Soul Secret - 'Babel'

If you're a sucker for a concept and want to hear Prog Metal that taps into acoustic Rock, Djent and Jazz then this could fire your engines.

The fourth album from this Italian Prog Rock outfit is an ambitious concept album. It tells the tale of Sam and Adriel who are sent into space to find God, helped by logOS (a computer). When they finally find the City Of Gods, they find it empty. The lyrics cover topics such as love and religion, and they have a distinctive sound that separates them from many Prog Metal bands and Dream Theater wannabees.

They've gone through a few permutations over the years (DGM's Mark Basile sang on their debut) and now they have Lino Di Pietrantonio on vocals. He's a good singer, giving the band a voice that isn't your usual Rock fare which might attract some for originality but put off others; the song 'What We're All About', for instance, is Jazzy and that's what Di Pietrantonio delivers.



He has a high, clear voice and, at times, you can imagine him treading the boards in musical theatre as much as on a Rock stage. While the guitars can be heavy at times, the overall feel is Rock rather than Metal. Acoustic guitar flavours some tracks and the keyboards provide the narrative sweep; gentle when providing the feel of space and eerie when landing (think the X-Files tune given a Prog Rock makeover).

The band serves up potent, invigorating Rock after they find the City Of Gods mid-album with 'Awakened By The Light', 'Entering The City Of Gods' and the album closer, the fourteen minute 'In The Hardest Of Times'. Spoken voices are interspersed to add some clarity to the story. It does meander in space quite a bit but there's also invention.
This is not for everyone but if you're a sucker for a concept and want to hear Prog Metal that taps into acoustic Rock, Djent and Jazz then this could fire your engines.

Duncan Jamieson