Tomorrow

Tunnel Vision is a Finnish band playing progressive metal. They tout themselves as a cross between 70's bands such as Yes and Rush with traditional heavy metal bands such as Dio and Iron Maiden. The band certainly has some good ideas, but I'm afraid they can't compete with any of the aforementioned bands. Tunnel Vision is able to write a catchy song, but the major shortcoming of this album is its lack of depth. In almost every aspect of the music, the band has chosen to take the safest possible route. The band's output is fundamentally sound, but that is because they are too cautious and do not take much of a chance. The lead vocalist has a voice very similar to that of Ozzy Osbourne. He sings with emotion and in a melodic fashion, but he uses a very limited range and therefore fails to add any color to the songs. The guy sounds like he has a lot of power behind his voice, so I think adding some high soaring notes to his repertoire is achievable. It seems as if the guitarist became comfortable with one rhythm and used it as a blueprint for the entire album. By the end of the album, the rhythms become very predictable. Also, the solos tend to wander without direction and don't add much to the songs. You could interchange solos between songs and probably not know the difference. The keyboards enhance the entire atmosphere of the album as well as the melodic quality of the songs, but it cannot compare to the keyboard textures of the 70's Prog bands that influence this band. The keyboarding on this album is not complex at all, and sound like a very timid or watered down Rush. The rhythm section is the most promising aspect of the sound. The bass is driving with authority and the drummer tries his best to vary things up with his obvious technical skill. However, this is not enough to carry the average sounding remainder of the band. Tunnel Vision has a lot of room to grow musically, but the raw ingredients seem to be there. The songwriting is very good, but I think the band needs to expand their boundaries in order for their songs to truly come to life. It's almost as if the band was trying too hard to not make a mistake. If that's the case, hopefully the guys will become more confident with time and bring out the soaring vocals, dazzling solos, and varied rhythms that are suppressed on this album. I really like the ideas this band has, but for now, I consider Tunnel Vision a promising band… no more, no less.