From Boise, Idaho comes the progressive metal band Pravda, who have here their fourth release The Clarity of Chaos, which follows in the footsteps of their 2009 CD Monophobic. They are comprised of K C Thomsen (keyboards, vocals), John Redfield (guitars, bass, vocals), and Dave Thomas (drums, vocals), with Tom Svanoe listed as their bassist for live performances. Though The Clarity of Chaos is squarely a prog-metal album, overall it's not as heavy as some others that the genre has spit out in recent years, instead it mixes the metal with a strong US prog feel, with the influence of Spock's Beard, Echolyn, and Glass Hammer combining with the obvious Dream Theater and Fates Warning references. Their ability to blend muscular yet challenging arrangements with soaring melodies can be heard on the wonderful "Chaos & Clarity", and "A Hint of Grey" is as close to what a midnight jam between Dream Theater & Spock's Beard might sound like. This one features some incredible vocal harmonies, intricate drum & bass rhythms, plus complex guitar passages. "Second Hand" is a no brainer for any fan of intricate progressive metal, and "Colors of the Moon" cranks up the keyboard quotient a bit to show that Pravda know how to lay on the straight prog quite nicely. Of course you have the near 20-minute "A Brief Awakening"...don't be fooled by the 5:48 run time that is listed on the back of the digipack,as this one (despite a couple brief minutes of near silence, starts off as a blistering prog-metal track and then segues into soaring, melodic prog rock.
With all the songs topping the 8-minute mark, you know to expect some epic sounding material here, and the band does not disappoint. Vocals are very solid for the most part, but in a tune like the intense "Fall Across the Sky", they almost come in as an afterthought when that song might have been best left as an instrumental. Overall though this is a very strong effort from a progressive metal act that deserves to be heard from more genre fans who can't get enough of type of stuff.
Track Listing
1) Second Hand
2) Colors of the Moon
3) Fall Across the Sky
4) Chaos & Clarity
5) A Hint of Grey
6) A Brief Awakening
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