Review Summary: From past to present, Timescape showcases quality songwriting whose influences originate throughout the prog rock and metal hemisphere.
Timescape is the third full-length album from the Italian prog band Wine Guardian, and for having formed in 2008, I'm surprised to never have heard of this band. Despite the fact that they've been around for a good while, they still seem to be on the fringe of being entirely unknown. This indicates to me that their first two albums were unsuccessful for one reason or another; clearly, because TheProgressiveSubway™️ was not around to review all of your favorite underground prog bands yet. From a little skim through their back catalog I can definitely tell that they've been going through a very positive linear progression as a band, with each succeeding record a solid improvement from their last. Thus, Timescape sits as the band's crowning achievement, and it pleases me to announce that their hard work has paid off.
Timescape is an album that blends classic 80s and early 90s prog metal/prog rock styles akin to Rush, Queensryche, Savatage, or Fates Warning and fuses them with more modern influences, such as Soen or Porcupine Tree. I want to especially touch on their similarity to two of these aforementioned bands, the first being in the band's sort of Rush sound.
Similar to their Canadian predecessors, the band is made up of a bassist, guitarist, drummer trio. Furthermore, the musical compositions are written so there are not any more layers in the recorded album as there would be if the band were to play the album live. This means that there is a level of sparsity to the depth of the band's sound which can both be a strength or weakness depending on how well the composition is written. If Wine Guardian works well with the four instruments they have, having a more minimal composition will only emphasize the strength of their songwriting, drawing out value in their melodies. On the downside, many people in the prog metal community, myself included, often favor dense compositions where one can pick apart the layers of instrumental sediment riff by riff. For example, just this month Sam reviewed a band with three guitarists. Nonetheless, this note works in Wine Guardian's favor as it adds to the clarity of the album and makes the presentation very straightforward. And because of this, Wine Guardian often sounds Rush-like.
On that note, the very thing that first caught my attention in Timescape is how good their riffs are. The guitar riffs are mixed to perfection, bringing them to the forefront while the rhythms section organizes a very lively vibe to go along with the main guitar leads. It's also very evident how much time went into writing these guitar lines as quality riffs seem to be endless. I will say though that it is often very obvious where the guitarist got his musical inspiration from. Very many of the prominent guitar riffs on Timescape (and also many from their 2017 album) seem to be very similar to those from Soen's last four albums. Thankfully, this musical influence is not done in a way that is in bad taste, and is a welcome addition to the synthesis of sounds that is assembled. Having that said, there are other riffs in the album that give nods to Blackwater Park and In Absentia.
The compositions on Timescape are dynamic, and the song structures are experimental and progressive. Most of the songs are filled with content and swing from one musical concept to the next, and the album feels very purposeful and unified; it is not just one long chaotic mess. I will say though, some songs are certainly stronger than others. I think the album starts to drag somewhere in the middle of the album. "Magnus" has some pretty cool riffs on it and "Digital Dharma" provides a nice acoustic interlude for the album, but both seem somewhat like fillers to me. Additionally, I'm not too much a fan of the acoustic bonus track, though I can see how it gives the album a softer, more melodic epilogue. In the same kind of way that Caligula's Horse tends to do with their bonus tracks, but to be honest, it seems unnecessary when they do it too.
Wine Guardian fuses elements from the past and the present to form an album for us to enjoy for the future. This album showcases genuine craftsmanship both on part of the musicians and the audio engineers. It is chock full of both guitar riffs and vocals hooks, and has an overall aesthetic that will please most fans of traditional progressive rock and progressive heavy metal. From the band's bright trajectory, it is exciting to see if they will continue to improve on the sound that they've built up in Timescape.
