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4th Dimension: The White Path to Rebirth

Italy is quickly becoming a hotbed for metal these days, especially power & progressive metal bands. Add 4th Dimension to the ever growing list of acts coming from that country who are doing their best show the world that Germany, Finland, and the UK aren't the only places where quality metal is created. While the band aren't doing anything necessarily groundbreaking here on their debut release The White Path to Rebirth, the CD has a great mix of soaring melodies, tasty guitar work, speedy rhythms, symphonic keyboards, and powerful vocals. If you like Freedom Call, Stratovarius, Rhapsody of Fire, early Edguy, Helloween, Labyrinth, Sonata Arctica, and Angra, then chances are 4th Dimension will be right up your alley.

The good thing about many of the songs here on The White Path to Rebirth is that they don't go full blast on the speed, which too many bands in this genre fall into. Though heavier and speedier fare such as "The Sun In My Life" and "Consigned to the Wind" will satisfy those who crave the more typical power metal formula, tracks like "Goldeneye" and "Sworn to the Flame" feature gorgeous melodies, Celtic influences, and loads of symphonic arrangements, the latter also contains some blazing guitar solos courtesy of Michele Segafredo. "Everlasting" has an almost 'Nightwish meets Symphony X' flair to it, while "A New Dimension" is pure symphonic power metal bliss. In fact, if you love loads of keyboards in your power metal, then look no further than "Labyrinth of Glass", a real classy number with layers of synths and organ from Talete Fusaro, as well as soaring vocals from frontman Andrea Bicego.

Lots of memorable songs, challenging arrangements, and great musicianship and vocals permeate The White Path to Rebirth, making it a really solid and enjoyable debut from an Italian power/prog metal band who look to have a bright future ahead of them. Thankfully, they don't go full bore into the whole 'dungeons & dragons' thing, and here have stayed away from the 20-minute epics, instead delivering a strong set of songs that show their musical and songwriting skills. As debuts go, this is a good one, and I for one will be keeping a close watch on 4th Dimension.


Track Listing

  1. The Sun In My Life
  2. Consigned To The Wind
  3. Goldeneyes
  4. Sworn To The Flame
  5. Everlasting
  6. A New Dimension
  7. Winter's Gone
  8. Labyrinth Of Glass
  9. Angel's Call
  10. Landscapes

Added: May 19th 2012
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 3899
Language: english

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4th Dimension: The White Path to Rebirth
Posted by Steven Reid, SoT Staff Writer on 2014-11-01 15:16:35
My Score:

Italy has long begun to earn a reputation for providing classy metal of all varieties, although particularly in the progressive genre. So with that in mind comes the debut from 4th Dimension, who take the standard prog-metal blueprint, rub out the edges and begin to infuse a hefty dose of speed metal into proceedings. Cleverly this leaves the band being both proggers and speed merchants, without being painted into either copycat corner. Almost as striking as the scintillating artwork which adorns the booklet for the band's debut album The White Path To Rebirth, is that as first efforts go, this release is amazingly assured and confident, giving no hints whatsoever that this is 4th Dimension's maiden outing. That said, the obvious influences list is eagerly ticked off in the shape of early Helloween, Gamma Ray, Stratovarious and a smidge of Dream Theater, although the results are always pointed toward the more metallic side of things.

The albums strengths lie in a variety of locations, with pristine drumming from Massimiliano Forte leading from the front, yet still binding everything together, while the vocals courtesy of Andrea Bicego reveal a wide range and varied styles of delivery. When you combine those potent forces with Michele Segafredo's bristling guitars, Talete Fusaro's pompous keyboards and Stefano Pinaroli's strident, galloping bass, ...White Path... really becomes an album worthy of note. Cleverly the quintet also add little guest star slots to the band as the songs whizz by in a flurry of keyboard notes, searing guitar solos and ear shattering screams, with the likes of Alessio Lucatti ("Goldeneyes"), Melody Castellari ("Everlasting") and Fabio Lione ("A New Dimension") all showing up to offer different focal, vocal, points throughout. That said, a rapid-fire romp across "The Sun Is My Life", "Sworn To The Flame" and the beautiful "Winter's Gone" prove that it isn't the guests, but 4th Dimension themselves who make this such an interesting and accomplished beginning.

Not quite the finished article, but with The White Path To Rebirth, 4th Dimension have made a formidable statement of intent and one that will certainly see me eye this band's next move with great interest.



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