Frozen Sand - 'Fractals: A Shadow Out Of Light'

An interesting debut.

Frozen Sand are an Italian quintet who got together seven years ago in a small town in the Alps. They shared a vision; the art of storytelling merged with Progressive Metal. Over the last six years they have released three EPs and played over sixty gigs. The band explain that "The name Frozen Rain refers to the tremendous power released by music itself, which is capable of freezing the sands of all times within the great hourglass of all time. Rather than "musicians" we refer to ourselves as "The Narrators", since we try to transmit such concepts not only by our lyrics but also by means of our instruments, atmospheres and voice".

So, how does all this come across on their debut album? Opener 'A Melody Through Time And Space' is an instrumental, where strings and a piano that somewhat lulls you into a false sense of security. 'Perfect Inspiration' blows away the cobwebs with monstrous riffing, intense drumming and lots of time changes. Luca Pettinaroli has a strong voice, quite harsh in places, and with a strong accent which some listeners may find off-putting. At times. he sings in his native tongue, and at others in English, which again listeners may find confusing.



'Sail Towards The Unknown' begins with a funky Faith No More / Red Hot Chili Peppers kind of vibe with a heavy background, and Pettinaroli adds some growling as he once again flexes his vocal muscles. Towards the end of the song we have a change in direction with a Jazzy guitar and some intricate bass work courtesy of Tiziano Vitello. 'Yell Of Hesitation' is very heavy, with lots of growling vocals interspersed with melodic singing. Again, lots of time changes and some interesting drum loops. 'You – Partial – Perfection – Daylight' features Alessandra Sancio on the quieter parts, and this is an interesting number with a superb guitar solo by Mattia Cerutti. Final track 'Silent Raven' is a departure; acoustic guitars, strings, no harsh vocals! It shows the other side of the band. You can hear the band's influences in these songs, Dream Theater, Tool, Incubus. 'Fractals....' is supposedly a concept album, however, due to the changing of languages throughout I can't explain the story!

An interesting debut; the guys have potential and the follow-up should be interesting.

Az Chaudhry