Persona Non Grata Shade in the Light
by Franco Wissa
Staff Writer
Persona Non Grata’s debut, Shade in the Light, does a fine job of mixing keyboards with heavily distorted guitars, much as one would hear from Dream Theater or others of the same genre. The keyboard work of John Ioannidis is perfect here, and the guitars while dark and imposing seem to be more for effect than a means to carry the track forward. Time and again it is the sounds coming from the synthesizers, piano or organ that gives many of these tracks its tone. This is especially true on “Dual Unity,” the gorgeous piano of “Fives,” the electric piano of “Longing,” the thoughtful “Empty Shadows,” the synthesizer heavy title track, “Shade in the Light,” and the multi-layering of several types of keyboards heard on the closing track “Stillness.”
As prog/metal goes, there were certainly many facets of this album that will find its way into the collection of followers of this sort. The melodies and lyrics are well written and well played. The songwriting is complex, layered and the delightful keyboard arrangements intertwine wonderfully around guitars, heavy drums and bass. However, with all that having been said, there are a couple of points that must be made. All of which bring down this otherwise sturdy release. First are the vocals of Bill Axiotis. At various times they seem to be out of tune, and in the higher octaves this is truly evident. And this in and of itself can bring down even the highest quality of prog/metal. His voice is not as strong and masterful as one would hope to give these tracks lift. Progressive metal is a difficult type of music to conquer. Bands like Freedom Call, Heavenly, Dream Theater, Symphony X or Derdian will all instantly display this. They all have the powerful, energetic vocalists who can carry their bands, and give their tracks the attention they deserve. However, on Shade in the Light, that energy which is supposed to be coming from the lead vocalist is missing therefore the desire to want to stay committed to hearing this CD in its entirety is quickly lost. And giving this release repeated listens makes this more of a chore than a real desire. In prog/metal, this is certainly not a good thing.
Point two is that there is a certain missing element. Some may say vigor; others may say an obligation to the genre of prog/metal that right away gives these tracks its own style, flair and panache. It is difficult to describe but a listen to bands like Freedom Call or Derdian certainly brings to mind the type of music that this genre is known for. Almost combustible if you will – from the opening bars of track 1 to closing it is full of feeling, majesty and a splendor if you will. And on this release this was missing. In parts it was lackluster and the band members seemed to be along for “a ride,” rather than a firm desire to give to us the listening audience, a knockout, thunderous, rich, theatrical CD that makes us want to do one thing – turn the volume as loud as it will possible go. And with the talents heard here, especially the talents of coming from the drums and keyboards this was a frustration.
But for the single reason to hear a band that shows promise in that they do have in their ranks a keyboardist who has certainly grasped the complexity of prog/metal, a guitarist who uses the sounds of distortion and other effects, and a songwriting team that has come up with some solid musicianship, give this one a listen. And let’s hope future releases from Persona Non Grata show a more powerful vocal line, passion and energy that will make us reach for that volume knob. And give bands like Heavenly and others a true run for their money. But this one just didn’t do quite that.
Label: Sensory Records
Track Listing
Before the Reason
Dual Unity
Single Unity
Collision Course
Fives
Shade in the Light
Longing
Empty Shadows
Personal Gratitude
Stillness
Band Members:
John Ionnadis – keyboards
Chris Vogiatzis – bass
Bill Axiots – vocals
Akis Gavales – drums
Chris Gatsos – guitars
HRH Rating: 7/10