"Forsaken" is the second studio album from Italian prog-metal band NOVERIA, and it plays much like it should be much further on in the career of the band. NOVERIA shows their significant experience through this album, and with the help of the great Simone Mularoni in the studio mixing and mastering the album, "Forsaken" is polished and brilliant to an almost ridiculous degree.

Their debut album "Risen" was released in 2014, and Metal Temple gave it an almost perfect score of 9 out of 10. This time around, NOVERIA have somehow improved drastically in almost every way. Each and every song offers something new and exciting and shows off each band members musical chops. The vocals of Fancesco Corigliano belong in a power metal band, and this mixed with the high energy music, makes it so the band is often towing the line between prog and power, but somehow mastering both genres. There are times where they remind me of DREAM THEATER especially in regard to the keyboard style which can be extremely reminiscent of Jordan Rudess. Julien Spreutels makes a welcome addition to the band in this regard, and proves that especially when it comes to this style of music you should never overlook the keyboard player.

As is often the fault of a lot of prog metal bands however, it's difficult to ever really pick one point that stands out. Due to a lack of hooks in the style of music, it can often be rather forgettable. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing, as while you are listening to it, you certainly appreciate everything about it. It's just hard to remember certain songs or parts of songs long after it's finished playing. NOVERIA doesn't suffer this problem to the same extent as many other prog bands, due to their power metal energy and soaring vocals.  However it is the one drawback in an otherwise masterful performance.

As I mentioned earlier, each one of these musicians has significant experience and a huge amount of skill at everything they do, making this an incredible album from an incredible band. NOVERIA have once again proven that they have everything it takes to be at the top of the genre. With a little more publicity, hopefully the rest of the world will see and hear this, and give NOVERIA the chance that they deserve.

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