This is the first full album from Colombian Progressive Rock band, ALTERED SYMMETRY. They've released EPs in the past with cover songs and shorter albums, so it's good to see a CD full of their own material. And if "Prologue" is anything to go by, they've got a bright future to look forward to, because this effort is superb.

They cite their influences from bands such as QUEENSRYCHE, DREAM THEATER, and METALLICA, and it certainly shows. It's almost like they've taken the best bits from all of these bands, and mixed them together which has resulted in a sound completely of their own. Whilst not one of the fastest Progressive albums I've heard, it still has a good tempo, and they mix things up a little bit by having acoustic bits in there, including the song "A Day That Changed All", which is beautiful. The lyrics definitely deserve a mention here - with tracks based on stories by Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Dickens, the boys have definitely done their homework, and it results in songs that have an extra depth to them. I think that my favorite track is the first one, "Life Sentence", which is pretty melodic and Proggy.

And so to the band members themselves. Gomez's vocals are perfectly suited to the music, bringing the lyrics to life with his delivery, and taking you through the epic journey of the album. The bass and guitar playing from Cadena and Martinez is just awesome. The solos take your breath away, and they really add so much to the songs rather than feeling like they've been added in as an afterthought. The whole band comes together very nicely to produce something not quite like anything I've heard before.

I certainly look forward to hearing more from this band, that's for certain, and I think they could go far if any future releases are up to this standard. But even if you're not a fan of Prog, you should not get put off this release by the genre, because it's an incredibly accessible album.