DGM - Hidden Place
Scarlet Records - SC 061-2 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Italian prog-metallers DGM have been around for quite a while now - this is their fourth full-length album, and their first release for the respected Italian metal label Scarlet. These guys are being touted as the Italian answer to Symphony X and Dream Theater, so straight away you can be fairly assured of what you're going to get - melodic, instrumentally complicated symphonic prog-metal with a touch of power metal melodrama to boot. Luckily though, DGM have managed to actually stamp something of their own identity on the songs with Hidden Place.
Crucially (and, strangely, somewhat rarely for a lower-tier prog-metal group), DGM have had this record blessed with a balanced, professional-sounding production job. The vocals don't dominate, the drums don't sound like plastic bottles being hit with pens, the keyboards sound more expensive than the average Bontempi and the guitars actually have some bite and crunch to the distortion. All of this immediately lifts DGM above the likes of, for example, Adamanter. The songs too are impressively written - slower, more introspective and atmospheric passages with laid-back lead guitars and complementary keyboards burst into faster-paced metal workouts in a Dream Theater-stylee, with the added bonus of lead guitar work that displays an occasional jazz influence and some impressively intricate drumming.
The vocals stand out too, sounding like James LaBrie on PCP - more aggressive, but still able to belt out an impressive high note or two when the occasion calls for it. That last point is possibly the greatest triumph DGM have accomplished - the seemingly long-forgotten art of restraint in prog-metal albums. DGM recognise that not every song needs to be an exercise in sore-thumbed drumming solo lessons or fretboard-igniting workouts - if a simple chord progression or metal riff will do the job, then so be it. This gives the songs identity and makes them far more memorable for it, although as the solos in tracks like 'Storm #351' show, they can also throw in a jaw-dropping technical passage when they feel like it.
Overall, a refreshingly high-quality album in a genre overpopulated with crap.
8/10
DGM's Official Website
Scarlet Records Website
Scarlet Records - SC 061-2 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
Italian prog-metallers DGM have been around for quite a while now - this is their fourth full-length album, and their first release for the respected Italian metal label Scarlet. These guys are being touted as the Italian answer to Symphony X and Dream Theater, so straight away you can be fairly assured of what you're going to get - melodic, instrumentally complicated symphonic prog-metal with a touch of power metal melodrama to boot. Luckily though, DGM have managed to actually stamp something of their own identity on the songs with Hidden Place.
Crucially (and, strangely, somewhat rarely for a lower-tier prog-metal group), DGM have had this record blessed with a balanced, professional-sounding production job. The vocals don't dominate, the drums don't sound like plastic bottles being hit with pens, the keyboards sound more expensive than the average Bontempi and the guitars actually have some bite and crunch to the distortion. All of this immediately lifts DGM above the likes of, for example, Adamanter. The songs too are impressively written - slower, more introspective and atmospheric passages with laid-back lead guitars and complementary keyboards burst into faster-paced metal workouts in a Dream Theater-stylee, with the added bonus of lead guitar work that displays an occasional jazz influence and some impressively intricate drumming.
The vocals stand out too, sounding like James LaBrie on PCP - more aggressive, but still able to belt out an impressive high note or two when the occasion calls for it. That last point is possibly the greatest triumph DGM have accomplished - the seemingly long-forgotten art of restraint in prog-metal albums. DGM recognise that not every song needs to be an exercise in sore-thumbed drumming solo lessons or fretboard-igniting workouts - if a simple chord progression or metal riff will do the job, then so be it. This gives the songs identity and makes them far more memorable for it, although as the solos in tracks like 'Storm #351' show, they can also throw in a jaw-dropping technical passage when they feel like it.
Overall, a refreshingly high-quality album in a genre overpopulated with crap.
8/10
DGM's Official Website
Scarlet Records Website
