Review Summary: With a poor guitar tone, SUE still manage to strike a chord.
Is there a band out there that combines progressive and skull-crushing metal, with technical abilities and melody? For the longest time, the answer has been Dream Theater with their brain-numbing legendary abilities and nonconforming 10 minute guitar solos (slight exaggeration). Enter Spheric Universe Experience. The name itself inspires awe and hope amongst those who wish to experience such a musical, um, experience. Such a group would have to be truly remarkable – a band at the apogee of their genre. In a shocking twist, Spheric Universe Experience fulfills all of the wishes mentioned. Unfortunately, it comes at a price.
Unreal blasts off with White Willow, which sounds like Dream Theater on steroids. Everything from the organ to the shout-out sections make the band seem like a Dream Theater clone, but wait, it gets better. It is immediately obvious that the musicians are wizards with their instruments. The guitarists shred with violent guitar riffs like no man’s business, and they never overstay their welcome. To compliment the riffs, the drummer throws down impressive patterns (usually with his double-bass pedal). Predictably, while playing their frantic music, the band switches time-signatures. When all of these musical elements and skills are combined (including keyboard and guitar solos), the result is a Dream Theater clone – this is their first downfall. They play so close to the book written by Dream Theater that there is little room for originality.
The second downfall of Spheric Universe Experience is the lead singer, who is absolutely atrocious. He can hit the high notes sometimes, but more often than not he sings below his range. It would be difficult to sing in such a demanding band, which is why the band needs a new vocalist. The lead singer is almost always horribly flat, and he already sounds a bit like James LaBrie - imagine the horror of such an awful sound.
After the first four tracks, the band loses momentum. The tracks Lost Ghost, Dragged, and Tomorrow, are much slower than the starter songs, and it sounds like the band ran out of ideas. The worst of these songs is Dragged, which could have easily been a lost Dream Theater song. The other songs are not bad at all, but they feel like fillers after the first four tracks; taken separately though, they should be a welcome addition to the album. Given a special mention are Near Death Experience and O.B.E. which are excellent instrumental pieces. Near Death Experience is a short song devoted to intricate and beautiful piano work. O.B.E. highlights the drummer’s complex patterns; it is also a fun little piece that dabbles into funk territory.
Make no mistake - Unreal is a great album despite its many flaws. Spheric Universe Experience’s approach at prog-metal is ballsy, aggressive, complicated, and without a doubt, metal. For every flaw you find, another incredible riff will come out of nowhere and blow your mind. With so many staggeringly incredible moments in the album, it will be easy to ignore most of the flaws. Unfortunately, with so many flaws, I find it difficult to rate this past a 3.5 despite the band’s immense potential. In the end, I give this an extremely hesitant recommendation, although I would also recommend checking out their other albums – not this one.
Recommended Songs:
- White Willow
- Down Memory Lane
- Lakeside Park
- 3rd Type
