The great Progressive Metal bands seem to wow us with their debut albums. setting the bar for what is to come and consistently raising it (RUSH did it for 40 years). SANGREAL's self-titled debut lays out a pretty technical foundation that is ambitious, but not ground breaking or even all that original. With that said, it still was an enjoyable album.

From the opening "Samaritan" it's obvious the production value is top notch, as is the abilities of the band, with odd time signatures hitting you right off the bat. More on that in a bit. One thing that caught my ear was Alssandro Battini's use of actual piano. Whether it was in the front mix like "The Prophet", or buried deep in the mix like on "Ring of Shelomoh" (correct me if I'm hearing things, I'm old) it's presence makes an impressive impact, adding some real Metal to Metal.

"Anime Prave" highlights the quality of the mix, with keyboards supporting Gianluca Carlini and Franceco Russo Guitar work, and stepping up when called for. As for the rhythm section, most wanna be prog bands fail here, but the subtlety of the interaction between drummer Matti Auerkallio and bassist Paris Lambrou is sublime, such as in "Martyr"

Gabriel Grilli is the perfect fit for them, his range impressive and never sounding strained or forced. He has an incredible voice for storytelling, and with this line up backing him it is mesmerizing.

It is obvious that this group is well trained in music, and here's the kicker. Most Progressive Metal wannabies timing changes sound forced, not so with SANGREAL. They're executed with a fluidity that is amazing for a debut album. The only complaints I have (if they can even be called that) is more bass in the mix, but just a little mid, and their overall sound is rather generic. I'm looking forward to when they find their true voice in the very near future.