Clearly one of the more left-field and adventurous albums to feature standard female vocals, Delusions from To-Mera is a bit too much on the experimental side, the band unable to recreate the sterling dynamics from its excellent Transcendental debut.
Led by the ethereal vocals of Julie Kiss (ex Without Face; resident hottie), To-Mera’s full-fisted, almost avant-garde approach is certainly not without merit; it just fails to resonate after repeated listens.
Opener “The Lie” is a sure-fire indicator of where things are going, complete with hokey synths that cancel out some well-sung chorus arrangements and hard-nosed riffing. The off-time churn of “The Glory Of A New Day” shows initial promise with a variety of jumbled, down-tuned riffing, as does the more reflective “A Sorrow To Kill,” but these tunes are the only moments that stuck out in this frazzled ball of prog metal, symphonic metal, and avant-garde metal.
You’d have to commend To-Mera for their forward-thinking approach. No one with a female vocal in their right mind would attempt such daring music, but the jist of the matter is that Delusions fails to carry any weight. These songs
, in their technical and expansive approach just don’t stick and without that safety net of dynamics, all the notes and time changes in the world don’t mean a thing.
(This content originally appeared on Blistering.com)