The city of Turin, in the north west of Italy, is home to a Symphonic/Epic Metal band that calls itself, SOUND STORM. The band has Heavy Metal roots, as they began life as a Heavy Metal act performing covers of bands like IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA, among others. The band is heavily influenced by Symphonic, Epic, Power, Classical Metal, as well as Celtic Folk music. They recorded a demo in the year 2005 followed by an EP in the year 2007. Their debut full-length studio album, "Twilight Opera", was released in the year 2009 and they followed it up by a second album in 2012 entitled, "Immortalia". A successful tour of Mexico followed the debut album and their sophomore album was met with high praise and critical acclaim. The band is almost unrecognizable from its inception, as the only member to still be a part of this act is Valerio Sbriglione and Massimiliano Flak, who joined up in the year 2005. The band has played all over Europe and participated in numerous festivals. The goal of their offering is more than to create simple music but also to create visuals that would bolster the motif of the album.

"Vertigo", the title track, is a melancholy instrumental number that is just over a minute long and it sets the mood for the rest of the songs to follow. "The Dragonfly" kicks off when the first song ends rather abruptly. The song is progressive in nature and gallops at a healthy pace despite the operatic nature of the song. Midway during the song, the tempo slows down and increased operatic melodrama is injected into the track. "Forsaken" is just over 5 minutes long and the opening riff can almost be called a Speed Metal hook. The raw nature of the song is bolstered by the additional of occasional high-pitched vocal passages, as well as guttural vocal bits. This is a rapid song and if the Symphonic Metal effects are removed, it can be easily confused for a straight up Speed Metal song. "The Ocean" starts off with a morose organ passage and has a slow beginning. The song speeds up with a double bass drum parts and operatic vocals form an unholy alliance. As with the other tracks, blistering lead guitars blaze a fiery path before the song is through. "Spiral" is a short song lasting less than 4 minutes in runtime. Heavy distorted guitars are interbred with gentle organ passages with cello music as their counterpart. A baleful lead guitar solo makes its presence felt halfway through the song before rapid sweeping melodies take the song forward. Choir background vocal harmonies add an extra layer to this already complex track. "The Last Breath" is the last track of the album and it is the longest track of the album, clocking just shy of 8 minutes. A strange beginning that slowly becomes a melody that is more Electronica than Metal before the male operatic vocals take over. Halfway through the track, a blazing Thrash Metal riff takes over and forms an awkward fit with its Symphonic cousin. Towards the end, the song slows down considerably and gives an aura of grandiose epic melody.

"Vertigo" is a very accomplished album with great thought given to the music and the lyrics, as well as the atmospheric nature of the record. As in most Symphonic Metal albums, this album features blistering lead guitar work and choir vocals. Operatic vocals and cello melodies are incorporated to give an epic feel to the tracks. However, this album varies from other albums of similar sounding bands due to the band's commitment towards, not only aural gratification, but also the way they set about creating a visual tapestry with their tunes. The band has said that the music came with a cinematic purpose and required a strong video presence, which in turn led them to start collaboration with a cinematic crew. The band has been shooting the pilot episode of their series and the idea is to shoot one episode for every song of the album. This album is strictly for fans of the Symphonic Metal genre, although, Metal fans who are not really into the genre might give a shrug and wonder what the fuss is all about.<