Hailing from the Felsinea city of Bologna, PROSPECTIVE, established in 2013 originally as a solo project of drummer Flavio Cacciari, has since then become one of the heaviest technical band in the Italian music scene. In 2015, after two years being an Instrumental band, Stefano Baldanza (Bass) Davide Ruggeri (Guitar), Luca Zini (Guitars) and Pietro Serratore (Vocals) joined PROSPECTIVE and released the band's first EP titled "Chronosphere." 2016 marks the spot as their first full-length album "Beyond" came out receiving high rates and positive reviews. Since its release, the record has sold hundreds of copies and got thousands of plays on main streaming platforms. They are back now with their newest offering, "Unreal," which contains eleven tracks.

"The Void" kicks things off, with a Djenty rhythm and incensed harsh vocals, that lead to harmonized cleans, where the sound drops back just enough to let them breathe. It's a fairly short track that ends in a culmination of both passages. "Transient" opens with a tough riff and some dark and ominous sounds that lead to verses with softer, clean guitars and ethereal vocals. The darkness joins back in with the form of the riff from the opening passage and harsh vocals cap it off. "Frames" open embraces melody out of the gates, with a pleasing guitar riff and clean vocals, augmented with harsh vocals for shorter passages. The rhythm pulsates underneath, in a particularly well-crafted song with memorable melodies.

"So Far Gone" swings back the other way, with a dissonant opening melody, and low, punchy rhythms and raging vocals. Djenty attacks pound on you over and over, while clean vocals provide some relief. "Only You" is a great little song, high on melody and with a thoughtful main riff. Dreamy passages give you pause to reflect, while absolutely living harsh vocals cut through, spewing blood in their trail. "Elysium" is the Greek concept of the afterlife. The track is a good combination of fearless harmonies with rough edges, where the corners are filled in with strong rhythmic jabs. "Real" is a short instrumental that opens with some atmosphere...birds chirping and the veiled sounds of thunder building. From there, soft strings carry a simple melody echoed by piano notes.

"Nile" has a much sharper and more aggressive sound, from the opening flurry of guitar and harsh vocals. It borders somewhat in the Deathcore genre, if it wasn't for the fleeting moments of atmosphere, which really adds a nice touch to the song. "Back Home" is a scorcher, with a fast riff and aggressive overtones. The vocals are a frenzy of raging outbursts. When the clean vocals come in, the guitars drop off into a supporting harmony. "Grasp" is the final track. It has a slow and easy opening, but you can tell something is brewing. It builds slowly and intentionally into an all-out attack of rage, and then drops back off the let the melody flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed the album, and PROSPECTIVE has a way of keeping everything crisp and contemporary here with "Unreal." There are moments of heavy, pounding rhythms, and light, airy passages that work quite well with each other. The only thing that I can point out as missing slightly is that full-on sense of melody, where they let it ride for a while and don't care about the consequences. The music however if very tight and solidly written, and I have a feeling that they will hit pay-dirt with their next release. For now, this is an excellent piece of music.