INTELLIGENT MUSIC PROJECT is the brainchild of Bulgarian doctor, businessman and patron of the arts Milen Vrabevski, and "The Creation" marks the sixth record to come out of the project. The previous records have featured such rock luminaries as Simon Phillips, Nathan East and John Lawton, and this album follows up nicely, featuring a Murderer's Row of fantastic vocalists in Ronnie Romero (VANDENBERG, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, LORDS OF BLACK and RAINBOW), Carl Sentence (NAZERETH), John Payne (ex-ASIA) and Richard Grisman (RIVER HOUNDS). Also onboard for this release are percussionists Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH) and Todd Sucherman (STYX). Along with the above-mentioned artists, the supergroup also features some of the finest musicians Bulgaria has to offer.

"The Creation" is a concept album of the highest order. From the promo material, it "talks about the fear, the inner signals, voices and the techniques to cope with everyday life's challenges. It is about the status of an empathetic witness of your own life". Vrabevski, it is my understanding, wrote the twelve tracks that make up the record, and has formed this impressive group to bring his songs to life.

Opening the record is the song "A Sense Of Progress", with some great guitar work from Bisser Ivanov and an almost later era SCORPIONS-like hook. The tune is well crafted, both musically and lyrically, and the energy it is presented with makes it a great opening cut. The production values here are very good, as well, with the mix making everything pop. A beautiful, neo-classical electric flows into acoustics for "The Story", which features a Ronnie Romero vocal in the first verse and great musicianship across the board. The song takes on a different life after the initial introduction, with an almost eighties progressive feel about it. A truly fantastic guitar solo highlights the song for me.

If you are looking for a true Heavy Metal album, you will be quite disappointed in this release. If, however, you are looking for a heartfelt and well produced cycle of songs, this is right down your alley. The musicianship alone is worth the price of admission.