(Progressive/Power Metal) B.E.N.T. - Eleven - 2001, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Debut album here for B.E.N.T. This album pretty much has a heavy/progressive metal sound to it. I'm not a big fan of that genre myself, but there are quite a few good songs here, along with one or two that I really can't stand - a matter of personal taste here. This is not the type of metal that I headbang to, with an overall "relaxing" sound (but then again, with the other stuff I listen to, many bands will fall under the "relaxing" category. )

Very good musicianship here, and a few good solos that made me "rewind" to listen to them repeatedly. The sixth song, Labyrinth, can't really be considered metal though, but it nevertheless fits pretty well when you take the album as a whole - interesting. It is preceeded by guest female vocals and contains only spoken passages and the drums are the main instrument here. This really stands out on the album. Very good job done integrating it.

Vocals... I have mixed feelings here, sometime the vocals are very good, while at other times they were a bit weaker - unsurprisingly those vocals can be found on the tracks I like the least.

Ok, last track... silence for almost 5 minutes before a "bonus track". Not good. Don't do that, it annoys me exponentially. The bonus track is actually a little funny, but I could have lived without the silence...

All in all, a very good release with good production (especially considering that this is an independent release), something that progressive metal lovers should enjoy. Most of the negative comments I have are more a matter of personal taste. I wouldn't be surprised to see that band's name again in the future. Definitely worth checking out.

Eric J. Swanson - the voices
Brian Bolle - rhythm and lead guitars
Ryan Loehe - rhythm and lead guitars
DeWayne Bolle - bass
Eddy Szczepanski - drums, metals and electronics
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Troy Stetina - guitar solo on 3
Joan Stetina - guest vocals on 5