From the depths of the Serbian multigenre label Lampshade Media comes the brainchild of Igor Kundovic, GODOVIIR. This progressive metal project is manned by Igor, who supplements guitars, but a gaggle of session musicians, featuring vocalist Vladimir Lalic, two bassists, and two drummers help out along the way. This prog record balances sentimentality and intensity, and it's paired with a classic-looking album cover, so it sounds like a perfect record for me.

The bittersweet feelings arise with "Mother's Comfort," a short, acoustic opener. I usually have issues if there's more than one interlude per album, but by looking at the song lengths, there'll be no issues there. "Hope from the Abyss" continues the acoustic feel of the opener, but the punchy, seemingly alternative metal kicks in. This album isn't extreme metal, so don't expect harsh vocals and downtuned riffs for 99% of the LP. Vladimir's singing is crystal clear and easily delivers the lyrics. They almost take on the soaring tones you'd find in power metal or basic heavy metal, hitting some impressively long high notes. The complex instrumentation is satisfying as always, and I could detect some small bits of harsh(er) vocals, but not nearly enough to drastically change the mood. "Irregular Lunacy" takes things slow, and the guitars have time to develop an atmosphere. I like it when prog slows down and focuses on creating a musical message, instead of flinging every possible scale down your throat for eighteen minutes. Speaking of time, each song is quite digestible in length.

"Artificial Dream" is another solid mid-tempo song, and I'm guessing that the first non-intro opener was an exception to GODOVIIR. The ridiculous vocal olympics return along with the groove that never loses its feel amongst the wave of time signatures. There's even more serenity featured in "Sahara Sandstorm," a mystical, choral beginning that unfolds into another dosage of perfectly fine progressive metal. The drumming techniques used here reach uncharted territories of speed and style, spicing up the track. "The Cry of Mathias" is the token long-song, but at "only" eight minutes, it could've been way "worse." Just take the elements of the previous pieces and smush them all together. You delightfully get "The Cry of Mathias." The album cyclically concludes with "Mother's Love," a lovely orchestral ending.

What a heartwarming album! And to think it was only one person's idea. I've listened to a lot of progressive rock and metal over the years, and while "ARTIFICIAL DREAM" didn't have the WOW! factor to really make an impression on me to stick with me forever, I adore the messages brought by Igor and GODOVIIR. This was a solid release.