ARTENSION "Into The Eye Of The Storm" /CD/

Japanese Edition of the debut full-length album by American Neo-Classical/Progressive Metal band.
Artension was the brainchild of Shrapnel Records head Mike Varney. He received a demo from wunderkind keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij (Transiberian Orchestra) and Swiss Progressive guitarist Roger Staffelbach of a project they called Atlantis Rising. Varney began to look for other musicians to round out the lineup. After a lot of consideration, Varney presented Vitalij and Roger with vocalist John West (Royal Hunt), bassist Kevin Chown, and drummer Mike Terrana. The result was a band called Artension (named by the band for a combination of the words "art" and "tension") and a CD called "Into The Eye Of The Storm".
Mike Terrana is a much more technical drummer than drummer on their middle two albums, so that may seem like a positive for some people. Incredible vocals by John West helped to create a Progressive Metal sound, inspired by bands such as Rainbow and Dream Theater, which complemented the wailing solo trade-offs between guitar and keyboards. Instead of the songs being structured as standard Progressive Metal, there are a wider array of songs than usual.
If you are a fan of unique Progressive Metal, Power Metal, or even some lighter Metal, this is a good place to start a collection. Although most Artension albums focus on the keyboards, which most people hate, this album really is more guitar, bass and drum oriented. Really very good album!!
Shrapnel Records/Roadrunner Records, 1996 (RRCY-1028). Made in Japan. First press. With OBI.


Tracklist:
1. World Of Illusion 5:31
2. Into The Eye Of The Storm 4:36
3. Smoke And Fire 5:12
4. The Wind And The Rain 6:14
5. Lost Memory 6:00
6. The Key 6:35 
7. Song Of The Desert 3:34 
8. Red's Recovery 7:05
9. Let It Ride 5:06
10. I Don't Care 2:28
Total playing time: 52:37


Samples:  http://www.allmusic.com
http://shrapnelrecords.com