Outworld
Outworld

Here we are to review a debut of a band that has been talked about a lot in the prog-power metal scene. I'm talking about Outworld, a group that in my opinion can say something good if not for some small flaws here and there. But more importantly, they could say something really good if the band members tried to create something truly personal and original.

Because the feeling, when listening to this debut album, is that, although it is of decent quality, well played (and I'll tell you why in a moment), it adds nothing, I mean nothing new to the prog-power metal scene, sometimes resulting in being predictable and clichéd. As I said, well played. In fact, the group is nothing more than a creation of that guitar-playing robot Rusty Cooley, who surrounded himself with an equally robotic bassist, a great drummer, and a singer who in my opinion isn't much, but he does his job by shouting, screaming, and hitting high notes which, although already heard, are still effective.
And perhaps the good Cooley did well to surround himself with other musicians: what emerges in all the tracks is quality riffing, really good and interesting are the rhythmic sections of the songs, even if somewhat predictable in some tracks, with "telegraphed" tempo changes. The album naturally starts with power and with a catchy riff, supported by an excellent rhythmic section: "Hell raise" starts off well, then the singer (a certain Kelly "Sundown" Carpenter who has also worked with Beyond Twilight) gives us a performance that at times seems off-key and out of place. The track lacks any particular highlights, but it's interesting to hear the keyboard carpet created by Bobby Williamson. Noteworthy is a nice solo by Mr. Cooley, followed by a rather depressing keyboard solo, with a really ugly and video game-like sound.

The next track "Riders" begins with a very fast sweep section by Cooley, but it fits well within the track, being quite short: the track continues well, the singer now seems better integrated with the rest of the music. The song has more aggressive sections only to return to more melodic shores, for a definitively romantic turn at the end of the song. "Warcry" presents the aforementioned characteristics: a catchy riff, albeit not very original, well-fit rhythmic sections, and fast but not annoying solos. Basically, it's all you'll hear in this album: an engaging prog-power but nothing very original. The Title track starts with a guitar arpeggio and explodes very well: the sore point is perhaps the singer. He has a good vocal range, but has a somewhat annoying timbre. The very technical and elaborate central section is interesting. "The never" is hammering with oriental sounds, while "City of the Dead" begins reflective and then develops into furious solos. So far it's the piece I appreciate the least: very self-congratulatory and clichéd. "Prelude to madness" presents me with a strange instrumental, also quite short, featuring an annoying guitar. Useless. It instead starts with a very power and pressing rhythm "The grey Tide". But it is a very long song, boring, and in its continuous changes in sound, tempo, and atmosphere it results banal and predictable. "I. Thatanos" adds nothing to the album, as does the Japanese bonus track "Polar": both very long with no interesting developments.

The album all in all isn't too bad: for those who appreciate this genre there will surely be something to chew on, but I repeat once again: it's an album that recycles solutions already heard or in any case not original at all. Not entirely a poor start, but may it serve to develop something truly interesting in the future.