Moscow based progressive metal band Mechanical Man have been around since 2012. Their first EP titled White Out was released in August 2013, and a year later the band released a single titled Madhouse.
This summer, the band released their full-length debut titled Mechanical Man. Although the band doesn’t have a lot of
experience, the youngsters made a perfect headstart with this release. Without any false pretensions, I can say that the eight-track album is the best release I’ve heard this year so far. Even though the band is a newcomer, the album tells the opposite—it’s constructed very carefully and professionally. There is a feeling of maturity in the band’s music; it’s really weird that we are not talking about the band that’s been in the business for 20+ years.
What instantly hits you out of a sound system are the vocals—they are so unique. The style of the vocalist Alexey is distinctive and (almost) incomparable. When he goes pure clean and hits the highs, there is a perfect match and to Rush’s Geddy Lee. But this is not an imitation, that is very clear. Melodies produced by guitars and keyboards are stories on their own. The instrumentation meets singing, and they create a perfect bond.
Although the album is described under the progressive metal tag, it has plenty of other influences. Essentially, progressive metal is not a genre that’s jammed between any walls and that knows for limitations, but some certain “rules” have to be applied. Mechanical Man does that, but also the band bases their sound a lot on doom metal, heavy metal, classic progressive rock, and further more. All of that makes the songs easy to digest, but keeping the deliciousness.
With this self-titled record Mechanical Man show a huge potential, and it will be interesting to hear what they come up next with. The Russians have predispositions to become one of the leading and most loved acts coming from the east. They deserve your attention.
Mechanical Man: Official website | Bandcamp | Facebook
