Fantasma

This is what I'd call a masterpiece of symphonic prog rock. Leaning heavily into the progressive metal sector due to the extensive use of powerful, crunchy guitar riffings, Everon with their 4th album have now immediately placed themselves in a kind of no-mans-land, where the border between adult-orientated symp-rock a la Saga, Rush and Marillion meets the more modern elements of Dream Theater, Enchant or Fates Warning. However, the strong yet soft-as-silk vocal approach of songwriter / producer / vocalist / guitarist / keyboardist Oliver Philipps sets the mood securily in the rock section, and the wonderful laid back atmosphere of the keyboard / piano interludes creates a pop-like feeing akin more to that of Tori Amos than Britney Spears (hehe!). The 15 minute long mid-section of "Fantasma" (5 songs together forming the "Fantasma concept") is by far the best stuff I've heard within this symphonic rock/metal genre in years, and adds to the feeling of this album being nothing short of a grand masterpiece of it's time.