Metamorphosis: I’m Not A Hero

Five years on from their The Turning Point album - which in itself was the band’s first effort for some seven years - Swiss neo-progsters Metamorphosis return proclaiming I’m Not A Hero. With such a layoff, maybe it’s not a surprise that the band’s configuration has changed, a five piece now slimming down to three as singer JP Schenk adds keyboards to his duties and guitarist Olivier Guenat proves that he’s a master of four strings as well as six. With drummer Alain Widmer still firmly in place, this streamlined trio sound no less confident as they mine an attack that’s served many a nineties into noughties band well, with the likes of Galahad, Arena and IQ brought to mind as this album wends its way through its nine tracks. However, while those comparisons can often flit into and out of mind as this disc spins, it does so in a much more patient setting, with nearly all of I’m Not A Hero residing in a mid-paced, contained situation. It’s an approach that especially works with the calm vocals from Schenk, as he embellishes his own keyboard contributions with a really sympathetic ear.

As you journey from the likes of “Little Stars Desintigrate� (their spelling, not mine) through “More Is Less� and onto “Leftovers�, what’s clear is that guitarist Guenat is more than capable of providing a little fire in terms of his solos and the occasional biting riff. To me it’s an aspect of the Metamorphosis sound that feels underused and while the synth work is of the highest order, to have such a talented guitarist often sidelined into adding sprinkled clean guitar-lines hits as something of a missed opportunity, even if his (still slightly restrained) soloing in both of the latter named songs verges on phenomenal in terms of touch and tone.

Now, that may all sound a little negative but in reality I’m Not A Hero is an atmospheric journey and approached as such, makes quite a hefty impact. Arguably the framework on which nearly everything hangs lacks for just a little variance but the instrumentation is superb and there’s no doubt that this band have a clear intent regarding what they want to do. The gyrating riffage at the opening of “So Now What� arguably suggests what might just happen if that blueprint was less strictly adhered to, but in the end this album is still a solid, interesting foray into the world of neo-prog.

Track Listing
1. Dark World
2. I'm Not a Hero
3. Little Stars Desintegrate
4. When Life Starts Again
5. More Is Less
6. I Will Leave Tonight
7. Leftovers
8. So Now What
9. So Hard's the Road

Added: September 25th 2021
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Progressive Promotions Records
Hits: 1070
Language: english

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