www.lordsofmetal.nl
It is very nice to hear a record of a progressive metal act and be grabbed immediately by the sheer emotion of the vocals and the subtleties in the build-up of the songs. Most of the times the first noticeable thing is the skill with which the band members change time signatures, and maybe later on you will start to like to listen to the songs for other reasons. With the debut of this Greek band, something is setting it apart from the rest. Although it is very very much progressive metal in all its senses, it has a different and unique feel to it.
This may just be the personality of the musicians shining through in the performances. This may also be because the songs have been worked on for a long time, building up slowly to where they are now. Whatever the reason(s), I advise you to just listen to them for yourselves to discover the sheer beauty of their compositions and playing. And if you want to know more about the background of the band you will be able to read so in this same issue, as one of the founding members has explained quite a lot in an interview! This band is really Persona Very Grata!

www.metal-observer.com
Progressive Metal artists can be divided, at least in the most general of senses, into two distinct groups; the first of these being those that write songs, the second being those that create compositions. Though in the aftermath of DREAM THEATER"s rise to prominence with "Images In Words" there was a strong move towards compositions that did more to display the technical ability of the artists or the ingenuity of a composer looking to merge a plethora of differing styles and sounds together, often losing the charm of said album"s catchy elements, in the past few years the opposite trend has been more prevalent. Part of this is due to the advent of Power Progressive Metal from the likes of PAGAN"S MIND and COMMUNIC, but many bands still following a strictly DREAM THEATER/FATES WARNING (post-1988) approach have also shortened their songs and put a stronger emphasis on memorable hooks.
PERSONA NON GRATA fit into this general trend perfectly, avoiding some of the tediousness that can come with those who insist on breaking the 10 minute mark on half or even all of their songs. There is a great sense of restraint involved here, save perhaps in the dramatic performance of vocalist Bill Axiotis, who comes off as a pretty solid blend of Ray Adler"s high end vocalizations and Tom Englund"s rougher semi-growl approach. The songs tend to hang around the 5-6 minute mark, the keyboards are not overly prominent, and the lead guitar work is fairly subtle in comparison to most of the technicians dominating the scene. There are still naturally obligatory references to odd time signatures, riffs that seem to continually develop throughout a song"s duration, and ballad sections that jump in fairly abruptly, but all within the scope of something that is fairly accessible.
Probably the biggest trap that bands of this persuasion tend to fall into is sounding more Rock and Jazz influenced than they do Metal influenced, and this Greek outfit definitely has its fair share of light sounding Jazz piano sections and easier going Rock elements. But when you hear heavy stews of hard edged riffing and synthesizer ambiences that dominate songs such as "Shade In The Light" and "Before The Reason", the Metal side of this album is fixed firmly in its place. It ends up listening like a slightly heavier version of "Perfect Symmetry" with a lead guitar and keyboard approach that fits into mid-90s DREAM THEATER, essentially combining the two strongest, yet also the two most widely imitated eras of both bands.
This is not the most groundbreaking or original release to come out of the Progressive scene of late, but it does well in the quality department and avoids getting extremely longwinded. It will probably carry a little more appeal to Metal fans outside of the Progressive Metal field because it relies on fairly well known and familiar sounds while avoiding the extended technical gymnastics that often come at the expense of the song. It"s far from the standard verse/chorus approach that you get out of mainstream music, and it still carries the general sense of eclecticism common to all in the genre. It"s a good release in spite of a fairly crowded field of competitors and has the potential to get better if the band takes further steps out of the 90s DREAM THEATER box.

www.obliveon.de
Griechenland ist als Hochburg für traditionellen Metal, Achtziger-Stoff oder Power Doom bekannt. Aber auch die Progressive-Könige von Fates Warning können bei ihren Shows im südlichen Europa auf ein absolut ergebenes Publikum zählen. Die griechische Prog Metal-Szene hatte bislang mit den leider aufgelösten Wastefall (unbedingt antesten: „Self Exile“) und Fragile Vastness (definitiv anchecken: „Tribute To Life“) zwei international konkurrenzfähige Highlights zu bieten, mit Persona Non Grata folgt nun ein weiterer, äußerst viel versprechender Act. Das Potential des Quintetts hat wieder einmal Ken Golden gesehen und sich „Shade In The Light“ für sein Sensory-Label gesichert. Der 10-Tracker deckt vom Riff-betonten Opener „Before The Reason“ bis hin zum balladesken „Longing“ eine breite Songwriting-Palette ab und überzeugt mit einer tollen Melange aus Fates Warning, Dream Theater, Enchant, Poverty’s No Crime und Pain Of Salvation. Wer Fragile Vastness und Wastefall mag, sollte Persona Non Grata für die heimische Sammlung verhaften.

http://powermetal.de

Review von Frank Jaeger
Feiner Hellenen-Prog Metal, quasi eine tolle Überraschung aus einer unverhofften Ecke der Metalwelt
Um es vorweg zu nehmen – die positivste Überraschung der letzten Zeit sind für mich PERSONA NON GRATA. Der Erstling der Griechen kam ganz unerwartet und hält sich seit geraumer Zeit in meinem Player. Erstaunlich auch deshalb, weil ich dachte, es gäbe gar keinen Prog Metal in Griechenland, die wären alle völlig true da unten. Großer Irrtum.
Aber diesen Irrtum merzen PERSONA NON GRATA gründlich und nachhaltig aus. Nicht nur, dass man ihnen attestieren darf, gleich mit dem Debütalbum in die Oberliga des Prog Metal vorgestoßen zu sein, sie machen sogar Einiges besser als so manche etablierte Kollegen. Die üblichen Voraussetzungen wie Beherrschen der Instrumente und einen guten Sänger in den Reihen zu haben, quasi die Pflicht des Prog, meistern sie mit Bravour. Sänger Bill Axiotis darf dabei ruhig prominent erwähnt werden, da er über eine große stimmliche Bandbreite verfügt, auch wenn der Gesang in den hohen Noten schon mal in ein an David Taylor, der die frühen JACOB’S DREAM Alben eingesungen hat, erinnerndes angestrengtes Schreien übergeht. In tieferen Lagen dagegen kann er es mit den Besten aufnehmen und erinnert häufig an Volker Walsemann (POVERTY’S NO CRIME) und gelegentlich an Ray Alder (FATES WARNING).
Obendrein schaffen die Griechen die Kür: Die schreiben packende, nicht ausufernde Songs, denen es dennoch an Nichts fehlt. Üblicherweise sind in der Progszene die langen Stücke die Highlights eines Albums. Auf "Shade In The Light" schafft es gerade einmal ein Song über die Sieben-Minuten-Marke. Zwar müssen wir deswegen auf minutenlange Soloeskapaden verzichten, aber ich persönlich freue mich über Songdienlichkeit. Anstatt ihre Fähigkeiten zu demonstrieren, dominiert das musikalische Werk über den einzelnen Instrumentalisten, so dass das Album keine Durststrecken voller Gefiedel enthält.
Erstaunlicherweise ist es schwierig, einzelne Songs herauszuheben, da die Mischung aus SYMPHONY X, BALANCE OF POWER, POVERTY’S NO CRIME und PAIN OF SALVATION über 50 Minuten lang durchgehend funktioniert. Selbst nach mehr als ein Dutzend Durchläufen höre ich keinen einzelnen Song gerne, sondern immer das ganze Album, da es kein Highlight gibt. Oder besser: neun Highlights, und ein kurzes Instrumental, aber kein schwaches Stück. Die obige Auflistung beschreibt auch den Härtegrad des Albums, denn obwohl die Gitarre immer präsent ist, muss sie sich das Rampenlicht mit den Keyboards teilen. Für die Zielgruppe ist das kein Problem, so dass eine uneingeschränkte Kaufempfehlung das einzige Fazit sein kann, wenn man sich denn von diesem Stil angesprochen fühlt. Eycharisto, Hellas!

www.ytsejam.com
2009 Sensory Records/Laser’s Edge Group
Taking a step in both the melodic and technical direction, Greek progressive metallers Persona Non Grata emphasizes both the complexity and the tunefulness of the thought oriented heaviness that is endured throughout the record known as Shade in the Light. The balance of song and musicianship is fulfilled at equilibrium – portraying the grassroots prog-metal approach to a it’s technical degree, similar to Vanden Plas, Sun Caged, late-period Mind’s Eye, and Section A – where the solos compliment the songs and the sophistication of the arrangements breathe a bigger sense of verve into them as well.
Shade in the Light is a brooding record with its mechanical moments of brooding cuts including the grinding pall laden “Dual Unity,” the emotive “Stillness,” and the solo frenzied title track which expose the record’s upbeat side; yet the haunting vibe is executed to it’s fullest with “Longing,” “Personal Gratitude,” and the interlude of “Single Unity” offering a more eased/ballad-esque approach within the grinding sensibility that is rendered upon this record.
Heavy, laden with the axe attack and keyboard overtures, this album stays within the mold of being progressive and not symphonic or neo-classical; keeping the music at a darkened level of accessibility while spiked with intensity and moodiness.
Added: March 15th 2009
Reviewer: Tommy Hash

www.metal-rules.com
June 2009
Released: 2009, Sensory Records
Rating: 3.5/5
Reviewer: Mr. Rock
A LIGHT IN THE SHADE is the Greek progressive metallers Persona Non Grata. The beautifully packaged disc is chalk full of solid performance and good, well constructed writing. There is a lot of heart put into the writing, and it shows.
Vocalist Bill Axiotis, at times, sounds like Kamelot"s Khan. Not all the time, but there are certain times when I wondered if Khan was making a guest appearance. Guitarist Chris Gatsos never really indulges in the solos/riffing the way that a lot of prog metal guitarists do. His playing is solid and competent, never too much.
The disc starts off nicely with the edgy "Before The Reason". "Dual Unity" is nicely paced, starting off slow then picking up, before going into the instrumental "Single Unity". The ballad-y title track shows some real good songwriting. The album ends on a high note with "Stillness", a very cool tune.
All of the songs here work, however the problem that Persona Non Grata may face is that there is really nothing here that makes them stand out in the progressive field. While all the performances are good, and the writing is good, they are missing that one element that can push them past the others in the genre. When you have bands like Dream Theater, Pagan"s Mind, Fate"s Warning, and so many other very talented bands in the same genre, you really need that something extra that will make the fans stand up and take notice. As the band is still relatively young (they were formed in "03), they do have some growing room. As it stands now, they are on the right path.

www.away-team.com
So, here’s the scary thing about PERSONA NON GRATA…from the first few notes of every song’s intro, you feel like you’re in for a pretty cool DREAM THEATER experience; great musicianship, cool content, good lyrics, the works!!! Then, Bill Axiotis’s vocals come in and you realize he’s a deadringer for QUEENSRYCHE’s Geoff Tate…I’m not kidding…the guy sounds exactly like him!!! Then, out of nowhere, he goes an entire three octaves higher than anything Tate can hit in his wildest dreams!!! Holy Shit!!! This guy is amazing!!!
Call it the surprise of the year for me, but PERSONA NON GRATA are just not to be fucked with in the realm of Prog/Power Metal! At one time, we all sat in awe of Tate’s QUEENSRYCHE performances, but now, a new day has risen and I’m raising my glass to Bill Axiotis all the way. Combining DREAM THEATER’s keyboard/piano accompaniment with some of the coolest technical guitar and drumwork imaginable, the band is somewhat light years outside of QUEENSRYCHE’s reach, but with this singer…they are just at the top of the heap!!! It literally took me half the album to get over the fact that this guy is one of the best Prog-Metal singers in the biz! After stopping the CD at track #7, “Longing”, I went back to the beginning to get a good dose of what made my jaw drop to the floor…the very first song on the album, “Before The Reason”! Still realizing that my review was dead-on…I went to the track that had me spellbound from start to finish, Track #3, “Single Unity”. I just can’t seem to put into words what this band has accomplished straight out of the shoot! Never have I heard someone take something that was already perfect (Geoff Tate’s voice) and blow it out the window for a better, more palatable replacement! Bill Axiotis: You Are A Vocal God!!!
Musically incredible, vocally incomparable, a must-have for fans of the genre. Haul ass to your nearest music retailer or head to AMAZON ONLINE to purchase or immediately download NOW!!! VERY, VERY Highly Recommended!!!

www.heavymetal.no

Persona Non Grata
Shade in the Light       Kjøp
Sensory/INTROMENTAL (27.03.09)
Greske Persona Non Grata har holdt det gående siden 2003, men 'Shade in the Light' er bandets debut på albumfronten.
Jeg må si jeg ble tatt litt på senga av dette, da jeg ikke hadde all verdens høye forventninger. Men faktisk er dette en utrolig bra plate, og om du liker band som Pain of Salvation og 90-talls Fates Warning, bør du absolutt sjekke ut Persona Non Grata.
Bandet legger lista rimelig høyt i åpningslåta Before the Reason, men greier å holde interessen oppe gjennom hele albumet. Vokalist Bill Axiotis har en enormt bra stemme, som er fyldig både i lavere og høyere registre. Han minner tidvis om Ray Alder (Fates Warning, Redemption), tidvis om Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), men har samtidig egenart. Det samme gjelder musikken. Foruten Axiotis, består bandet av gitarist Chris Gastos, keyboarder John Ioannidis, bassist Chris Vogiatzis og trommis Akis Gavalas.
Persona Non Grata greier å fusjonere det komplekse og progressive med gode melodier og partier som fester seg allerede etter noen få runder i cd-spilleren.
Liker du prog metal bør du ikke gå glipp av Persona Non Grata! Et spennende band som jeg ser fram til å høre mer fra.

http://noneloudernet.ning.com
Persona Non Grata is a new progressive metal band hailing from Greece (John Stamos would be proud!). From the first notes of the album, I was reminded of condensed version of Pain of Salvation. Unlike their Greek counterparts (Fragile Vastness, Wastefall, Art of Simplicity), they aren't clones. Persona Non Grata has their own sound and takes a number of correct steps that most progressive metal bands fail to take.
1) Songwriting comes before technicality.
Most bands can't seem to get past this step. It doesn't matter how well you can play if what you're playing sounds like shit! Persona Non Grata knows how to write a song. In fact, they know how to write 10 songs. Every song on the album is extremely well written and says what it has to say in an effective and efficient manner.
2) Don't force heavy if you can't pull it off.
This can make or break a progressive metal band. Some progressive metal bands can pull off heavy (Zero Hour, Empyrios, Newbreed, etc.) while other cannot (Dream Theater...nuff said.). Nothing is worse than listening to a band forcing their metallic edge. A lot of newer progressive metal bands fall into this trap. In result, the music sounds even cheesier. I'm sorry, I'm just not fearful of an overweight man trying to squeeze into leather pants. Persona Non Grata know their role (The Rock, please don't sue me for trademark infringement). There are definitely metal aspects to their music, but it's not the focus.
3)You don't need 10+ minute songs to be a progressive metal band.
Like step 1, this goes hand-in-hand with mature songwriting. Some bands just don't get it. I'm all about long songs, but the band needs to know how to pull them off. A lot of these newer progressive metal bands will write long songs for the purpose of writing an epic. This results in epic fail! Most of the songs on the album range between 5-7 minutes and they travel to various places and moods within that period of time.
If you are a fan of progressive metal and are looking for a new band, give this album a whirl. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel in any respect, it's nice to hear progressive metal done extremely well. The vocals are excellent, the guitar playing is very melodic, and the atmosphere is top notch. This album is "solid" to the fullest extent of the word. I look forward to hear where they go from here.

www.underground-empire.de
Progger werden diese griechische Kapelle bestimmt nicht als "persona non grata", also unerwünschte Person, einstufen! Im Gegenteil - sie werden PERSONA NON GRATA als das passende Futter ansehen. Irgendwo zwischen DREAM THEATER und POVERTY'S NO CRIME beheimatet, werden es PERSONA NON GRATA derzeit allerdings dennoch nicht bis in die erste Liga schaffen, denn dazu fehlt ihnen stets der entscheidende Hook, die perfekte, zwingende Melodielinie, die den hochwertig arrangierten Kompositionen auch die nötige Einprägsamkeit verleihen würden. Progressive-Fans werden sich zweifelsohne mit »Shade In The Light« anfreunden können, aber genauso gibt es bei PERSONA NON GRATA auch noch Luft nach oben.

www.live4metal.com
Persona Non Grata - Shade In The Light (Sensory Records) By: Joe Florez
Greece is an interesting place for a few reasons. One, there are not a lot of bands that come from there, but when they do arrive on the metal scene, they are generally good. You have Firewind and Rotting Christ for starters. Also, Greek fans love metal and support it all the way through. Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Iced Earth are loved by them. Now, enter Persona Non Grata. This is their debut work and from what I can gather is that they appreciate music and plays their songs with compassion and conviction. This is progressive metal with maturity. “Before The Reason” is pretty standard prog fair with
semi technical drumming, fair amount of piano work and guitars that are catchy and a tad meaty. Nothing too aggressive. It’s mid paced and has a decent flow. Bill Aiotis vocals are interesting because he will sing in a mid range and then hit these highs that actually kill it for me. It doesn’t seem to come off as smooth as I would hope for. When he hits the upper range, it’s like throwing a monkey wrench into the situation. Not necessary. Also, there is this little rap like thing that goes on during the breakdowns that I don’t like either. However, it’s faint and you really have to pay attention to get it. Otherwise, this is a decent track to start off the show. The gang goes for the pro power ballad right away on cut two with “Dual Unity” which is the first of a few on here. This could have easily fallen into the  cheese category, but the Greeks successfully avoid the pratfalls and blueprints of making a safe track. Yes, it has a slow pacing, but there is life to it and no sad lyrics. There is some punchiness that comes into play when required. After slowing things down for a few tracks, it’s the title track on number six that has everyone kicking things up several notches. Even though there is some speed and power here, there are some calmer and subtle moments like the previous offerings and during the solos everyone struts their stuff. There is even an infusion of jazz just for good measure. It took me a while to get used to the singing and Bill’s ways with his voice, but came to appreciate it by the end of the disc. I was thoroughly impressed with the debut and can’t wait to hear more in the future. I think what makes this a successful disc is that just because we stamp this band and disc with the prog label it doesn’t have to be overtly overkill with the ludicrous guitar shreds, ultra complex drumming and bass pluckings that will have your head spin. This is sophisticated, melodic and easy to get into. Prog heads should eat this up as well as fans of good music in general. Something for everyone can be found on here. www.lasersedgegroup.com 

www.hooked-on-music.de
Griechenland ist für vieles bekannt: die Akropolis, Sonne, Strand, Ouzo und noch einiges andere. Aber keiner käme auf die Idee Griechenland für seine Fülle an hervorragenden Metal-Bands zu preisen (trotz der sehr starken FIREWIND) und noch weniger könnten überhaupt eine hellenische Prog-Metal-Band nennen. So ging es mir auch, bis mir die Debüt-CD von PERSONA NON GRATA in die Hände fiel.
Nun kann ich nicht nur sagen, es gibt Hoffnung für die griechischen Headbanger, sondern kann sogar behaupten, mit dieser Band wird in Zukunft weltweit zu rechnen sein, wenn ihnen das Schicksal nicht noch einen Streich spielt. Denn PERSONA NON GRATA erreichen schon auf ihrem Debüt eine spieltechnische und kompositorische Reife, die wirklich erstaunlich ist.
Der Griechen-Fünfer macht Prog-Metal genau in der Schnittmenge zwischen DREAM THEATER, SYMPHONY X, VANDEN PLAS und CIRCUS MAXIMUS mit leichten Anleihen bei FATE’S WARNING, sprich etwas pompös-angelegten meist straighten Metal, der durch seine Feinheiten und Verspieltheiten besticht, ohne einen mit allzu ausufernden Solo-Passagen auf die Probe zu stellen. Hier erinnern manche Songs wie etwa Dual Unity an die Wellen am Meer, die immer wieder an den Strand spülen. Die Kunst der Griechen besteht häufiger darin, mit Stimmungen und Dynamiken in einem Song zu spielen und zu experimentieren, als dass sie ihre instrumentalen Fähigkeiten in den Vordergrund drängen. Dass diese zweifelsohne vorhanden sind hört man eher nebenher.
Dabei bestehen PERSONA NON GRATA eigentlich erst seit den Aufnahmen zu “Shade In The Light“ als Band, denn die Musik stammt einzig und alleine von Keyboarder John Ioannidis und Gitarrist Chris Gatsos, die dann auch für die durchaus gelungene Produktion des Debüts verantwortlich zeichnen. Bassist Chris Vogiatzis und Schlagzeuger Akis Gavalas stießen erst im Studio zu Ioannidis, Gatsos und dem zuvor entdeckten Sänger Bill Axiotis. Dieser macht dann seine Sache auf der Scheibe auch direkt sehr gut. Er verleiht den Stücken einen guten Ausdruck und singt mit viel Leidenschaft.
Die neun Songs und ein Instrumental auf “Shade In The Light“ sind perfekt ausgearbeitet, dabei immer direkt auf den Punkt gebracht und auch eher kurz gehalten. Dazu trägt eben auch der Verzicht auf lange Instrumental-Passagen bei, bei PERSONA NON GRATA steht wohltuender Weise immer der Song im Vordergrund. Lediglich Personal Grattitude überschreitet die 7-Minuten-Marke. Wenn die Musik denn dann doch einmal länger als fünf Minuten ohne Unterbrechung auskommt liegt das eher an den sehr fließenden Übergängen zwischen den Stücken. Diese lassen dann schon einmal drei wie ein Stück erscheinen.
Wenn Chris Gatsos denn dann dabei doch mal zu einem Solo ansetzt, dann sind diese durch die Bank eher kurz gehalten und immer melodie-orientiert. Gatsos ist offensichtlich ein Gitarrist, der sein Ego gut unter Kontrolle hat und nicht sich und der Welt noch beweisen muss, was er alles aus den sechs Saiten holen kann. In meinen Ohren ist das eine sehr begrüßenswerte Eigenschaft.
Das Songwriting ist durch die Bank weg als sehr stark zu bezeichnen, es befindet sich kein einiger schwacher Song auf “Shade In The Light“, auch die Aufmachung der CD ist auf absolutem Champions-League-Niveau angesiedelt, so dass es immer wieder Spaß macht, die CD aus dem Regal zu holen und anzuhören. Eine kleine Schwäche fällt dann aber beim Blättern im Booklet auf. Die Texte erscheinen mir doch sehr konstruiert und holprig. Dabei könnten PERSONA NON GRATA beim nächsten Album sicher auf Hilfe durch einen englischen Muttersprachler zurückgreifen und damit die letzte verbliebene Schwäche auf einem wirklich überzeugenden und begeisternden Album ausmerzen.

http://metal-archives.com
Written by hells_unicorn  on March 29th, 2009
Progressive metal artists can be divided, at least in the most general of senses, into two distinct groups. The first being those that write songs, the second being those that create compositions. Though in the aftermath of Dream Theater’s rise to prominence with “Images In Words” there was a strong move towards compositions that did more to display the technical ability of the artists or the ingenuity of a composer looking to merge a plethora of differing styles and sounds together, often losing the charm of said album’s catchy elements, in the past few years the opposite trend has been more prevalent. Part of this is due to the advent of power progressive metal from the likes of Pagan’s Mind and Communic, but many bands still following a strictly Dream Theater/Fates Warning (post-1988) approach have also shortened their songs and put a stronger emphasis on memorable hooks.
Persona Non Grata fit into this general trend perfectly, avoiding some of the tediousness that can come with those who insist on breaking the 10 minute mark on half or even all of their songs. There is a great sense of restraint involved here, save perhaps in the dramatic performance of vocalist Bill Axiotis, who comes off as a pretty solid blend of Ray Adler’s high end vocalizations and Tom Englund’s rougher semi-growl approach. The songs tend to hang around the 5-6 minute mark, the keyboards are not overly prominent, and the lead guitar work is fairly subtle in comparison to most of the technicians dominating the scene. There are still naturally obligatory references to odd time signatures, riffs that seem to continually develop throughout a song‘s duration, and ballad sections that jump in fairly abruptly, but all within the scope of something that is fairly accessible.
Probably the biggest trap that bands of this persuasion tend to fall into is sounding more rock and jazz influenced than they do Metal influenced, and this Greek outfit definitely has its fair share of light sounding jazz piano sections and easier going rock elements. But when you hear heavy stews of hard edged riffing and synthesizer ambiences that dominate songs such as “Shade In The Light” and “Before The Reason”, the metal side of this album is fixed firmly in its place. It ends up listening like a slightly heavier version of “Perfect Symmetry” with a lead guitar and keyboard approach that fits into mid-90s Dream Theater, essentially combining the two strongest, yet also the two most widely imitated eras of both bands.
This is not the most groundbreaking or original release to come out of the progressive scene of late, but it does well in the quality department and avoids getting extremely long-winded. It will probably carry a little more appeal to metal fans outside of the progressive metal field because it relies on fairly well known and familiar sounds while avoiding the extended technical gymnastics that often come at the expense of the song. It’s far from the standard verse/chorus approach that you get out of mainstream music, and it still carries the general sense of eclecticism common to all in the genre. It’s a good release in spite of a fairly crowded field of competitors and has the potential to get better if the band takes further steps out of the 90s Dream Theater box.
Originally submitted to (http://www.metal-observer.com) on March 29, 2009.

www.ragazzi-music.
Am meisten beeindruckt mich - nach dem eröffnenden Motiv, das neugierig macht und die Nervosität der Band deftig überspielt - die Chuzpe der frisch gebackenen griechischen Progmetal Band. Als wäre es selbstverständlich, gehen sie sofort auf Nummer sicher und präsentieren sich im - ambitionierten - Mainstream progmetallischer Schule. Keine Experimente, scheint das Motto zu sein. Zwar sind die Songs komplex, ideenreich und mit einer unendlichen Fülle diverser Ecken und Kanten ausgestattet, logo, ist eben Prog Metal. Aber typische Sachen wie epische Riffs, rhythmische Eskapaden, orchestrale Arrangements, die Art des Gesanges in seiner Klage und Opernhaftigkeit, Keyboardtonnen, Bombastgitarren, Donnerdoppelbass-Attacken - jessarmara'njozeff - tun wir uns haben keine eigene Identität?
Ansonsten ist alles gut.
Die Songs sind ansprechend komponiert, klar, sonst wäre die Band nicht auf Sensory gelandet. Die Handwerker an ihren Instrumenten sind begabt und geübt. Spieldynamik ist hoch ausgeprägt, die emotionale Ausleuchtung der Themen könnte ein Standuhrenpendel genüsslich in sich schwingen lassen - nix zu meckern.
Die 10 Songs wurden von John Ioannidis (keys) und Chris Gatsos (g) komponiert. Sie kauften sich eine engagierte Crew ein, die so gut war, dass sie gleich in die frisch gegründete Band integriert wurde: Chris Vogiatzis (b), Bill Axiotis (voc) und Akis Gavales (dr) - muss auch sein, die drei haben die Songs entscheidend geprägt, nicht zuletzt der Mann am Mikrophon.
Es dröhnt, donnert und wummert gewaltig. Für Fans ein weiteres Album in der geliebten Spielweise. Für Neugierige, die abseits ausgetretener Pfade auf Glücksritterabenteuer aus sind, nur ein Kraut am Rande. Immerhin ein Anfang.

www.316productions.com
PERSONA NON GRATA
SHADE IN THE LIGHT
SENSORY
Greek progressive metal troupe Persona Non Grata glide along the familiar melodic path tread by bands like Edguy and Circus Maximus while traces of the moodiness of early Queensryche and Fates Warning lurk about on their 10-track offering SHADE IN THE LIGHT. This quintet's reliance on composition dramatics rather than instrumental acrobatics helps this unit make a durable batch of songs that permit the group's standout soaring vocal over dominant walls of keyboard charge to confidently lead through the light and dark hues of the prog metal prism. Stamping songs like "Stillness" and "Longing" with a chilling aura while naturally crunchy riffs ("Dual Unity") drive a spike through the heart during heavier tunes, this act's atmospheric delivery cuts out genre excess down to bare essential so things like tasty solos can shine ("Before the Reason"). Containing its fair share of punchy musical interplay while exhibiting an reverence for the edge, this disc will appease those who like to stick close to the gameplan.

www.dreun.com
De Italiaanse progmetalband Persona Non Grata bestaat al sinds 2003 en heeft recentelijk met ‘Shade in the Light’ zijn eerste heuse langspeler afgeleverd. Opener “Before the Reason” laat alvast veel goeds vermoeden: een moeilijke gitaarriff en harmoniserende keyboardlijn om mee te beginnen, daarna een hakkende riff en sfeervolle keyboards, waarna zanger Bill Axiotis laat horen dat hij een vrij groot bereik heeft. De man klinkt een beetje als een mix van Ray Adler (Fates Warning) en – vooral in de lagere regionen – Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche). In het refrein haalt hij echter hogere noten dan de Tate van 2009. De man verliest wel een beetje details in zijn articulatie, maar klinkt nooit te nasaal en kan bovendien rekenen op een verrassend sterke zanglijn.
“Dual Unity” begint met ‘spacey’ keyboards, gooit er dan heavy gitaarspel bij en transformeert uiteindelijk in een song die de naam van de titel wel degelijk eer aandoet. Het korte, daaropvolgende “Single Unity” doet het wat rustiger aan. Op songs als “Fives” of het titelnummer passeren enkele smaakvolle solo’s, maar het is opvallend dat de muzikanten zich zelden laten verleiden dat erg lange instrumentele passages. Wel zijn er voldoende sfeerwisselingen, maar de verder zeer bekwame drummer Akis Gavalas heeft zeker nog niet de enorme technische bagage die iemand als Mike Portnoy van Dream Theater wel heeft. In het begin lijkt de structuur van de songs een beetje op elkaar, maar onder andere semiballade “Longing” en het technisch complexe “Stillness” laten horen dat er ook creatiever kan omgegaan worden met componeren. Wat overblijft, is een meer dan degelijke progressieve metalplaat die voorlopig nog wat herkenbaarheid ontbeert om mee te draaien met de grote jongens.