The news channels are currently mostly feeding our eyes and ears with news about the flood of refugees seeking a new home within the safe borders of Europe, starting their long journey through Europe on the shores of Greece before settling down and beginning a new life. Add the almost total collapse of the financial sector in this beautiful country and its future seeming to shrink away. Thank god some groups of the Greece’s population are not giving up, but finding new ways and hope in music. One of the metal bands rising from the ashes of this country formed by the hands of the mighty sun god of Greece is known as Sunburst.
Six years ago, the first chapter of the musical adventure of Sunburst was written by the hands of the shredding specialist Gus Drax of prog power metal outfit Black Fate and their front-figure, Vasilis Georgiou, teaming up with Kostas Milonas from Blacklegs on drums. Time flies, and they all have been quite busy with their other beloved “side-projects”. Especially Black Fate caught my attention with their critically acclaimed full-length “Between Visions & Lies”, released two years ago and fronted by their amazing singer, Vasilis. These four musicians, who now also encompass bassist Nick Grey in the rhythm department, have not been resting on the laurels, and while focusing on their other musical projects, they have been able to squeeze in the writing of new songs for their upcoming debut “Fragments of Creation” and also been playing shows all over Europe, sharing stages with prog metal heavyweight champions Fates Warning, Vanden Plas, Symphony X and the like.
To those of you already familiar with Black Fate, you would almost feel like home with the vocal lines sung by the mesmerizing, powerful and characteristic voice of Vasilis, who sounds like Roy Khan (ex-Kamelot) in disguise. Years ago, Roy left a big empty hole in my heart when he decided to leave Kamelot and our metal world for good, but with the presence of Vasilis, the future just became a little brighter – I bow to you, mighty metal-god, for blessing him with such a beautiful and haunting voice. Not to forget his other band mates, especially Gus, who spits out galloping thrash metal riffs one after another. Did I mention the riffs? Oh, yes, the riffs are shot into your ears by Gus “the gun”, almost killing the melodies and songs on our musical journey, the riffs are plenty and good, but Sunburst needs to tone it down a bit and let us enjoy the beauty in the melodies as it is showcased in the mellow song Lullaby or the straightforward but yet powerful and crunchy “Break the Core” which also adds a little black metal screaming session to the mix. The album ends with the magnum opus “Remedy of my Heart” – and this is where the band truly shines. The orchestral intro slowly introduces the listener to the best song on the album, and keeps your ears entertained for 12 minutes before letting you go. This song blends the powerful vocal harmonies with the mighty, memorable and powerful thrash riffing perfectly.
Overall, a very solid debut album created by the hands of Sunburst, and if you have a soft spot for Dream Theater meets Kamelot meets Nevermore, then look no further and give this a listen. It will definitely be a worthwhile investment.
Lineup:
- Vasilis Georgiou – Vocals
- Gus Drax – Guitars
- Kostas Milonas – Drums
- Nick Grey – Bass
Tracklist:
- Out of the World (5:39)
- Dementia (5:45)
- Symbol of Life (4:29)
- Reincarnation (4:46)
- Lullaby (4:16)
- End of the Game (5:08)
- Beyond the Darkest Sun (5:21)
- Forevermore (4:46)
- Break the Core (4:38)
- Remedy of my Heart (12:36)
Playing time: 57:25 minutes
Release date: 26th of February, 2016
Label: Inner Wound Recordings
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sunburstofficial
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