![\"nexttonone\"](\"http:\/\/powerofmetal.dk\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/nexttonone.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBeing young and wanting to be taken seriously as an aspiring musician is a tough task to accomplish and I see friends, either playing in local bands or in orchestra, trying to reach this goal for all one is worth. I see talented bands working hard 24\/7 and I can imagine how grateful these musicians are for professional support like big labels. And in some cases, bands even enjoy the support of worldwide renowned musicians.<\/p>\n
Next To None<\/strong> is a band consisting of very young musicians, and by that, I mean teens around 15. Regarding their age, they can even beat my last year\u2019s favorite newcomers Arion, a band of Fins aged around 19 years. To start off with the basics: Next To None<\/strong> play progressive metal and as chance would have it, their music sounds a lot like Dream Theater – songwriting as well as production wise. You can\u2019t really blame them for that, though. Max Portnoy\u2019s biggest idol is actually his own father, so he\u2019ll obviously pay attention to what he\u2019s playing on the drums and will play something similar. Even Thomas Cuce\u2019s clean vocals reminded me a bit of James LaBrie\u2019s nasal voice. At first glance, it all appeared as if Next To None<\/strong> were just \u2026 well, Dream Theater 30 years later. To mention Arion again, their influences were really obvious as well. While listening to their debut, you could actually pinpoint to bands or even songs the different compositions sounded like. Despite all that, the band didn\u2019t imitate their idols and knew what they were doing. Their debut actually made it to my top 5 of 2014, and even though I chose an extreme example, it makes clear that evident influences don\u2019t necessarily have to be a disadvantage.<\/p>\n All four members of Next To None<\/strong> are absolutely high-talented musicians for their age, not only technically, but also songwriting-wise, and this is indeed rare. That\u2019s why A Light In The Dark<\/em> turned out more than well. To sum up, I really admire these guys for what they are capable to do. Although their debut has some rather average or weaker moments, those remain an exception within a well-produced debut that has been put together very intelligently. And, to disprove my initial assumption, Next To None<\/strong> don’t copy, but get inspired by Dream Theater and use their finest elements to enhance their own music.
\nWhen I started my research about this band, I found band pictures featuring guys who could be easily (and probably are) attending high school and who play in a band labeled as progressive metal. And to top it all, one of the members is called Max Portnoy. Yes, you read right. The drummer of Next To None<\/strong> is legendary Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy\u2019s teenage son. Mike Portnoy also produced the band\u2019s debut A Light In The Dark<\/em>. As you could imagine, things started to get really interesting from then.<\/p>\n
\nAfter several listens, though, things changed. No, A Light In The Dark<\/em> didn\u2019t transition to a completely unique and revolutionary album, but it started to show its true quality and I\u2019m glad I gave it enough time to actually evolve instead of just writing lies about it.<\/p>\n
\nThe album is consisting of nine tracks with three of them being over 8 minutes long. It kicks off with the cinematic \u201cThe Edge Of Sanity\u201d, a very technical and diverse track; it continues with \u201cYou Are Not Me\u201d, a more straight-forward song featuring chugging riffs, guttural vocals and a catchy chorus. I liked the next song \u201cRunaway\u201d right from the beginning because the band\u2019s identity really starts to shine through from now on. The ballad \u201cA Lonely Walk\u201d sounds nice all-in-all, but lacks the overload of emotion and the heartfelt vocals great ballads need in my opinion. The Train Of Thought<\/em>-inspired \u201cControl\u201d is the longest track of the record and one can truly dive into it and get lost. The next track \u201cLost\u201d starts with a melody that actually sounds completely like the main theme of Edvard Grieg\u2019s \u201cPeer Gynt\u201d. Classical music fans, eh? The album continues with \u201cSocial Anxiety\u201d and \u201cLegacy\u201d, which acts more like an introduction to the last track \u201cBlood On My Hands\u201d. The final track closes up the record nicely while presenting another cinematic composition.<\/p>\n
\nAlthough Mike Portnoy supports his son’s musical ambitions, he himself pointed out that Next To None<\/strong> wrote all the presented material themselves, which is very nice to hear. This is definitely a band worth following during the next years and as a classic progressive metal fan, you should absolutely check out\u00a0A Light In The Dark.
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