Album · 2012 · Progressive Metal

4.5/5 · 2012-06-29
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Utopia is the debut full-length about from Israeli progressive metal act Distorted Harmony. The album is an entirely self-released affair that has been released as a free download via the band’s official website.

Utopia contains six tracks of well crafted progressive metal that makes it hard to believe that the album is a free download. The standard here is as professional as anything released on a major label and the music highly interesting throughout its near one hour duration. Melodic and symphonic, Distorted Harmony has the sort of sound that will easily appeal to both fans of straight up progressive metal groups and also fans of progressive rock, particularly within the symphonic prog sub-genre. If I had to pull one name out of the hat to compare the band to though it would have to be the United Kingdom’s Haken. Not that the two bands sound exactly the same, but because Utopia gives me exactly the same feelings as that band’s debut Aquarius did in 2010 – the feeling that I’m listening to a band that in time will achieve the same level of regard in the progressive circles that acts such as Dream Theater have enjoyed. In short Distorted Harmony sets the bar high with Utopia.

Although it’s just six tracks of music, Distorted Harmony shows a clear love of crafting epics as the shortest they’ve offered up here is just shy of seven and a half minutes. The compositions though still seem to fly by since they’re that good and consecutive listens of the album don’t lessen the appeal that comes from the first listen. If anything it only enhances what Distorted Harmony has delivered here more and more each time. The music explores multiple influences and ideas from heavy riffs to beautiful piano rounded off with the clear melodic vocals of Misha Soukhinin that keep the music both flowing and accessible. Even when the music is at its most progressive the lyrical hooks are there to get the songs stuck in your head and craving further listens to the masterpiece the band has created. No track on the album does this as well as Breathe, which also features some quality instrumental work. The closing title track, the longest of the bunch, is also a firm favourite, but the overall flow between the six is so good that in some respects it’s like one long epic track, and as such, and as with any masterpiece of its genre, picking out highlights is near impossible.

All the members of the band prove skilled players on Utopia but special mention to keyboardist Yoav Efron, who provides some excellent progressive sound and melodies to add real depth to Guy Landau’s guitars and the rhythm section of Iggy Cohen (bass) and Yogev Gabay (drums). With such a strong line-up and compositions as this it’s really difficult to comprehend that Utopia is not only a debut but also one without a label’s backing. The production is also very clear and highly professional, showing off the band’s skills perfectly. It’s a real treat.

Utopia is about as fine a work of progressive metal that you’re ever likely to find. The fact that it’s free only adds incentive to go get this. I know I’d happily pay money for it however. The album is highly addictive and it’s always nice to hear a new young progressive metal act making a debut of this high quality. A masterpiece tier rating is easily deserved and I expect this will remain in heavy rotation my end for quite some time.

9.8/10

(Originally written for Heavy Metal Haven (http://metaltube.freeforums.org))