So, let's go to Chile and meet a Doom Metal band named POEMA ARCANUS. Although the world 'Doom' is somehow restrictive for them, since they include a lot of influences, in order of understanding we will place their music there. And this because the base of their entire sonic gamut appertains to that genre.
The band's kernel is guitarist Igor Leiva and vocalist Claudio Carrasco. Both of them started under the GARBAGE name in 1992, releasing a demo CD. Underdeveloped was released in the beginning of 1995 but that later release included a bonus word in their previous name and the Innocent Shades second demo was under the GARBAGE BREED moniker in 1996. Continuing the legacy of 'every year changing name', 1997's promo tape was by the band POEMA ARCANUS and it was the one that stayed. Since then the Santiago-based metallers unleashed three full lengths trying to expand as they can their sound and four years after the last one they return with Timeline Symmetry.
Truth is that any description of their sound is not far from a pleasant headache. The first song, Timeline Symmetryis instrumental and is a nice one, very calming in the beginning and I could describe it in some way as mind traveling. Raven Humankind starts with a great Doom riff, the album's highlight, having a vocal diversity between clean ones in sorrowful tunes till Death Metal paroxysms. If the refrain was better this song would be a hymn and the way they expand their compositions has a progressive style bringing close bands like OPETH. And now that I'm referring to them I have to underline enough Swedish influences the band has; for example think of KATATONIA's melancholy.
The addictive beginning melody and high quality vocals are protagonists in Average Man's Odyssey. Here the refrain is corpse-resurrecting. A song that has different feelings inside while in the end and behind a glassy sound you can listen to sounds from a train station. Like a whole life with all its different faces is passing in front of your eyes like a train. The ways of expression that POEMA ARCANUS use reaches till FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM in Alter, a song that has lyrics in their mother language.
The melancholy has its honor in this album. Melancholy given in a poetical way. I would say that Mars Lullaby and By The Cliff look straight the elegy moments of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT. Or - on the other hand - the obvious things from MY DYING BRIDE inside This Once Long Road that after its second minute has a guitar riff that will drag you to the ground, a riff that will be in the song's end also. The only objection I have is for Zoom To The Void, which is the most Death Metal cut inside Timeline Symmetry but a little insipid. Last, Epilogo closes the album in the best way and in deep blue colors.
I believe they could dulcify their song's changes. It's been a lot of times that the basic unit is being dissevered losing its meaning without any special reason behind. Except this, I found them good not only in composition's themes but in skill's points and probably in the near future we will hear better things by them.