Vitruvian Man: The Stranger Within

The Stranger Within, the debut LP by Australian quartet Vitruvian Man, has a bit of an ironic title. Although the performances are solid, the instrumentation is intriguing, and the songs are fairly engaging, overall, the music offers nothing progressive metal fans haven't heard before. There may be some virtuosity and catchiness here, but there isn't anything fresh or unique (which may be just fine for some for some listeners).

Mistakenly describing itself as having "a sound that is anything but conventional," the group pulls influences from all over the progressive rock/metal and jazz-fusion arena, including genre favorites like Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Rush, The Mars Volta, as well as fellow Australians Karnivool. The Stranger Within, like many of its contemporaries, is quite strong on its own; however, there are countless other albums that sound almost identical to this, so, contrary to what the band claims, it fails to "push musical boundaries."

One of the catchiest songs here is opener "The Most Dangerous Game" (which has an appropriately bold and defiant title). After a sludgy guitar opening, things pick up speed as the other musicians enter. To his credit, vocalist Dan Swan has a purer and smoother sound than numerous other singers in the genre, and the biting guitar riffs of Glen Kirkwood complement well. The track is invigorating without being obnoxious, and it'll likely stay in your head for a decent amount of time.

"Nightmare in Her Hand" is more complex and quick, with intricate guitar patterns and an admirable bit of dynamics, while "As It Fails" features nice harmonies in its chorus. Both of these songs, as well most of the rest, sound like an ideal mixture of Iron Maiden and Dream Theater. Moving on, "Leave This All Behind" is an emotional interlude that consists of sorrowful piano playing underneath the sounds of a typewriter and a dog barking. It's definitely a nice change of pace for the album.

The most sophisticated and lengthy track here is "Every Dog Will Have His Day." It begins atmospherically with clean timbres and space; eventually, it builds to a much heavier affair, which includes sharp sounds and fierce percussion. The final two tracks, "Your Lucky Day" and "The Implements of Hell" follow the same path more or less. Specifically, the latter offers some of the most proggy and melodically alluring moments on the record.

The Stranger Within suffers not from quality, but from familiarity. The band is definitely skilled at both performance and arrangement, and their music is actually more refined and pristine than many of their peers. Unfortunately, none of this makes up for the inarguable sense of sameness. There is definitely some potential here, though, so if the group works on developing its own identity for a bit, their next album will definitely be a hit.

Track Listing
1. The Most Dangerous Game
2. Nightmare in her Hand
3. As It Fails
4. Leave This All Behind
5. Every Dog Will Have His day
6. Your Lucky Day
7. The Implements of Hell

Added: December 31st 2012
Reviewer: Jordan Blum
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
Hits: 1932
Language: english

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