Independent Release
Review by Tony Cannella
Effloresce are a Progressive Metal band hailing from Germany. On their debut EP, “Shades of Fate” the band unleash 3-songs and almost 30-minutes worth of intricately played, complex Prog Metal with some aggressive moments present as well. The complex musical passages begin right away with the 11-minute opener “Birds of Prey”. This is a great opener, and of the three songs featured, this is my favorite. The song features a number of tempo changes, which the band employ throughout the CD, Nicki even contributes Flute on the song. The next track “Sear” is almost 10-minutes in length and picks right up where the previous one left off. This song features a great (early) Queensryche-esque opening riff that really serves as catalyst for the song. The 8-minute, “Sunset in the Snowdome” brings “Shades of Fate” to a great conclusion. Nicki’s vocals are simply soaring and clean. She even adds Death Metal growls to some songs, and it is hard to believe that it is actually the same person singing, but it is.The current line-up of Effloresce has only been together since 2009, so they were able to record and release this debut in a short amount of time. Despite that fact, “Shades of Fate” is an excellent first release that should hopefully get the band plenty of label interest. Even though Effloresce are sure to get lumped into the progressive genre, the band prove that they have more to offer and employ other influences as well. Fans of Dream Theater, Opeth, early Queensryche and Fates Warning should really give this band a listen.
Rating – 87/100
Tracklist
- Birds of Prey
- Sear
- Sunset in the Snowdome
Line Up
- Nicki Weber – Vocals, Growls, Percussion, Flutes
- Dave Mola – Guitar, Mellotron
- Tim Ivanic – Guitar
- René Heinrich – Bass
- Tobi Süß – Drums
Links