SECRET SPHERE – The Nature of Time

The talented and renowned Italian melodic power metal outfit that is Secret Sphere has returned with an excellent album consisting of eleven highly solid and evocative tunes that possess all the trademarks of the band, which is to say passionate vocals, epic atmospheres, majestic riffs, and rock-solid musicianship. Michele Luppi’s (Whitesnake) vocals are strong and infuse the songs with emotion. I really dig the way in which the keyboards and guitars are woven together in places only to pull apart from each other again. There are lots of intricate and tricky sections that require attention on the part of the listener, but at the same time the songs generally come across as memorable and cool.

One of the things that stand out on "The Nature of Time" is the contrasts that wrestle with each other within each song. I love how it moves from calm and soothing parts to bombastic ones not to mention how those instantly catchy parts suddenly erupt into something progressive and way the fuck out there in terms of riffs and arrangements and so on. Those contrasts that I am referring to are what makes the album a challenging as well as a compelling one. The crowning glory of the record is the constantly mutating and yet moving "The Awakening", a stunning 9-minute epic. Like I said, the tunes are memorable, but they contain a sufficient dose of twists and turns that will make your head spin and return to them once more just to be sure that you have not missed anything.

Simply put, Secret Sphere has way more to offer the listener than most other melodic/power/progressive metal acts out there today. On "The Nature of Time", there is an emphasis on musical depth and texture and the intention has clearly been to write engaging and interesting songs that will resonate with any lover of quality metal. This is symphonic and grand in scope and I welcome that with open arms! Give this fucker a whole bunch of spins and allow it to grow on you. You shall be rewarded accordingly.

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