FORGOTTEN SUNS – Innergy

Unequivocally, Forgotten Suns’ Innergy is Progressive Metal in its refined form. That’s to say the production is solid and the playing is more than respectable; it denotes exceptional skill.

In “Flashback”, the guitars are constantly shredding and changing, and the sound bites come in droves. Subsequently, “Racing the Hours” is instituted with a drum-rolling jam. In these, their musicianship, timing, and poise are impeccable. The same can be said for the remaining tracks.

Forgotten Suns uses every trick in the Progressive Metal book without ever getting too cliché. As if this band came straight from music school, the singing is pitch-perfect, the guitars are graceful whilst being fleet, and the keyboards wait patiently and then provide a comprehensive reply. Not blowing smoke up their glutes, the positivity and kudos are justified, because they’re consistent, conscientious, and focused in their delivery of every single note.

If there is a negative, it’s that they deplete their arsenal without ever settling back or going balls out. When there are changeups, and it’s not for lack of them, it’s oftentimes predictable. For some reason or another, their stride is easy to gauge. When they do slow down or speed up, it’s a welcome but rare anomaly. The only thing debunking this claim is that the epic, “Outside In” is the least predictable of the lot, and yet it’s also the least accessible.

Still, these five have earned a place at the head of the class, because their music is generally impressive. Once they find their identity and groove, they’ll be a force. In the meantime, the skill exhibited in one of their late entries is not trivial. More specifically, the technicality in “Nanoworld” is anything but routine since the licks trickle with the stimulation of a morphine drip. Plus, the verbal conclusion brought to life in “Mind Over Matter” will result in a stream of thought long after the light at the end of this album burns out.

Despite correctable failings like trying too hard, the doctoring done here is quite apt. From its crash cart beginnings to its cardiac arrest, Forgotten Suns’ Innergy has a steady pulse.