SIX MINUTE CENTURY is four piece band that was formed in 2004 in Houston of the US. The band managed to sign a record deal with Nightmare Records and release the debut album Time Capsules.
The scary label Progressive Metal brought shivers down my spine making me feeling bored before I have even pressed the play button on my CD player. The guitar driven intro and the groovy tempo in Under The Moonlight made me feel kind of secure that things would not be as bad as I thought. The vocals kicked in with a high pitched yet powerful profile pointing towards the Power Metal scene. That was it, I managed to overcome my inner Progressive Metal barrier I started enjoying this one. This US band has strong foundations from the early FATES WARNING and a minor DREAM THEATER touch. I appreciated even more their music when I realized that their songs are by no means overloaded and too complicated with nice melodies and even some catchy riffs. The keyboards have a significant role here and some times take the leading one bringing more melody and enhancing the atmosphere in songs like The Perfect Picture or April 19 1995. In the latter track Chuck Williams revealed one of his personal influences that is no other than Geoff Tate especially in his higher pitched early era.
The underlining Euro Power Metal layer makes the album sound more dynamic with fast breaks comprising galloping rhythm guitars and compact drum work like in Zero Hour or Heaven's Gate. After some additional CD spins I realized that the band has something from SYMPHONY X during the recent Paradise Lost days where they introduced a more aggressive profile than before. One of my personal favourites was the album's closer Seven Seas the SABBATH-esque (through the Heaven 'n Hell perspective) rhythm section and the really melodic and catchy vocal lines
Some minor complaints could be made when it comes to the album's sound production; I think that the drums sometimes have the tendency to cover everything bringing the guitars one step back. This affects the overall sound of the album that fails to present a solid and compact ensemble.
Overall, this is a very good debut album and I think Nightmare Records did a smart move by signing them. I think I am glad that I managed to overcome my initial anti-Progressive Metal prejudice and actually have a really nice time listening to this one.