WITHOUT FATE is a Symphonic Progressive/Power Metal band out of Montreal, Québec. They were formed back in 2015 and this is their first release. The band is hard at work on their second full-length album that will probably be out later in 2020, barring the circumstances we are faced upon right now.

The genre itself in the province is something of a rarity. In a world full of Black Metal, Thrash Metal, Death Metal, well Progressive Metal and Power Metal are somewhat forgotten, put in a corner. I have heard a number of bands in the genre on some local shows and I wasn't impressed, actually I pretty much bored. I love the genre and I need something to sink my teeth in and get me involved and interested. You have to grab the attention of the listener because it's easy to get lost in oblivion.

Well they may be an anomaly in the Province for their choice of genre but they are head and shoulders above anything I have heard in the genre to date. I think that from the moment you listen to those first notes, you can hear the hard work put in the production. There is a lot of love and effort put into it and it shows. It sounds great and the orchestrations (being very Power-Progressive Metal) are really well done. I know it's not easy to make everything sound great but I felt they did an awesome job. It's always something nice when the production is on point and makes the album shine even brighter. I think the genre might be the toughest to mix and produce, I remember hearing the first REDEMPTION album and the production was awful for such experienced musicians.

First impression upon listening to the band is that they definitely don't do music for the masses. What I like with this band is that you cannot perceive or try to guess what's going to come next, what kind of arrangements they will use, and nowadays that's really something nice. They are progressive all the way, original and like it should be with progressive metal, there is a strong use of synthesizers and orchestrations. I like the singer's voice, perhaps because he sounds like a bit like James Labrie mixed in with Matt Barlow. You have that hard edge of Barlow yet that impressive range of Labrie. The guy has some serious pipes, his voice compliments the rest of music rather seamlessly.

They have a wide range of cathartic emotional output in their timbre. The musicianship is impressive, the drummer and the lead guitarist really stood up and the guitar work on ''We Are Blind'' is mindboggling good. It's been a while since I have heard a guitarist with that much talent in the province, the last one may be the lead guitarist of the awesome AETERNAM band. As for the rhythm guitar, it really anchors the band's sound and the attractive mix of challenging rhythms, classic metal overtones, and power metal influences are melded into a progressive, yet contemporary, an approach that is rather refreshing. Everyone shines and hard work does pay off. They really have the best of both world, you have those Power Metal elements from the great bands like STRATOVARIUS, RHAPSODY, BLIND GUARDIAN but also the political content of a band like FATES WARNING or QUEENSRYCHE.

I just want to add that this release needs the listener's full attention, the music is complex (especially on the 18 minute opus ''In Search of Truth''), so you might need time to appreciate it entirely, so don't hesitate to listen to it many times. This truly is one of the my discoveries in the last few years and will be on repeat on my phone for the next few months that's for sure!