REASONS BEHIND hailing from Bologna, Italy were formed in 2010. The melodic Metal outfit released so far one EP and two full-length album. Their third full-length release "Architecture Of An Ego" was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Giuseppe Bassi (GREENOUER). It has a length of about 35 minutes, and it was released via Italian label Scarlet Records, which have many Power, Heavy, and Thrash Metal bands among their roster.

The album starts with the intro "Zero Dawn", which is a tension-building pre-lude. "The Fall Of Human Race" also starts with a short pre-lude before transitioning into a melodic, easy-to-listen melodic Metal track with heavy riffing and many electronic samples/effects. The female vocals are mainly around the higher end of the vocal range with a few tonal shifts. "The Fall Of Human Race" is a relatively fast song with little switches in tempo. "A New Breed" continues with the melodic Metal sound. The verse parts are driven by powerful guitar riffs and by electronic effects. The melodies are nice and catchy. At times, the sound reminds me a bit on some of those AMARANTHE songs that are heavily sampled. "Into The Break Of A Better Day" is in principle not much different apart from the tempo that is similarly fast as in "The Fall Of Human Race", while "A New Breed" was more a mid-tempo track. "Into The Break Of A Better Day" has, as most songs on the album, as simple verse-chorus structure with a short break included. The break introduces the short but contributing lead guitar solo.

"Heart Begins To Break" starts with the keyboards before the guitar riffing takes over. The melodies are jointly driven by the guitars and the keyboards. While the sound and the vocals during the verse part are a bit decoupled, the vocals follow the melodies during the chorus parts. Highlight of the track is the lead guitar solo. "The Phantom Pain" is one of the slower tracks on the album. Played at a measured tempo it includes powerful guitar riffing and only very few electronic effects. The vocals are more versatile compared to most songs on the album and the lead guitar solo is, beside the vocals, the highlight of the track. "Seas Of Grey" keeps going with the measured tempo and the heavy riffing. The keyboard contributions are more dominant compared to "The Phantom Pain" and the short lead guitar solo includes a few oriental vibes.

"I³" is the track of the guest vocalists. Steva Deathless (DEATHLESS LEGACY) and Greta Cangelosi (NOCTURNA) support Elisa Bonafe and it is the distinctive voice of Steva Deathless which gives the song an extra dimension. Apart from that, "I³" fits into the melodic and conceptual framework of the album. "I³" is the official video release, and the YouTube link is provided below. "The Flame Inside" has a dynamic start with catchy melodies and almost sing-along vocal chorus lines. It is one of the many up-tempo songs with a lot of keyboard contributions and electronic effects. Highlight is the extended lead guitar solo. The album finishes with "Letter To The Last Of Us" and it has a quiet start with the keyboards and the vocals. Although guitars, bass, and drums join in, the track maintains a slow and measured tempo and is the track that comes closest to be the ballad of the album.

REASONS BEHIND deliver an album with light and shadows. "Architecture Of An Ego" is an easy-to-listen melodic Metal album with catchy melodies and an overemphasis of combining heavy guitar riffing with electronic Pop elements. Many of the songs sound interchangeably and lack distinctiveness including the vocals. The album is well produced. Is "Architecture Of An Ego" an album that is going to be memorable? Probably not. I still believe, REASONS BEHIND is a band with potential who need to find their own unique path.