Simulacrum
The Master and the Simulacrum
Rating
Style: Progressive Metal
Release date: 16 March, 2012
Playing time: 49:44
 

Many metal bands hail from Finland and Simulacrum is yet another one. Almost every member playing in a band from Finland has good skills and that isn't a problem with these youngsters either. Another part of being successful is writing good songs and perhaps trying to find new paths within a genre.

The progressive genre Simulacrum belongs to isn't  an easy genre to stick out in. With the quality of bands like Dream Theater and Symphony X, you have to be pretty good. I hear the potential of this band, but I also hear that they have to improve also. Their music is indeed a kind of mix between DT an SX, with the additive that they play very fast on occasions. At one moment I thought I was listening to the beginning of a Black Metal song.

At times the band has a kind of keyboard sound that reminds me of how Faith No More used them in some of their songs. Niklas Broman, the vocalist is not really a topper in the genre and that makes the biggest difference in my opinion between being one of the best or one of the rest. His high vocals are too flat and not powerful enough (yet?). Don't get me wrong, Simulacrum made a decent album that will be liked by the general progressive metal fan, but they will certainly not yet play a key role in the genre, but they are on the right track... and ...... I think they will be bigger within a few years .....

Worth checking out!


Tracklist
01. Master and the Simulacrum
02. The Depraved
03. Battle Within
04. Hammerhead
05. Flagiston
06. Autumn Rain
07. The Beginning of Nothing
08. Genesis Part 1: The Celestial Architect
Label: Inverse Records
Distribution: Firebox Records
Reviewed by: Reinier de Vries
Date: 29 February, 2012
Website: www.simulacrum.fi