Here's another new band on the Lion Music roster that is sure to turn some heads. Ashent hail from Italy, and their new CD Deconstructive is a solid display of melodic progressive metal with a bit of technical extreme metal thrown in for good measure. Think Dream Theater meets Into Eternity and you have a good idea of what these guys are cooking here. Lead singer Steve Braun provides some stellar vocals, and he's assisted with the occasional growl from bass player Gianpaolo Falanga. Add in the capable talents of guitarists Onofrio Falanga & Cristiano Bergamo, keyboard player Paolo Torresani, and drummer David Buso, and Ashent prove to have all the tools to really make some waves in the prog-metal genre.

Opening cut "Sinking Beneath" shows the Into Eternity influence right out of the gate, clean vocals and growls doing battle over a thrashy, technical miasma of solid musicianship. More melodic fare can be heard on "Imperfect" and "Ephemera", the latter a real impressive piece fueled by Braun's soaring pipes, symphonic keys, and blistering guitar work. The complex "The Resonance of Life" is a real barnburner, intricate guitar & rhythmic patterns laying the foundation, with Torresani's orchestral synths floating in the background, while "Cassandra" is a more symphonic number but still containing some heavy riffs and dynamic drum work. Other solid tracks include the raging "Spectral Vanity" (featuring some ripping guitar solos and lead bass lines), the lush "How Could It Feel Like This?", the wild, fusion instrumental ""Ebb and Flow of Awareness", and the thrashy prog that is "Eclipsing Binary", with its heavy, complex riffs, manic drum fills, and mix of clean and growling vocal styles. The vocal melodies are catchy all the way around on this release, making the tunes instantly memorable while the overall musicianship impresses on many levels.

This is a great sounding CD (produced by the band and mixed by Luigi Stefanini at New Sin Studio), and an extra added bonus is the stunning artwork adorning the booklet courtesy of Mario Sanchez Nevado. Basically, for all you prog-metal fans out there, this is a no brainer of a purchase, and Ashent have certainly proved to be a band to watch out for.

Track Listing
1) Sinking Beneath
2) Imperfect
3) Ephemera
4) To Develop Self-Creativity
5) The Resonance of Life
6) Cassandra
7) Spectral Vanity
8) How Could It Feel Like This?
9) Ebb and Flow of Awareness
10) Starlinked Innerness
11) Eclipsing Binary
12) Music For Departures

Added: June 17th 2009
Reviewer: Pete Pardo  www.ytsejam.com
Score:
Related Link: Band Website