ALTERED SYMMETRY – Prologue

Altered Symmetry is a very heavy Progressive Metal band hailing from Bogota, Columbia. Unlike most traditional Prog Metal acts who sometimes have more band members to quantify their talent, Altered Symmetry consists of only three members:  Arley Gomez – Vocals, Miguel Martinez – Guitars, and Julian Cadena – Bass. To further explain, and indicative of their nature, the name Altered Symmetry “comes from the necessity to alter the symmetry exposed by commercial artists today”, according to the band.

Prologue is the band’s first full-length album, after releasing a series of EP’s since 2009. One of the many unique things about Prologue is the lyrics, many of which are based off classic literary works. Edgar Allen Poe inspired the lyrics to two of the tracks:  “Long Lost Love” was inspired by Elenora and “A Joker’s Vengeance” was inspired by Hop Frog.

Regarding the music produced by this trio, it is a little rough around the edges to say the least. There are two key elements:  heavy riffs from Miguel Martinez, and wailing high tenor growls by vocalist Arley Gomez.

Miguel Martinez shows two sides of his talent on this album. Most of the tracks feature weighed-down, in-your-face riffs. The chords are so thick and intense; it resembles a rhythm guitarist in desperate need of a lead partner to offset the strong sounds. It feels as if there is a sense of incompleteness to the compositions because one guitar cannot handle all the intricacies within the songs. On the flipside, there are a couple of songs where Martinez shows off his acoustic talents, including the full acoustic song “A Day That Changed All”, which is about as smooth as an acoustic guitar can get. This is a great simple track with nice, soft melody to offset the arduous grinding from the other songs.

Getting into the vocals of Arley Gomez, again a similar point can be argued with the usage of two different sides of his talent. Gomez is a natural high tenor, with a very wide range. The vocalist he most resembles is Brainstorm’s Andy B. Franck, especially with his ability to dig down deep from a harsh growl to a high-pitched scream. Gomez seems to be as his best when singing in his lower register, as he has more control over his voice. When Gomez starts singing too high, it becomes clear that he is out of his comfort zone. His voice becomes stretched and nasally, and tends to lose some of the substance of the song.

Overall, Altered Symmetry is still a work in progress. They have to be commended for their attempts to break traditional boundaries, and create music that is unique and distinctive. However, there is a lack of depth musically, which makes this one a tough listen. Songs that are underdeveloped and a shortage of production are their obstacles. There is no doubt they have the skill and ability, they just need to hone it in.