Spheric Universe Experience

Fusing progressive pretentiousness and power metal wizardry, Spheric Universe Experience serve up a release that is almost as convoluted as their name. This relatively new French outfit can be immediately compared to Andromeda, whom Spheric Universe Experience cites as an influence and with good reason — they are nearly a carbon copy of the Andromeda power-prog sound. The technical abilities of SUE are not to be questioned though. Complex structures and timings dot the landscape of Anima, and the ever-prevalent keyboards juice up the cheese factor a little more. There are times when the tempo and girth of the sound beefs up to near-Opeth type riffing, but that’s only when the keyboards take a back seat. All said, the sound is a little too much to take in, at times, but those looking for an experience that requires both complexity and sing-along merriment may find some good moments on this record. For the power-prog masters, listen to Extension of the Wish by Andromeda; they produced this sound first and did it a whole lot better.