From North Carolina, USA, comes Progressive Metal band NOSPUN. That's about all the information I was able to find out about the band. Their latest album here has 11 songs, and "The House at the End" is the first. It's a short intro song with tender vocals and clean guitar. "Implosion Overture" is the first proper track. Someone mentioned that the band reminds them of DREAM THEATER. That couldn't be closer to the truth. The opening sequence is a melodic carnival of guitars, keys, bass, and drums playing tightly together, and each member shows their prowess. The melodies are so well crafted, the bottom end is as heavy as concrete, and the band shows masterful shifting.

"The Death of Simpson" is another masterful display of bright colors and technique. Phillip has a smooth and warm voice, and the instruments complement it so well. Close your eyes, lay back, and let this sound envelope you. The combination of ardent Metal with wonderful melodies is quite entrancing. "Dance with Me!" is a piano-led shorter song with heaping spoon fills of melody. You have the distinct sense that the band could let loose at any time, but they keep themselves in check, for the most part. "Tougher Love" has some tense, ominous tones in the expansive keyboard parts, and the vocal harmonies are gorgeous. Where has this band been all of my life? "Earwyrm" goes a darker and more technical direction, with heavy riff accents and prolific leads. The song shifts many times, but the core sound remains.

"And Then There Was One" has bluesy guitars, charming vocals, and some playful elements that keep the listener engaged. When they drop the hammer, they drop it hard, with punishing bass notes and weighted riffs, but the vocals keep the song within the fields of melody. "4D Printing" is led with keyboards and a heavier and darker sound, supplied mostly by the bass guitarist's meaty tone, and what a fantastic display of musicianship. "Within the Realm of Possibility" is a 15-minute opus. Grab a ride, and head out on this wonderful journey, through open fields with a sky full of stars, and darker forests with things that go bump in the night. What is perhaps most impressive is that throughout the journey, the destination is secondary, and the band never loses sight of the core of the sound.

"Back, Yet Forward" has a dance to it that will get you up and on your feet. The song has a combination of murky and tense elements with wide open melodies, and the transitions are seamless along the way. Their prowess is also bordering on ridiculous at this point. "The House at the Beginning" closes the album, and what a tender, sweet sound it brings to the end of the album. It's a short ride to the sunset, but the colors that are provided along the way are a kaleidoscope of warm feelings that fill your heart through the end of all things. Or is it the beginning? The closing lyrics sum it up perfectly: "Future undefined, it's good to be alive, in the house at forty-two Lakeview Drive."

This collective is a masterful album of melody, technicality, and prowess. Like DREAM THEATER, they play with the listener though ethereal passages of sublimity as well as strong displays of musicianship. Their transitions between conflicting passages do not even register for an experienced music fan, they are so smooth. But don't trick yourself into thinking that this is a copy-cat band...they have a funky and original sound that is all their own. For me, it sounds like the natural next step of Progressive music in America. Move over, and welcome NOSPUN to the table, for they bring silver cutlery and nine courses of gourmet food for patrons to enjoy.