A fine example of progressive metal from the middle of the 1990s would be this 1994 disc by
Sanvoisen. A double guitar attack band from Germany with a Greek singer, they only released a duo of discs before splitting apart in 2000. This
"Exotic Ways" was their debut, and was a cleanly played, well crafted disc that while well recieved upon initial release, was quickly forgotten as a slew of other bands were competing for the same share of the progressive pie. It was a struggle to pop up from obscurity and be noticed while metal had fallen off the face of the mainstream Earth and the underground was sold on the likes of rising superstars such as Dream Theater.
Sanvoisen could easily be described as being closest kin with Queensryche, from the "Rage for Order" era. Their sound switches from programmed complexity (like Conception) to stripped acoustic based, giving an exotic slant to their sound (Crimson Glory's "Strange and Beautiful"). A little
Fates Warning mixed in, and that is a fairly clear representation of what to expect from this rare disc. There is a great deal of melodic warmth despite the time changes running rampant during the compact tracks. Everything is accomplished with strings, being guitar strings or those of the violin to splash in here and there. Sound is as crisp and clear as an autumn day, allowing drums to give a solid framework and the voice to come across clean and shining. Vocalist Vagelis Maranis has a clean, clear voice that hits the higher register in confidence, and maps his style after Geoff Tate with a splash of Midnight and Andre Matos, furthering the comparisions. It is not a voice that forces you out of your seat to stand up and take notice, but it is a voice that handles the material well.
There are some lovely songs such as the slow working ballad
"Time Is Not", and
"No Place For Me", whose opening acoustic guitar is creepily similar to "Lost Reflection" from Crimson Glory. It shakes free into its own little miserable, depressed world. The one that captured the heart back upon its release was the opener, a fine slice of progressive metal. Crisp and catchy, exposing chugging rhythm guitars and high pitched vocals,
"Colours Around" struts forward and keeps it exciting with that instant chorus. There's also the guitar squealing, and otherwise thundering,
"What I Mean".
"The Law" sounds like something that stumbled out of 'Ryche's "Rage For Order" closet. Chunky guitars and some high pitched vocal work keep the song taut and energized. Unusual percussion illustrate
"The Blind", as does the filigree bass work and in-your-face, take charge guitar attacks.
Songs are well crafted, relying on guitars mainly and only breaking out the keyboard effects to be the garnishing cherry topping on the prog metal sundae. There is a certain charm about the disc that brings you back to the mid 90s, as they truly do not make progressive metal like this anymore. Everything has become so big, bombastic and twistingly complex these days, that
"Exotic Ways" seems rather simplistic when set against them, yet that is part of the appeal. Everything is neat and tidy too, fitting in around the four minute mark.
They were once thought to be one of the future heavy hitters of the prog world (along with Leviathan, Lethal, Letter X, Conception, Superior,
Elegy and many other bands that fell by the wayside). They didn't quite make it, as "Soul Seasons" was their second and final disc in 1997. Vagelis left to do dabble as producer for his Maranis Studios. Athough a four track demo was recorded with Carsten Schulz at the vocal helm and no one left from the album lineups other than guitarist
Angel Schonbrunn, nothing ever became of it, and in 2000
Sanvoisen was no more. A forgotten and overlooked disc,
"Exotic Ways" is well worth digging out of your collection or hunting down. These guys managed to pay homage to their influences while seperating their sound enough to be unique, something that many bands are still struggling to do today.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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