By: Anders

Posted: Feb 28, 2006

Yet a new band has turned up amongst the stars on the progressive metal sky. This time Stride, hailing from Houston, Texas. The band has one album behind them, though this is their first with a vocalist, and that has turned out pretty well.

Musically the band isn't offering that much, which we can consider new. The base is laid in heavy progressive metal, good riffs, great leads, there are some impressive neo-classical parts here and there. The basic compositions are good and quite catchy, the band creates shifting atmospheres, which play a big part of gripping the listener, and keeping one interested in following the song and the album to the door, one never knows what happens next. Musically it is hard to put a finger on anything, though it should be the parts, where one thinks, that it has been heard before, that happens some times throughout the album, though musically the music is still performed with really high skills and there is a great drive to the songs.

I don't know if the music has changed after the band has gotten a vocalist, if not, it has been a wise choice to get one. He really brings a new dimension to the songs and often lifts them quite a bit. The voice is most of the time soft, with a good melodic edge, a bit rawer and loud at other times, but the fragile soft voice, is very pleasant to listen to, together with it compliments the music well.

This is a well-crafted album that should speak to a lot of prog-metal fans, there can't be much doubt about that. The band weighs their technical and amazing skills well, together with the good and listenable song. That ensure we get a good and driving album, which flows comfortably from the first song to the last, only with the occasional breaks, which fulfil our need for technical frenzy. "Imagine" seems to be the start of a good era for Stride, if they pursue the style and path they have entered now, they'll get recognition really soon, it has already started with this album. Good catchy progressive metal, with a bit of rock in the mix, good musicians who show us what they can, without forgetting the good and flowing song.

Rating: 7½/10

Stride website

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Stride interview

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