Norway is a country where nowadays prog metal has grown a big reputation. From old bands like the great Ark or Conception, to newer bands like Circus Maximus, Communic, Above Symmetry and Pagan’s Mind. I didn’t mention these names for comparison because this new band, Dimension Act, has surely some new things to offer to us, the listeners, but sure they have ways to go and reach the level of appeal of the mentioned bands. The band was formed by Marius Nilsen and Tom Vidar Salangli in mid 2008. The guys quickly found out they could be more than just a side project. Nilsen handled all the instrumental duties and Tom Vidar Salangli took over vocal duties. In 2009 they entered the studio and recorded their debut album “Manifestation of Progress” and have reached a worldwide deal with Prog Rock Records recently for their album’s release.
The opening tune, “Cosmic Chaos”, has a nice mid tempo groove that introduces the band to a pretty strong rhythm and bass section, but the vocals seem to be a little drowned in the overall tone of the song. The excellent groove of “Industrial Evilution” has some sick drum work that makes this long lasting tune rise above mere greatness. “Uncharted Waters” has some soft parts but the main attraction is again the heavy guitars which provide you some intense melodies. “Perspectives Chapter” is a song which you typically expect if you listen a lot of progressive metal. A tune which is half an hour long and is broken to six parts. The composition is very well done and each part is melted together nicely into one song.
Overall it’s really not a bad effort from Dimension Act especially if you consider that it’s their first release. They surely need improvements here and there but I think they can break through the great competition of bands in this genre. I think on this album the vocals needed a more front emphasis; all the instrumentation and stuff are great but they overshadow at times the really solid vocals of Tom Vidar Salangli. ”Manifestation Of Progress” is one of these albums that need more than a couple of listens and some time to grow on you so that you can fully understand their complexity and their sound (as in the most progressive metal albums). As a debut, it is a great sign and we can expect a greater effort next time. Everyone who likes prog metal should give them a shot!
| Track List | Line Up |
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01. Cosmic Chaos
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Tom Vidar Salangli – Lead and backing vocals Marius Nilsen – Electric and acoustic guitars, additional keyboards Kristian Berg – Keyboards Tommy Granli – Bass guitars Frank Nordeng Røe – Drums |