Oppressive vibes, djent sounds and Indian folklore - A review of Adagio's "Life"

Adagio is a French-American progressive metal sextet that released its first record in more than eight years and its fifth studio album in total. The band makes me think of a slightly more symphonic version of Symphony X, especially due to new singer Kelly Sundown Carpenter's husky but melodic vocals recalling Russell Allen.

 Like many other contemporary progressive metal bands, Adagio has managed to modernize its sound if compared to its previous outputs. First of all, the record has an overall slightly dark and oppressive tone giving it a cinematic and tense atmosphere recalling Ayreron's more dramatic moments. Secondly, several songs include minor folk influences, especially related to Indian culture and mythology like Kartikeya for instance. Thirdly, several tracks have strong djent influences with a technical side recalling Tesseract. This combination works best in the quite technical single " Subrahmanya" that even includes a few decently employed harsh vocals. The epic "The Grand Spirit Voyage" also unfolds its cinematic atmosphere elegantly but steadily with these multiple influences.

 Despite this revamp, especially the djent sounds and husky vocals can get somewhat repetitive and tiring. The band actually sounds best when its opts for a calmer and smoother direction in the second half of the release. The mysterious "I'll Possess You" with its enchanting piano tones giving Kelly Sundown Carpenter the backdrop to fully unfold his vocal skills is a nicely done example for this organic and stripped-down approach. The relaxed ballad "Trippin' Away" could even come from a seventies' progressive rock record and impresses in its smart simplicity with piano melodies, simple riffs and powerful vocals.

 In the end, Adagio might not be able to compete with its obvious influences' best hours but Life surely is a coherent contemporary progressive metal release with a slightly dark and oppressive tone, technically skilled djent soundscapes and smartly employed Indian folkore elements. If the djent influences were a little less dominant and the vocals less a poor man's Russell Allen imitation, Life would sound even more unique. A honorable mention goes out to the flawless cover artwork that would make for a beautiful poster. Contemporary progressive metal aficionados should give this release a few spins while occasional genre fans should try out Symphony X's discography first.

Final rating: 77%