From their record label's page, "Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the signing of TARMAT, an exciting new AOR/Melodic Rock band hailing from Niterói, Brazil, for the release of their debut album, "Out of the Blue." With a clear nod to the '80s, yet sounding fresh, TARMAT's music is influenced by varied acts from across rock's spectrum such as JOURNEY, BOSTON, EUROPE, VAN HALEN, TOTO, QUEEN, and others. Melodic Rock/AOR fans from around the world will surely find much to enjoy on the band's debut, "Out of the Blue." The album has ten songs.

"Backbone Feeling" is the first. A big keyboard sound hits you out of the gate, followed by some smooth and sultry leads. The singer has a really nice controlled voice and he uses a lot of vibrato. The title track also has a keyboard lead in, which I enjoy. Keys are one of those instruments that some "Metalheads" stay away from, but I feel their only enhance the music. This is a tender and charming song that is just a little thin in the verses. So far, this album is fairly mellow. "Moving Backwards" is another slow-paced/mid-tempo song. Through three tracks so far, the pacing hasn't varied much. Throw in a burner, or you are in danger of the "mid-tempo" blues, which can cast an album into mediocrity.

"Gibberish" has a charming piano entrance, and definite JOURNEY vibes. It's clear at this point that the band prefers to focus on a softer sound, which is fine. But so far, what the music lacks is soul. "Rosetta Stone" has a little more get-up-and-go to it, from a faster moving riff and its time on the album for the band to flex their muscles a little. This positive sounding song was a welcomed break from the emotional sound of the previous tracks. "More Than Less" is a little bluesy influenced song with gentle vocals and equally gentle instrumentation. "Your Enemy" features piano and bass, and a bit of a darker sound. This song has more of that soul that was missing before, and some melodic leads that are not overdone. "True Colors" might be the filler song on the album, though the vocal performance is top notch.

"Dinner's on the House" is a mellow and pretty offering, but with the vocalist's abilities, I think he can stretch out a little more with some accentuation. The song picks up a little bit but still stays pretty gentle. The short "The Night" closes the album. It's mostly acoustical guitars that stick you with a grey feeling, but calm as well. These guys are talented, but choose to mostly stick with mellow and gentle songs. There is nothing wrong with that, but a couple burners and some accents might help the album really fly. They have a lot of potential, however, if they can just figure out how to add some more dynamics into their sound.