I discovered To-Mera last year after being blown away by Haken's "Visions" and desperate for more. I discovered both bands share keyboardist and composer Richard Henshall, as well as some musical similarities. The reason I felt immediately drawn to this band is because they have a very unique style. And when a band has a style so unique, everything they do is interesting. "Exile" is essentially a continuation of the same music found in their previous release, "Delusions", but this music is so individual and fascinating that I don't mind them making the same album twice. When trying to describe the band's sound to my friends, I said "Imagine a female led metal band. That doesn't sound like Nightwish". My friend's response was "How is that even possible?" To-Mera are a basic progressive metal band, with hints of the 'djent' style of recent years, as well as some interesting sections that were prominent on both "Delusions" and Haken's debut "Aquarius", that draw on jazz, folk etc for influence. Progressive metal has been known for being rather boring, but the female vocals and interesting dynamic changes here keep you captivated and intrigued. The intro track, "Inviting The Storm" is a nice, short track with some truly fantastic drum work underneath some almost oriental sounding guitars. It builds into a nice heavy section before quieting to more ambience. A nice instrumental intro that shows the band's diverse influences. "The Illusionist" begins with some nice strings, without sounding like symphonic metal at all, a trait that To-Mera plays well. The guitar begins with a very djenty opening riff, Julie Kiss's vocals provide a softer contrast to make an interesting end result. More oriental sounds that remind me a bit of Myrath, and a soft section with some nice 5/4 meter follow the song onto the end. To-Mera show their ability of making songs with absolutely no structure sound very structured, in an odd way. The track flows nicely into "The Descent", with some nice piano and loud power chords. This track has some of the best vocal work on the album. The second half goes into a very odd section of fast drumming, neo-prog esque keyboards, and male death vocals. All makes for a very surreal experience until the cleans come back in. And interesting track going into untread ground. "Deep Inside" has some more fantastic work from drummer Paul Westwood, as well as one of the nicest solos of the album. Aside from that, nothing special about it. Another nice transition moves into the 10 minute "Broken". A heavier intro with some distorted vocals, as well as the return of strings and what almost sounds like a choir in the background. A long softer section with some nice gothic-style vocals finish the track. A very hectic intro begins "End Game", the shortest track on the album save the intro. One of the heaviest songs on the album, but it includes some truly fantastic piano work and a nice vocal melody. A nice acoustic section begins "Surrender", one of two longer tracks that close the album. Includes a very strange interlude that reminds me of the ones on Haken's Aquarius, with some organ on top of more excellent drumming. A nice melody finishes off one of the stronger songs on the album. Soft piano begins the almost 13 minute "All I Am". A nice song that sums up the entire album. Strong vocals over layered guitar and keyboards, with occasional showcases of brilliance from the instrumentalists. And the piano dominates throughout. Overall, a nice continuation from Delusions, nothing new, but when you have such a unique style, you don't need much new. Review by "Gallifrey" (Prog Archives).
RATING: 8.5 / 10 **GREAT**
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