How many is too many when it comes to players in a prog-metal band? In the case of Mexico's Fahrenheit, seven may be a tad too many. After all, it's tough to discern exactly what all seven players are doing on Epic Enter, the band's five-track, self-released CD brimming with 32 minutes of Stratovarius-styled zeal.
There is nothing inherently wrong with the music on Epic Enter. In fact, it's executed damn near flawlessly although the production sounds too thin or too thick in some places. But when a band has a male and a female singer, plus two guitarists, you'd expect a bit more creativity. Singer Karla Andujo remains underutilized throughout most of the disc, giving Luis Armendariz plenty of room to imitate take your pick Timo Kotipelto, Andre Matos or Geoff Tate, albeit with a heavy accent. That's too bad, because Andujo's voice is unlike that of many females in progressive power metal these days not too operatic, not too mystical, just simply beautiful.
Fahrenheit earns extra points for one of the most professional-looking self-releases I've ever laid eyes on. With dramatic artwork, full lyrics, crystalline photography and two pages of thank-you notes, Epic Enter may as well set a new standard for metal bands who take matters into their own hands. Despite the sameness of the music here, it's clear that these guys (and gal) deserve to be taken seriously by both metal fans and labels. May Fahrenheit's temperature only rise
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