Aphelion Franticode
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Franticode is the first full-length release from Italian progressive metal band Aphelion (not to be confused with the Italian power metal band of the same name). Noted keyboardist (and former Dream Theater member) Derek Sherinian mixed the album, and no doubt his name alone will bring the band at least a few curious listeners.
It’s apparent from the opening moments of “Hercoloubus” that Aphelion is a member of the Dream Theater “school” of progressive metal. They play a relatively heavy, keyboard-laden, technical kind of progressive metal that also recalls Derek Sherinian’s solo work as well as Threshold (sans vocals, of course). The musicianship and production are solid across the board, and the prog-fusion vibe is strong, but the album does kind of drag a bit. If you’re going to opt for the instrumental route you need to be either hyper-technical (see Liquid Tension Experiment) or melodic enough that your compositions have some impact, and don’t just sound like prog metal songs without vocal tracks. That’s an area where, despite their considerable technical prowess, Aphelion falls short. Franticode pleases on a technical level, but not on an emotional one.
If you love this kind of instrumental progressive metal, then by all means check out Franticode. It’s nothing you haven’t heard before, and nowhere near as complex as the average Liquid Tension Experiment or Gordian Knot disc, but there’s enough technical wizardry going on that it should please serious fans of this kind of music.
Label: Independent
Lineup:
Alessandro Bertoni – Keyboards
Enrico Pintonello – Drums
Sebastiano Pozzoban – Bass, Fretless Bass
Matteo Gasparin – Guitars
Track Listing:
1. Hercoloubus
2. Hybris
3. Dreaming in Franticode
4. Orbit Out
5. Clouds Over Tharsis
6. Mercurial Sand
7. Primordial Crossbreeding
Online: Official site
Hardrock Haven Rating: 6/10