2014
Active since 1993, with this hour plus release offering proof positive that when it comes to high-quality progressive metal Europe and North America do not have the market cornered(!), Brazil's Greensleeves makes their triumphant return to the heavy metal scene with the Victor Schmidlin-produced album, "Inertial Frames". No strangers to the writers of Heavy Metal Time Machine (or for that matter to fans of top-tier progressive metal of the melodic persuasion!) this skilled five-piece previously appeared in these very pages thanks to their full-length debut-album, "The Elephant Truth"*. That particular album offered a unique mash-up of all things hard and heavy with the added benefit that it fell under the blanket of progressive/power metal and it was reviewed here by the one and only Metal Mark. The thing is that was way back in November of 09! Incidentally that was also the last time that fans of Greensleeves were able to wet their whistles with new studio material. So, naturally this new album is a long time coming. But, thanks to talents of guitarist Victor Schmidlin (ex-Dynahead) and his overall exceptional band-mates the long wait appears to have been well-worth it as this band has returned with a fine example of how to make a progressive metal album that is immensely technical while simultaneously hard-hitting and down-right enjoyable! Sounding for all the world like a heavier Dream Theater or possibly even Symphony X (only with a bit more attitude and more of a sense of urgent energy), "Inertial Frames" offers everything fans of the genre could ask for from well-thought out and moving passages to thunderous riffs and even some hearty take-downs that border on power metal! Unfortunately very few things in life are absolutely perfect and to be fair there are a few faults to be found with the band's sophomore album. On occasion there are ideas that don't sound as if they were thoroughly followed through but this could be attributed to the time off between albums and the fact that even the best of bands can be rusty right out of the gate. Also the mix on album number two can be a bit uneven at times with the vocals of one Gui Nogueira all but suffering as a result. Again, it's not a every-track occurrence but when it happens you notice it. For a self-produced affair though it's a minor complaint as this album certainly comes across as a labor of love from Greensleeves to their fans. And trust me when I say that the good times far outnumber the bad times on "Inertial Frames". There is way more to love about Greensleeves these days and man alive it is just so good to see that this band is still going at it after 20 or so years! For more information on this Brazilin act and to find out how to secure a copy of their new album for yourself be sure to head over to the link that follows!
https://www.facebook.com/greensleevesfb
*http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2009/11/greensleeves-elephant-truth.html
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