Vitruvius I

Vitruvius is a female-fronted progressive metal band from Mexico; this is their debut CD. That description will mean different things to different people; some may come in expecting wild improvisations reminiscent of the Mars Volta. Those people will be disappointed. Others will anticipate complex riff-rock with loads of synth textures and ultra-clean singing (in perfect English, mind), with solos galore, sort of a cross between Evanescence and Dream Theater. Those people will be right on the money. The production on this self-titled disc is pristine, the instrumental performances complicated and hard-driving in a way that combines technical metal with jazz fusion at times, but owes more to goth and art rock. Vocalist Dulce Robles seems to float above her straining, surging bandmates, providing a kind of angelic counterpoint to their labors. For the most part, this is a very disciplined, rigorously organized album that demonstrates the bandmembers' keen awareness of their own talents. The instrumental "Alchemist" features a really unfortunate synth solo, but pretty much everything else is enjoyable, as long as you're a fan of this style of hyper-technical, overblown hard rock/metal. If you're not, don't even come near, as there are no attempts made to cross over to more mainstream rock listeners.