A band that cites such influences as Gentle Giant, Opeth and Pain of Salvation better deliver. And, for the most part, Italy’s Watershape delivers on its debut album, Perceptions.
This is a band with one foot in the classic progressive past and the other in the modern progressive present. Singer Niccolo Cantele lacks the kind of emotion this music demands, but his high-pitched voice elevates haunting opener “Beyond the Line of Being,” which along with tracks like “Fanciful Wonder” and “Stairs,” enters Dream Theater territory. Meanwhile, “Alienation Deal” and “Inner Tide” reflect the melancholy of Watershape’s more ethereal influences.
Don’t approach Perceptions expecting to hear the future of prog -- or even anything overwhelmingly original. Does the genre really need another generic song about the digital world (“Cyber Life”)? Still, sometimes a band like Watershape is all that's required to help you pass 49 minutes. Nothing gained, but also nothing lost.
Track Listing:
1. Beyond the Line of Being
2. Cyber Life
3. Alienation Deal
4. Stairs
5. The Puppets Gathering
6. Inner Tide
7. Fanciful Wonder
8. Seasons
9. Cosmic Box #9
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