Gods Of Vermin

The name Oliver Palotai might be unfamiliar to many, but he is better known as the keyboard player with American progressive metal outfit Kamelot. Palotai is the mastermind and creative force behind Sons of Seasons and he formed the band as an expression of his song-writing prowess, as well as bringing his own style of music into the public domain. Palotai set about the arduous task of recruiting musicians that had the same musical vision and commitment as him. With Palotai taking over duties on keyboards and guitar, he recruited drummer Daniel Schild (ex Blaze) along with his rhythm partner Jürgen Steinmetz from Silent Force. The last piece of the puzzle was finding a suitable vocalist that was able to sing the complex and challenging passages, and by chance, Palotai met up with Metallium vocalist, Henning Basse, whilst touring Japan with Kamelot. Basse was introduced to Palotai's vision as to where he wanted to go with the band and shortly afterwards he decided to join as he was able to commit his time and energy to the project - so the puzzle was complete and Sons of Seasons came to fruition in 2007.

Mezzo-soprano singer, Simone Simons, who is part of Dutch symphonic band, Epica was also recruited as a guest vocalist to add some vocal diversity on this, the debut album. Palotai has an interesting musical pedigree - a classically trained pianist and music teacher, so in essence his roots are far removed from the music he is creating and playing nowadays. To describe the music of Sons of Seasons - they are a technical progressive metal band that has seamlessly blended progressive and symphonic metal with sprinklings of jazz and classical influences, which all just meld together as one cohesive piece. All the progressive elements are there like the odd signature changes, classical choirs, atmospheric keyboards, different sound effects, double bass drumming and the soaring vocals. All too often bands that play this genre generally have the black cloud (pun unintended!) of Dream Theater ingrained into their music. Thankfully, Sons of Seasons has remained steadfast in staying away from the generic blueprint and sound nothing like the mighty Dream Theater.

Henning Basse is an exceptional vocalist with Metallium and I own many of their albums, but I was a bit sceptical when I discovered he was the vocalist for Sons of Seasons. My main concern was his voice would be too unsuitable and could never imagine him singing for a progressive metal band, as usually the music dictates that the vocalist has many facets to their singing style. I bow my head in embarrassment as I have totally discredited this man's amazing ability - shame on me! I just did not realise there was such diversity to Basse' voice, which previously has never been showcased with his band Metallium as they are more of a straightforward power metal act. The one moment he sings with unreserved power, the next his voice is a couple of octaves lower, singing in a silky tone but what has won me over are his harmony's that are sublime. Now that I have heard the album in its entirety on several occasions, Palotai's choice of Basse was the right judgment as he has brought an element of exceptionality to the music.

I am a tad confused as to who the guitarist is as the liner notes are unclear, however I am lead to believe it might just be Palotai. If this is the case, then he needs to be placed on a pedestal, as his playing style is exemplary. The guitar work is a mixture of clean and distorted runs that continually parry with the keyboards creating a dynamic backdrop to the songs. I have to admit that the rhythm section of Schild and Steinmetz do an outstanding job as they feed off one another's talent quite admirably. Palotai's keyboard arrangements are well structured which are scattered across every song and are seen as another instrument, rather than just supporting the other instrumentation. Every track is epic in proportion and each note played has a meaningful place within the structure of the song. There are absolutely no filler tracks to this album, which spans over a vigorous 60 minutes and to appreciate the music, repeat listens must be undertaken due to the complicated nature of the music.

From a production standpoint, the music is of the highest order and parallel to what some of the top bands are recording with their massive recording budgets and the tapings of quality studio equipment. As mentioned, all tracks are very epic and some of my favourites are, `Gods of Vermin', which starts with a nice gentle guitar sound and keyboards, but what steals the show are the vocals as they crescendo backwards and forwards and have a striking resemblance to Roy Khan (Kamelot) and Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas). `Belial's Tower' is the heaviest track touching into power metal territory here, but an interesting one at that. It starts with a classical interlude that could have come from one of the classic operas, before heavy guitars kick in and the music creates so many different moods and wonderful atmospheres leaving the listener amazed at the ingenuity of the track. The harmonies are so hypnotic with all the progressive trademarks and there is plenty of double bass drumming that adds to the fury.

The beautifully titled `Wintersmith' is a duet between Simone Simons and Basse and is a soft gracious song that travels along like a meandering river. Almost a love song in parts, but I am sure Palotai wrote this song with Simone Simons in mind, bearing in mind they are engaged to one another. Both Simons and Basse put in an emotive performance on this track and is a good ice breaker as it changes the direction somewhat which is always needed I believe. The opening notes of `Santorium Song' sound similar to Kamelot as the song travels at a midtempo pace, allowing each member plenty of manoeuvrability to showcase their respective talent. Some inspiring keyboard and guitar work on display here, with a strong recurring hook. `Third Moon Rising' is my favourite track, yet again some amazing instrumentation throughout the song. The central riff has a staccato feel and the bass and drums are right up there in support. This is the most epic track of them all and probably the longest, however midpoint there is a flamenco guitar along with the jazzy bass work of Steinmetz makes it an interesting track.

In concluding, I thought I had struck a sure winner when I recently received a copy of Pathosray's album `Sunless Skies', but this album definitely stands taller and has all the hallmarks of a great progressive metal album. If you think Kamelot are a class act, then think again as `Sons of Seasons' have truly eclipsed some of the big guns, including Kamelot, and sadly for some they have stolen the progressive metal crown for the meantime. This album is a true masterpiece and should be mandatory in the collection of any progressive metal fan - superb. `Gods of Vermin' would appeal to fans of Dream Theater, Vanden Plas, Redemption, Threshold, Fates Warning and Dominici.

SOS has played it safe with Gods of Vermin by sticking to familiar territory whilst giving the impression that its looking to go outside to box, a fantastic first album that promises good things ahead.