This 4 song demo from progressive metal band Outworld came in with no real info on the band (thankfully they have a nice website packed with what I needed!), but let me tell you, the tunes here pack quite a wallop. Fans of Dream Theater, Fates Warning, and some of the early Magna Carta bands like Lemur Voice, Altura, Magellan, and Shadow Gallery will really dig the crunchy guitar work and orchestral keyboards on songs like "Raise Hell" and "Concentration Camp". Lead singer Kelly Carpenter sounds a lot like Fates Warning belter Ray Alder on a few tunes, especially circa the No Exit period, and at other times a little like Graham Bonnet, former singer for Rainbow and MSG. The guitar work throughout the demo is blazing, with a hot neo-classical touch, especially on the brief shred fest "Prelude to Madness". There's plenty of intricate guitar and keyboard solos, as well as some serious unison passages between them, but surprisingly there's lots of melody on this one. All the tunes are very memorable and exhibit a strong sense of professionalism from this pretty much-unknown band. "City of the Dead" is a melodic metal anthem that sounds a bit like Symphony X meets TNT, complete with ripping keys and muscular guitar riffs.
The band has a full-length CD due later this year on Replica Records, and it will be interesting to hear more material from them. I'll be waiting.
Track Listing
1) Raise Hell (6:11)
2) Prelude to Madness (1:28)
3) Concentration Camp (9:27)
4) City of the Dead (7:15)
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