(Progressive Heavy Metal/Rock) [CD] Constancia - Final Curtain - 2015, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Sweden’s CONSTANCIA are releasing their sophomore record, first for MelodicRock Records, entitled “Final Curtain” in mid-July 2015. Not being overly familiar with the band I was eager to check out the new album to see what they had to offer.

Within the first minute of the opening track I figured I’d be in for a quality listen as “Don’t Tread On My Heart” is pure class. I almost immediately heard shades of Germany’s FRONTLINE as their “The State of Rock” debut is an all time favorite of mine. Where I drew comparisons first was with vocalist David Fremberg’s tone and then the strong and immediate chorus with the backing vocals drew even further comparisons. As I said, the track is a classy melodic rock number with a slightly progressive solo section. It was certainly a good start.

“Spectres” continues with class but brings in a darker sound and some more progressive (and aggressive) elements. The guitar work from Janne Stark (GRAND DESIGN/LOCOMOTIVE BREATHE) stands out as a highlight as does the drumming from TrumPeter Svensson (FAITH/LOCOMOTIVE BREATHE). Two for two! “Way To Life” is a more melodic number and with a flair of JORN as heard on his solo debut. It’s a catchy tune with melodic guitars to go along with a smooth vocal delivery. “Live A Lie” continues with the melodic side of things and the big harmony vocals make for pure Scandi melodic rock at its best as Stark provides an impressive guitar solo too. The FRONTLINE vibe returns on “Hang Tough” and it’s another great track with melody all over the place. One thing about songs like this is the unrelenting urgency of them. They are precise and to the point with just a great quality to the song writing. I could listen to songs like this all day long. “Lucidia” opens with moody progressive leanings and only picks up the pace a bit with the chorus but it’s a good change of pace and another solid number.

“Hold on My Heart” opens the second half of the record and the simple yet effective chorus makes the song for me. I can hear bits of JORN and even UK rockers TEN as the song plays on and the unique soloing from Stark is a nice touch. Keyboards open “Greyhound Therapy”, a mid-tempo song, but the highlight is the vocals of Fremberg. The band seems to have found a stride by this point of the record and even as I find some familiar sounds to compare their music I find the band does have its own sound too and the record is an enjoyable listen. “Lies Within Lies” is another mid-tempo song with big harmony vocals in the simple, yet immediate chorus. Along with “Hang Tough” it is another standout track for me. “Little Fighter” opens with a regal keyboard and guitar sound in what is another mid-tempo track, whereas I hoped for a little change of pace at this point. The song doesn’t stand out in any particular instance and never seems to gain a pace. Finally, “In Your Eyes” picks up the pace just a bit with its galloping tempo but for me fails to garner any steam apart from a nice solo from Stark, which is the saving grace from me.

“Wake Up Dreaming” is another classy track which features some great guitar and vocals while the album closer and title track “Final Curtain” sees the band getting back on track ever so slightly with what the earlier part of the record had to offer. It’s an epic sounding track but for me still does not completely reach the heights of the songs featured earlier in the album.
Overall, “Final Curtain” is a great listen for the first half of the album but it tails off a bit in the second half because the songs seem to lack a variance in tempo. Maybe it’s the band spreading its collective “progressive wings” which made me lose some focus? Still, there is no denying there are some classy and solids songs offered here and CONSTANCIA is a band worth checking out if you like Euro sounding melodic hard rock with just a touch of the prog sound here and there.

Review written by Mark Balogh for www.rockeyez.com

Links:
http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Constancia/3540287643