Review Summary: Great melody, excellent instrumental harmony, sappy vocals; is this not par for the course in most traditional prog metal?
In retrospect, this album seems to have had the cards stacked against it. Aural Cadence is an underground progressive metal project done solely by a guy named Simo Pirttimaa. He has had the hardship of playing the keyboards, guitar/bass riffs and solos, vocals and lyrics, drum and symphonic arrangements, as well as mixing and producing this whole thing. On top of this, he is tasked with creating original work in a subgenre that has been more than played out close to the bitter end at this point (think traditional prog metal a la Dream Theater, Vanden Plas, Pain of Salvation, Angra). Nonetheless, one of the perks of being so underground is that you have free range to create with no outside expectations that may hold you back. Despite all obstacles, Simo manages to produce something that while flawed, is memorable, cohesive, and in many ways, downright impressive. Let's look at where Aural Cadence has succeeded where I've seen many other solo projects fail.
What one will immediately notice from the first few tracks, disregarding the atmospheric opener "Tranquility", is how catchy and upfront the guitar riffs are. Something I appreciate a lot is how much a metal artist can develop their riff-writing, and I think the majority of metalheads would agree with me that a good metal album needs to have spot-on riffs. In this regard, I can confidently give this debut album a stamp of approval. Furthermore, what one will notice upon continued listening is that it isn't just the guitar riffs that are packed with melody, rather most of the instrumentals in this are very attentively done; making it apparent that Simo is an artisan when it comes to writing melodic music.
Songwriting-wise, I'd go as far as to say the first half of this album is nearly flawless, with many facets of progressive songwriting utilized. What I mean by this is that Simo writes his songs with each of the instruments oscillating throughout the track, each taking turns in the spotlight, as if Aural Cadence is trying to hook you on all angles. A great way to elaborate on this is by showing you "A Divine Assassin"; truly a song with no tempo shift wasted. It begins with a sentimental piano intro before bursting into not one lead riff, but two back-to-back lead riffs, then hitting us with verses, an interesting chorus, more riffs, a synth solo with backing instrumental harmonics, then restive, building drums introduce us to a brisk guitar solo, before finally ending with that melodic chorus. Once you are led to believe the song is over, keyboard hooks paint the lingering, cold ambiance as if to tie a bow on the song in a clever and progressive way. All of these elements in Aural Cadence are woven together with the addition of symphonic arrangements which are applied in a way that is unusually subtle. All of this establishes what I love about listening to songs from Aural Cadence: you never really know when a song will end or what will be thrown at you. However, unlike many prog bands (even some very praised bands), there is almost always melodic justification for these interludes, they are not just inserted frivolously for the sake of being wacky.
Simo is an overall excellent songwriter, not just the usual "solo guitar virtuoso who also tries to play other instruments because he doesn't want to work with other musicians", he is legitimately good at almost everything. Which makes me suspect that he might be a music teacher. However, notice I said almost everything. There is one aspect that I can't help but feel is inescapably lacking. It's the vocals. I've been reviewing for a decent bit now and while these are far from the worst vocals I've heard or reviewed, they are noticeably weaker than the rest of the instrumental performances. It may be a bit more excusable when you consider the fact that in this area of traditional prog metal, sappy vocals are kind of par for the course. Nonetheless, this makes songs that rely on Simo's vocal performance ("Midday is Hours Away" and "Mirror Images") the least enjoyable moments in the album for me.
I will say as somewhat of a side note that the mixing is pretty spot on with balancing the instruments which do positively affect all of their impacts in the song which is another point of proficiency for the project. However, when it comes to the overall sound production of the Aural Cadence, it does still resemble a typical underground album because of the quietness which indicates an unprofessional sound-engineering job.
Even though I'd grade Aural Cadence an "A" when it comes to melody and instrumental harmony, there are still areas where great improvement can be made. I'd also like to see the next album with a cohesive prog metal epic, seeing how proficiently he can write melodies. I think writing longer with unified motifs can pay dividends for Aural Cadence. Additionally, hiring a good drummer and vocalist can go a long way with their instrumental performances. But overall, this is a very impressive solo debut. People who gravitate toward traditional prog metal should bookmark this album. Good work Simo!
Attribution: https://theprogressivesubway.com/2022/04/09/review-aural-cadence-aural-cadence/
