In times, where a lot of so-called Progressive Metal has managed to become generic (now if that is not a paradox in itself, I don’t know anymore), bands that actually stay away from the true and tested formulas are a breath of fresh air. Dutch Progsters IN-TENSION are one of these bands and while they do not utilize any elements previously unheard of or unmixed before, their take on the Progressive Metal genre is fresh and while being far straighter than most of what usually is lumped into this style, they seem to get the meaning of being progressive more than many others.

Four years after their album “Fragments” the quartet is back and their MO has basically stayed the same, sitting somewhere between Progressive Rock and Metal, with Noortje van de Voort’s high, almost fragile voice as one extra characteristic. As before, the band does not put complexity first, trying to dazzle the listener by playing three scales backwards at the same time and changing the rhythm more often than a hummingbird can flap his wings, but puts the emphasis on the song and the fact that you can be demanding and accessible at the same time, which is a very nice variation to the usual Prog routine.

While listening to “Transfigure” I more than once feel reminded of “Wounded Land”, the famed debut of British Proggers THRESHOLD, as the atmosphere and song structure goes into a quite similar direction, while the high voice of Noortje somehow reminds me of the equally high performance of Damian Wilson on said album, and given that it still is one of my favourite Prog albums of all time, that definitely bodes well for IN-TENSION. Part of this might also be attributed to the production, which seems a little on the trebly side, just like THRESHOLD’s debut, but while that normally could be a bad sign for the quality of the songs contained, it fits the style the Dutch band is following and actually gives it character.

Given the quality of the songs here, I would hope for a new full album soon and I would hope that they’d stick to what they are offering here, because they are able to carve a very nice own niche within the genre that a wider audience should be able to appreciate. More of this, please!