The 'Octavision' project allows us to talk again about the singer 'Jeff Scott Soto' from 'Sons Of Apollo' which also released a melodic hard rock album at the end of 2020 (' Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)') because he is part of this new super group formed in 2016 by guitarist 'Hovak Alaverdyan' with, between others, bassists 'Billy Sheehan' ('Sons Of Apollo') and 'Victor Wooten'. They offer us 7 titles including 5 entirely instrumental in a rich and complex progressive metal which highlights the virtuosity of these artists who manage to make us forget the hyper technical side, thanks to their talents but, also, thanks to the writing of 'Hovak Alaverdyan' which gave an important place to the melodic aspect.
The instrumental 'Mindwar' which begins the album, is the perfect illustration of this with a cohabitation of powerful parts brought by the electric instruments with other much calmer parts with in particular the magnificent interventions of 'Avo Margaryan' with his Armenian flute, the blul, which brings an original diversity to the whole, all this being sublimated by masterful ruptures of tempo. 'Coexist', which follows, takes us on a progressive saga close to 'Sons Of Apollo' with all the ingredients that we want to find in this kind of compositions, the alternations of intensity and tempo bringing a welcome feeling of spontaneity and the vocal performance of 'Jeff Scott Soto' being always remarkable, then the instrumental 'Proctagon' offers us a sought-after progressive with a rhythm section that masterfully prints different tempos and in which the guitar and keyboard solos are remarkable. 'Apocalyptus' is the second track sung with 'Jeff Scott Soto' who perfectly modulates his voice according to the released intensity to which is added epic choirs increasing the strength of this composition, without forgetting high-level instrumental sections like the magnificent guitar solo in the second part and the final runaway before returning to the theme sung at the beginning. With the new instrumental 'Three Lives' which is the object of the video above and which is certainly the most progressive track in construction making it for me the centerpiece of the album, the bass of 'Victor Wooten' is the pillar of the rhythm section around which other artists develop sought-after instrumental sections, and then, after the energy debauchery of 'Three Lives', 'Stormbringer' (I guess this title must bring back memories of some in their sixties) allows with its introduction to recover from its emotions with a title which alternates calm sections and others more powerful with beautiful melodious passages which rock our ears and which ends in some soft guitar arpeggios. It is with 'So It Begins' that the album ends with a new demonstration of this magical fusion between the electric instruments and the blum of 'Avo Margaryan' and this track is for me the typical example of a rich and imaginative progressive metal which does not highlight the technique part which makes it a remarkable dessert for this high-class opus.
In summary, no need to draw you a picture, the year 2020 ends in beauty for the progressive metal with 'Octavision' which offers us one of the most beautiful albums of the year thanks to talented artists who manage to sublimate themselves to convey all the emotions by making us almost forget their impressive virtuosity and, even if 'Coexist' will undoubtedly remain reserved for an informed public, it should very quickly join a lot of discotheques ideal for amateurs and progressive metal lovers... | |
