Released By : Palokka Records
Genre : Modern Progressive Metal
Link : http://constantineband.net/
Line Up:
Lassi Vääränen – Vocals
Janne Seppänen – Guitars
Janne Korpela – Guitars
Antti Varjanne – Bass
Marko Möttönen – Drums
Tracklist:
01. Divine Design
02. The Shadow Within
03. The Seers of the Shadows
04. A Change in the Tide
05. Slave to the Flame
06. Through the Veil of Death
07. The Darkest Grace
If lush soundscapes with layers of melody are your thing, then up-and-coming progressive metal outfit CONSTANTINE just may be worth looking into. A lot of progressive based groups get it all wrong by spending all of their efforts on making songs sound as technically impressive as possible, all the while sacrificing the basics like melody, structure and listenablility. DIVINE DESIGN doesn’t suffer from this at all, and while the song structures definitely scream Progressive Metal, this album sort of has more in common with the more catchy and digestible Traditional Metal formats, think a cross between DREAM THEATER and QUEENSRYCHE, or MARRILION and IRON MAIDEN or some such match-up.
Something that does set the band apart and make them unique is the interesting vocal style of lead-man Lassi Vääränen, who can sound like a Traditional eighties Metal vocalist one minute, a junior James LaBrie the next and then sound more like a modern Hard Rock vocalist the next. Maybe it’s just youth that I’m hearing, but for whatever reason the differentiating vocal styles are evident when you listen out for them. This approach occasionally didn’t sit too well with me personally, but I can tell that it’s one of those things that others will really, really enjoy.
Tracks like DIVINE DESIGN, THE SEERS OF THE SHADOWS and A CHANGE IN THE TIDE should be enough to get prog fans interested, but it’s the fourteen minute closing opus THE DARKEST GRACE that is the best example of just how developed and stadium ready this group are. Seriously, play that last track as loud as our stereo can possibly handle and you’ll see what I mean…Epic!!!
I do feel I should make special mention of Marko Möttönen, who on this album, lays down some of the most exciting progressive metal drumming I’ve heard in a long time. His standard rhythm work is sensational, with a great knack for being able to make the kick drum sound aggressive and smooth at the same time, and his fills are just awesome too.
For such a young band, CONSTANTINE certainly does seem to have the necessary ingredients to carve out a pretty decent future. Fans of modern day progressive metal will find much to enjoy from this exciting band and I know I personally can’t wait to see what they do next.
Written by Zeezee
Ratings Zeezee 8/10
divine_design_samples by Constantineband
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