Despite Greece’s many problems of late, the country’s music scene seems pretty flush.
Prog metal quartet Sunburst formed in Larissa in 2010. Six years on, they offer up their debut album, and Fragments Of Creation is surprisingly potent and polished for a first-timer. Lead track Out Of The World catapults into a jumping riff akin to new school Symphony X, while End Of The Game careers down the tech path. Vocalist Vasilis Georgiou is a shining light, bellowing on point howls and dousing the 10 tracks in melody, while it must be assumed axeman Gus Drax – who is also in the ranks of Biomechanical – has about 15 fingers, such is the typhoon of talent on show. Prog purists might not grab as much from the record as metalheads, with the emphasis on technicality married to brawny riffs. The closing 12-minute opus Remedy Of My Heart takes it to the next level though, with an eerie, symphonic introduction followed by hefty heaviness, haunting harmonies and dramatic dynamics. It sounds tip‑top too, with the snare smacks punching through the speakers like clenched fists. Let’s hope it’s not another six years before album number two.
