OLIVER CHEUNG – Remembrance

OLIVER CHEUNG - Remembrance
  • 6/10
    OLIVER CHEUNG - Remembrance - 6/10
6/10

Summary

Independent
Release date: April 6, 2018

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User Review
4/10 (1 vote)

Hong Kong is rarely, if ever, thought of as a hotbed of Prog Metal. Apparently, no one told that to guitarist Oliver Cheung and thanks to that, we have Remembrance, his new EP of Instrumental Progressive Metal.

With only three tracks spanning a running time of over 26 minutes, this is clearly an earnest exercise in metal guitar exploration. While there are clear influences from Prog Metal stalwarts like Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Coroner, Cheung successfully blends his roots and favorite artists into a style all his own. The first track, “Remembrance”, gets off to a slow start, but rewards patient listeners with an incredible display of righteous guitar chops. Cheung has clearly done his homework when it comes to mastering his craft.

As many bright spots as this release has, it is, without a doubt, more suited to being listened to by musicians or audiophiles than a mainstream audience. The standard melodic content of Pop music or even the more accessible genres of Metal is largely absent here. On a relatively short and energetic release like this, those melodies are not necessarily missed, but it will still make Remembrance a hard sell to less Prog friendly fans. History will show, not only how this release is viewed, but also how Cheung will move forward from here. He could continue to build a name for himself among the ranks of new, hot-shot guitarists, or adapt his composition style to more mainstream tastes.

Author

  • Maxxxwell Carlisle

    Maxxxwell was a reviewer and the host of The Maxed Out Metal Hour here on Metal Express Radio. He is the current lead guitarist for LA based metal veterans Hellion. In addition to his ongoing role in Hellion, he has also released 5 albums as a solo artist and appeared as a guest writer and soloist on Michael Angelo Batio's Intermezzo album, named one of the Top 5 shred albums of 2014 by Guitar World Magazine. He continues to collaborate with various Metal musicians and teaches guitar technique and Metal composition via Skype. Additionally, he is a former competitive bodybuilder and enjoys a lifestyle based around health, fitness and Metal.

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