FramePictures: Remember It

From Portugal comes progressive metal act FramePictures, and Remember It is their debut album, out now on ProgRock Records. This five-piece outfit take their sound & style straight out of the Dream Theater Images & Words era playbook, but they inject it with a strong IQ and Spock's Beard prog background, the end result being a sound that is way more melodic and majestic than much of the progressive metal you'll hear these days.

The band is comprised of vocalist Tiago Delgado, guitarist Helder da Silva, drummer Artus Jorge, bassist Ricardo Drumond, and keyboard player Mafalda Brogueira. Together they have crafted a highly listenable batch of songs here on Remember It, tunes that are both catchy yet musically quite challenging. The near 9-minute opener "Memories Faded Away" is a blistering Dream Theater styled thumper, complete with soaring harmonies and tasty guitar & keyboard work. Delgado really shines on the melodic title track, a great prog-ballad featuring some splendid keyboard orchestrations and chunky riffs. "Call For Me" is closer to your typical prog-metal epic, filled with drama and virtuoso arrangements that let the band display their musical talents. Expect some heavier passages here, yet the band never forget to inject atmosphere and melody, giving this long piece a nice flow throughout its near 13-minute length. I must also mention the excellent drum work of Jorge on this one, as he lays down a wide assortment of jazz & rock licks throughout the song, especially during the fusiony guitar & synth solo section.

Gotta love the catchy & symphonic rocker "Don't Trust My Eyes", another strong vehicle for Delgado's stellar vocals, and heavy riffs mixed with brooding keys and complex time signatures create the framework on the solid "Why Nobody Cares" and "Shadows Black and Grey". Of course, it wouldn't be a progressive metal album without a mammoth epic (guess "Call For Me" wasn't 'epic' enough for the band?!), and that comes in the form of "My Will To Live", 26 minutes of prog-metal bliss. Well thought out riffs and stabbing synths make up the main melody, but it's Jorge and bassist Drumond who really create some irresistible rhythms underneath on this adventurous piece. You have to appreciate how the band seamlessly segues from symphonic metal, to atmospheric jazz, to gorgeous piano ballad, and back to crushing prog, all throughout this song. Kudos to Brogueira's excellent keyboard work on this one, which evokes not only the heavier end of the spectrum but also the classic sounds of the 70's. Well done.

Sure, there are plenty of bands out on the scene doing something similar to what you'll hear on Remember It, but damn if FramePictures haven't come up with some catchy & impressive material here. The songs are long, but memorable, the playing virtuoso, but not excessive, and the production stellar, but not flashy. Toss in a great CD booklet filled with eye popping artwork and lyrics, and you have one of 2010's progressive metal surprises. This is a band we will all need to keep a close eye on in the months and years ahead.

Track Listing
01 Memories Faded Away
02 Remember It
03 Call For Me
04 Dont Trust My Eyes
05 Why Nobody Cares
06 Shadows Black and Grey
07 My Will To Live

Added: July 14th 2010
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band MySpace Page
Hits: 3443
Language: english

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