There are tons of symphonic/progressive female fronted bands out there. Vitruvius from Mexico is another female fronted band, but although their music can definitely be described as progressive metal, they do something a bit different. From all other genres they could include in their work, the band from Mexico City decided to pick fusion. The fusion tag doesn’t have to do that much with singing as much it concerns the song arrangements in general. This all makes Vitruvius a band that should definitely be on your radar.
Parallels with other female-fronted bands can be drawn here, and some obvious comparisons include Nightwish, Delain, Epica, After Forever, to name but a few. And these comparisons would be correct. But as mentioned, Vitruvius go a step further. Ms Dulce Robles demonstrates a melodic and clean vocal range from classic rock and metal to operatic.
But that’s not new. Vitruvius also has a symphonic layer embellishing power riffs for a huge bombastic sound. Again, as expected. After this, what else is necessary? Rumbling and roaring rhythm section. Yep. Occasional frosty keyboard solos. Of course. Flaring and soaring guitar solos. Check and mate. Again, it’s everything you would expect in a symphonic metal band.
Though not different than some bands, Vitruvius does seem to lean more to the jazz fusion-y metal side of the equation. Songs such as “Heaven and Hell,” “The Maze,” and “The Truth” are blistering, sincerely guitar-driven songs moving at a brisk pace that implement the versatility of jazz fusion in their arrangements.
So, in the end, what impressed me most were the song arrangements and the proper balance of musical elements within each, Ms Robles’ less operatic, more straight forward rock and metal voice, and the abundance of strong guitar work. For Vitruvius, it’s a perfect storm which makes them sound terrific, and maybe, just maybe, allows them to shake things up in the genre. Recommended.