FELS – An Exercise In Balance. When one of your MetalTalk colleagues recommends an album from an unsigned band and asks if you can give it a listen, you usually take note. The team here have excellent and broad taste, so you are usually in for a treat. Sometimes going in blind is a disaster.
FELS – An Exercise In Balance
Release Date: Out Now
Words: Paul Hutchings
I have had some real struggles with albums that do not match my tastes, and although the role of the reviewer is not to necessarily give a personal opinion, it is inevitable that your own bias will sometimes colour the water. Not so with An Exercise In Balance from FELS.
Just over an hour of highly crafted Progressive Metal and rock is rarely a chore for me, and FELS debut does hit the right notes. An intricate blend of powerful riffs, rich melodies and glorious harmonies, this pulls through memories of early Dream Theater as well as drawing from ’80s Progressive bands like IQ and Pendragon.
Throw in a contemporary sound and production, and you have a winner of an album.
Formed in Austria in 2018, this album was released in 2023 with a version on vinyl following the initial CD. With a small bit of line-up juggling, the band is now a six-piece, which provides ample scope for them to deliver this music live.
It is the clean vocals of Mario Hirzinger which catch the attention from the start, with three members of the band providing backing vocals, enabling the rich harmonies to enhance each piece.
An Exercise In Balance is an album that is pleasing from the first listen. No song overstays its welcome, the longest track one of three at just over six-minutes. The interplay is fantastic. For example, the mid-section on Vintage Wings combines lush synths with a blistering lead guitar break that soars over the heavy rhythm section. It is good stuff from start to finish.
An Exercise In Balance is an album that is simply uplifting. Each song works on its own, but together this is a collection that proves the decision to move from a covers band to one making original songs was the right one.
Elements of Yes flit in and out on Obsidian Heart, whilst opener Pale Little Dead Man brings just the right tempo to get you interested and engaged. Tie Loose Ends Together draws on the Deep Purple richness of organ for its opening, with a chunky riff chugging along to keep things moving.
I will admit that this will be recipient of many more listens over the next few months, for it has instant appeal yet the growth potential that comes with living with an album, spending time exploring those songs and allowing it to permeate more deeply.
Sonically majestic, An Exercise In Balance has put FELS firmly on my radar.
