Neverland Ophidia
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Ophidia is the second release from Turkish/Greek progressive metalers Neverland, and it is packed with pure prog music done with Middle Eastern flair. Mixing progressive, orchestral and power metal with a dash of progressive rock, Neverland’s music is powerful and unique. The addition of some fine guest singers only serves to enhance the atmosphere that the band has carefully created.
Originally formed as a special project, the full name of the band is officially “Dreamtone & Iris Mavraki’s Neverland.” Dreamtone was a Turkish progressive metal band that crossed paths with Greek singer and songwriter Iris Mavraki in 2004 and decided to collaborate in a series of concerts. Their purpose was not only to develop unique music, but also to become a symbol of peace to their perpetually bickering nations (as many an old history professor has said, “wherever there is Turkey there is Greece…”). After successful meetings and shows they moved into the studio in 2006, and released Reversing Time in early 2008 to solid reviews. The success of the first album encouraged them to drop the “project” status and become a permanent band.
In 2009, Neverland went back to the studio to begin their second album, Ophidia, this time with the support of guests Jon Oliva (Savatage, Trans Siberian Orchestra, Jon Oliva’s Pain), Edu Falaschi (Angra, Almah), and Urban Breed (Bloodbound, Pyramaze).
A nice bit of keyboards opens “This Voice Inside” and sets the tone for the rest of the album. There are spoken passages, layers of vocals, excellent musicianship and solid lyrics all wrapped up and displayed nicely without pounding the listener to death. The hardcore fantasy reader will recognize the final lines of the opener as a direct quote from Robert Jordan’s Wheel Of Time epic novels (“The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills”). Further mystical and fantasy motifs are found throughout the album. “Silence The Wolves” is an almost pure power metal track, one of the strongest pieces on the album. It gives drummer Emrecan Sevdin the chance to show off his double bass skills and prove that he is one of the better metal drummers out there. The bass work of Can Dedekarginoglu (bass) and slashing guitars and dissonant solos of guitarists Onur Ozkoc and Burak Kahraman make this a truly awesome song. “Ophidia” is a solid progressive rock track with good vocals, some fine keyboard work and really slick guitar solos. “Will Of God” is a pleasant quasi-acoustic number with outstanding duet lead vocals.
Jon Oliva lends his distinctive voice to the crunchy “Invisible War” while some fine orchestration brightens up “Places Unknown,” but the latter track bogs down a bit and becomes a little plodding. Fortunately, the energy level picks right back up with the more conventional rocker “No One Leaves The Hive” – excellent guitar and keyboard work here. “Speak To Me” features some really sweeping and majestic keyboard lines and a cool lead break, but seems a bit sluggish and ponderous in comparison to most of the other songs on Ophidia. “Ashes To Fall” is a great progressive / power metal style track with many tempo changes, bouncy bass lines and solid duet lead vocals, while “Final Odyssey” opens as almost an electronica/pop metal piece that quickly becomes a drummer’s showcase. The melodic and moody instrumental “Into The Horizon” wraps the CD nicely and gives every musician a chance to shine.
All in all, Ophidia is a fine album and has neatly sidestepped the sophomore jinx. The musicianship is excellent, the songwriting tight and well-crafted, the vocals and production values are very good. Any fan of progressive metal will find this one to be a treat.
Neverland manages to infuse a great deal of uniqueness and personality into their music, and this album should move them out of the “ordinary” band category into a higher bracket. With so much raw talent and versatility in Neverland’s lineup, the only way is up.
Genre: Progressive Rock
Band:
Oganalp Canatan, Iris Mavraki (vocals)
Emrecan Sevdin (drums)
Can Dedekarginoglu (bass)
Onur Ozkoc, Burak Kahraman (guitars)
Guney Ozsan (keyboards)
Guests: Jon Oliva, Edu Falaschi, Urban Breed
Track Listing:
1. This Voice Inside
2. Silence the Wolves
3. Ophidia
4. Will of God
5. Invisible War
6. Places Unknown
7. No One Leaves the Hive
8. Speak To Me
9. Ashes To Fall
10. Final Odyssey
11. Into the Horizon
Label: AFM Records GmbH
Website: http://www.myspace.com/neverlandofficial, http://www.neverlandofficial.com/
Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10