(Progressive/Power Metal) Nation Beyond - The Aftermath Odyssey - 2008, MP3, 320 kbps

Former members of DEBASE, FACE DOWN and CONSTRUCDEAD? Sounds like a modern hybrid of Death Metal to me, but NATION BEYOND's debut "The Aftermath Odyssey" turns out to be: a) completely different and b) a lot more to my taste than originally thought, even though the fact that Sensory Records released it already hinted at the fact that this is rather in the realms of Progressive or Progressive Power Metal and the latter it indeed is.

Concept albums are nothing new, but somehow the story "about a relationship in a post-apocalyptic landscape" might not sound original or anything, but it has got something and the Swedes manage to translate this bleak vision into an excellent slab of Progressive Power Metal that strikes a chord with me, as the mix of heaviness, melodies and pure atmosphere lends NATION BEYOND something that I do not find in too many other bands of this style and that is always a plus, if you ask me!

Starting out with the dark and atmospheric intro "The End" (what a title to start an album, eh?) they put you into the right mindframe, which is furthered by the short semi-intro "A Rainy Day In Hell", which is very intense, with choir and haunting vocals, before "In The Ashes" sets out with intense and slower verse and double-bass driven chorus, complete with heavy guitars and light choirs for a fitting opening trilogy. But it gets better still... "The Wanderer" showcases a brilliant hand for arrangements, in structure, dynamics, melodies and the great vocals of fronter Nielz, making this song a little gem of Progressive Power Metal.

And the rest of the songs continues to aptly process the story musically, conveying the different emotions the main character(s) are going through, the hope of "New Eden City", the interrogation and pleading of "The Council" (great song, btw!) or the consoling female vocals of "SoulMates", everything plays its role in the overall concept of "The Aftermath Odyssey"... Oh, if you wonder, if there also is some aggression to be found on this album, "War Of The Wasteland" is a gripping song, with some gruff vocals complemented by a soaring duet vocal delivery, another highlight of this album!

The only real flaw I found is the sound of the bass-drum during the double-bass sections, because it sounds somewhat dull, but that's pretty much it. NATION BEYOND accomplish the feat of being progressive without resorting to the usual prog flourishes for progressiveness' sake, as everything remains immediately accessible and even catchy (now when's the last time you could say that about a Prog album?), with every element only working towards the overall effect of the album and atmosphere, for which I really have to commend the band.

I hope that this is not going to be a one-off endeavour, because this band has tons of potential and I really recommend this to any fan of Progressive Power Metal, because these guys (and girl) know what they are doing!

The Metal Observer

Nielz Lindström - lead vocals
Jonas Karlgren - guitars, keyboards and backing vocals
Micko Twedberg - guitars and sampler programming
Joakim Hedestedt - bass
Johan Helgesson - drums
Sara Heurlin - vocals