Arghon - Equilibrium 3/5
Reviewed: 3-28-08
Tracklist:
1. Overcome
2. Saving my soul
3. Far beyond the sky
4. Survivor
5. Run away
6. Lost angel
7. Visions of the future
8. Transiction
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The fact is, there are so many metal bands today that many of them will remain unknown, even to those who search for the rarest of the rare. Though Brazilian band Arghon is unknown to many, 'Equilibrium' is only the band's debut, so there's a chance these guys could someday step into the spotlight. As for their style, they play power metal with a progressive side and the common label progressive power metal is indeed appropriate. Of course, the large group of Brazilian bands like Angra, Endless, Arwen, Sagga (Holy), Eyes of Shiva, Orion Riders, Aquaria, Hangar, Shaman and Wizards is what initially comes to mind, but think of the progressive side of these bands for the best overall comparisons to Arghon.
As for the vocals, Ricardo Vanlazar is from the typical Brazilian mold, a la Andre Matos (ex-Viper/Angra/Shaman), Vitor Viega (Endless/Aquaria), Edu Falaschi (Angra/Symbols) and so on. I consider him just okay however, and definitely not up there with the big boys yet. It's always nice to hear a vocalist like this though, as Brazilian vocals (and Brazilian music) are almost always instantly recognizable, just like with the Italian power metal scene.
'Equilibrium' only offers up 8 songs, and the opener "Overcome" is just a short instrumental (intro), as is the closer "Transaction", which is a little longer (nearly 3 minutes), but there are only 6 real songs here. So the running time is just over 30 minutes and I guess that's fine, as this is only the band's debut, but much more will be expected next time, for sure.
Musically, there is some speed (though not a lot) and some slow parts (sometimes featuring nice piano play), but most of the CD stays mid-paced, with a good amount of heaviness, and the keyboards remain in the background. Most of the songs consistently hover around a solid level, and besides the fast-paced track 5 "Run away" (my favorite song), nothing on the CD really comes close to matching the greatness of some of the best Brazilian power metal bands out there - namely Aquaria, Endless, Sagga (Holy) and Angra. Special mention must be made of the 2 ballads however (track 3 "Far beyond the sky" and track 6 "Lost angel"), as they're complete with emotion and feature some sweet guitar solos.
Although I consider 'Equilibrium' a solid yet unspectacular debut, I also think Arghon is a promising band and this will be a worthwhile purchase for major lovers of Brazilian progressive power metal. Those who only accept the highest level of quality should probably pass, but I'm personally looking forward to hearing more from these guys and I hope they can be one of the bands that pops out of obscurity.
CLINT
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