Unreal

Many progressive metal bands are stuck in the 1970s and '80s stylistically, which isn't necessarily a bad thing; classicism has its place in metal just as it has its place in jazz, blues, reggae, country, and salsa. Instead of being influenced by alternative metal or alternative rock in any way, such bands get their inspiration from power metal and progressive rock bands that emerged in the '70s and '80s. But some prog metal outfits have been influenced by the alternative metal of the '90s and 2000s, and the France-based Spheric Univers Experience are a good example. Unreal has its share of old-school prog influences, including Rush, Yes, and Kansas. But this 2008 recording also has a strong alt metal influence. There are plenty of downtuned guitars on Unreal, and the 49-minute CD is full of chugging riffs that would not be out of place on an album by Slipknot, Mushroomhead, or Sevendust. Unreal has some Dream Theater influence as well, which isn't surprising; Dream Theater have influenced countless prog metal bands. But unlike many prog metal bands, Spheric Univers Experience don't go out of their way to emulate Dream Theater or Rhapsody — and although Unreal is melodic, it tends to be heavier than a lot of prog metal recordings. Unreal contains a few not-so-memorable tracks, but they are the exception rather than the rule. Most of the time, Spheric Univers Experience's prog metal-meets-alt metal approach works fairly well for them on the generally decent Unreal.