SIGNS OF HUMAN RACE are an Italian Prog Metal band, based in the city of Brescia, debuting with "Inner Struggle of Self-Acceptance". The band mixes in some elements of Technical Death Metal and Avant-Garde Metal into their sound, making for an eclectic sound, threading in death growls, other harsh vocal stylings and solemn clean vocals too. This 42-minute musical journey is divided into five lengthy tracks, four of them lasting between eight and twelve minutes. The other song here runs just a little under five minutes and a half. The band takes a long song format that mostly works, as the songwriting manages to be cohesive and interesting for the most part.

"Dreaming Reality" fits its purpose as the opener and happens to be one of the most straightforward songs on the record despite being the second longest here. There's a bit of Post-Rock repetition and meandering in the clean guitar sections, that goes along with the build-up of the drums in the song's intro. The main riff enters about a minute into the song, being heavily syncopated, with an almost 8/8 feel to it. Robertson's anguished vocals come into play around the two-minute mark, atop a melody vaguely reminiscent of PORCUPINE TREE more textured songs. The guitar work on the last section of the song gets into early 2000's MARILLION territory with astonishing use of the wah pedal and a flanger effect, bringing to mind the work of Steve Rothery in the solo. And that's not even touching on the really heavy mid section of the song, growls and everything.

Despite the shifts in sound and mood, "Dreaming Reality" feels like more than the sum of its parts, probably being the most successful song on the whole album. "Above The Languages Of Life" follows, just as strong during its first two minutes. It falls into DREAM THEATER or OPETH balladry at moments, with some BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME-esque technical riffing. Suddenly the music stops and it descends into a weird QUEEN-esque layered vocal section followed by random bit after random bit. Although there are several interesting ideas in here, maybe because of the relatively short duration of the song or simply clunky songwriting, it doesn't really work as a whole. It ends up feeling weird for the sake of being weird, and I just wish the song had ended two minutes in.

"Journey into Self-Reflection" makes up for the weak second half of the previous track, showing that this band can truly delve into MR. BUNGLE or MAUDING OF THE WELL-inspired Avant-Garde songwriting without it feeling unnecessarily abstract or difficult. After a sinister intro, the track goes on full groovy, Tech-Death aggressiveness. The riffing feels especially reminiscent of early GOJIRA here.  Around 2:11 the music takes on a beautiful change of pace with spidery guitar work, jazzy drumming and lovely clean singing, followed by a warm, jam-like section that has a loungy vibe, closer to CHON'S or ANIMALS AS LEADERS' softer work, being hypnotic and relaxed yet full of subtle complexities. The last section, starting around 7:02 has a melody very reminiscent of "Hurt" by NINE INCH NAILS and a 90's feel overall. This track is also a great showcase of the strong rhythm section, as Brighenti's funky bass lines and Sereno's intricate drumming keeps everything together. This eight and a half minutes show the strengths of the production side, with a rich and full sound, as well as perfect use of fade-out at the end of the song, giving it a never ending feel.

On a more subtle note, "Of Love and Misgiving" is the true ballad of the album. Very nostalgic and with a borderline Grunge feel, if not proper sound. The main riff is intricate, melodic and simply beautiful, midpoint between clean and distorted. Also a song exploits the idea of crescendo as emotional release. Three minutes into the song, all instruments drop, leaving a lonesome piano. The band enters, one instrument at a time, building tension, before exploding just a little under the five-minute mark. Being the only track without harsh vocals, it truly fits. Closer "Choking in Hopeless Agony" is the true epic of the album, lasting over twelve minutes. Despite having a cohesive structure - where every change in mood, sound and time signature being bridged in creative ways that make it feel natural -, it doesn't pack the emotional punch or the excitement the previous to tracks did. It's an adept closer, and some sections are truly interesting, but it feels a tad too long. Eight minutes and a half seems to be the magic song duration for SIGNS OF HUMAN RACE in their debut album.

All in all, this debut album shows a lot of potential. It works best when it gives songs enough room to breathe, especially on those in an Avant-Garde style. Production is almost flawless, being quite dirty without being muddy, as you can hear every instrument clearly but it never gets too crisp or slick, as it wouldn't fit the music. With a little restraint and focus to their more manic side, something better might come this band's way. For now, "Inner Struggle of Self-Acceptance" is a great starting point.