Ensight
Hybrid
Revalve Records
2015
Ensight is an Italian quintet that has existed for a few years now, releasing an EP some four years ago and now properly debuting with a full-length. They were actually conceived in 2009 when keyboardist Gabriele Caselli (ex-Eldritch, ex-Domine),drummer Raffahell Dridge (Eldritch) and his brother Dimitri Meloni, decided to come together and start writing material while keeping on the lookout for a singer and a bassist. The latter was found as Alessio Consani (Eldritch) also seemed open to the idea of collaborating with these guys. They initially did release the aforementioned EP and kept looking for a label, while also managing to score, a quite capable singer in Antonio Cannoletta (The Fallen Angel)…
The band’s musical style can be best described as a very rhythmical modern prog metal with sufficiently well thought out parts and performances and a singer that sounds quite sure of himself and gets the job done without being something out of the ordinary, however. The band cites Fates Warning, Dream Theater and Symphony X as influences and while traces of those bands can be found, I thought they sounded a bit like a “less” techy version of Eldritch with some mellower vocals.
The album is supposed to be conceptual in nature and the length of most tracks is likely to either tire people, or please them if they are complete prog-freaks (who will probably not find this prog enough). While the band maintains a decent level throughout, it was only the shortest song, the ballad “Words & Dust” that seemed to work for me, as well as the overtly ambitious almost thirteen minute closer “As the Word Falls Down”, which somehow manages to get its priorities straight and despite having a lengthy second part that’s mostly instrumental, manages to keep its inspiration levels high throughout, something that the band seems to have trouble doing in shorter compositions.
At any rate, Ensight’s “Hybrid” is a fair effort, a decent debut, that might not blow you out, but that will certainly not make you regret giving them a chance. I’d keep an eye on them.
The band’s musical style can be best described as a very rhythmical modern prog metal with sufficiently well thought out parts and performances and a singer that sounds quite sure of himself and gets the job done without being something out of the ordinary, however. The band cites Fates Warning, Dream Theater and Symphony X as influences and while traces of those bands can be found, I thought they sounded a bit like a “less” techy version of Eldritch with some mellower vocals.
The album is supposed to be conceptual in nature and the length of most tracks is likely to either tire people, or please them if they are complete prog-freaks (who will probably not find this prog enough). While the band maintains a decent level throughout, it was only the shortest song, the ballad “Words & Dust” that seemed to work for me, as well as the overtly ambitious almost thirteen minute closer “As the Word Falls Down”, which somehow manages to get its priorities straight and despite having a lengthy second part that’s mostly instrumental, manages to keep its inspiration levels high throughout, something that the band seems to have trouble doing in shorter compositions.
At any rate, Ensight’s “Hybrid” is a fair effort, a decent debut, that might not blow you out, but that will certainly not make you regret giving them a chance. I’d keep an eye on them.