Recent years has shown that Russia has a lot to offer in the metal music industry, with musical stand-outs like ARKONA, and a brimming underground with acts such as STARSOUP. Newcomers to the scene are Progressive Metallers OVERWIND, fusing Modern, Melodic, hard-hitting metal with Prog Rock. This has resulted in the release of a debut album, "Illustrator", which aims to merge artful metal with an uncharacteristically aggressive vocal presence, a la Jørn Lande.

"Giant Leap" is just that; an explosive bound fueled by a voracious taste for expressive grooves given a clean undercut by progressive musings. Alexander's gravelly voice is an intriguing juxtaposition to the music which, at many points on the record is contrastingly melodic and colourful (think CIRCUS MAXIMUS). However he adds a followable, percussiveness to the heavily-syncopated riffs, and is capable of expressive, powerful chorus deliveries. "Dance on the Grave" is almost entirely a Power Metal piece and carries with it a remarkably prominent 80's Power vibe. Certainly one of the faster, more aggressive tracks on the record, the riffs are notably memorable, with chord progressions that stick and leave a lasting impression, with cutting intricacy.

"Myself" immediately caught on as one of my favorites on the album, almost entirely because of the beautifully artistic introduction that had a very strong ANGRA vibe about it, with powerful, explosive chords and emotive atmospherics draped over intricate drum patterns. This is replicated in the chorus, with equally beautiful vocal deliveries. In between, we find exceptionally heavy head-bangery in true jackhammers of riffs. The song of the band's namesake is respectfully one of the album's greatest, with a strong emphasis on in-song dynamism between the many different passages, utilising intelligent and aesthetic melodic progressions in the riffs. Indeed, it is entirely an instrumental, and this allows for the beautiful instrument work to shine through; this is some of the best Prog riffing I have heard in a long time.

The fact is, I never get tired of Prog; it doesn't matter to me how many bands sound the same. But the fact is, this band doesn't sound like your average Prog band, for they meaningfully include many modern and unorthodox motifs in their work.