First off I gotta say this album is MASSIVE. 26 complete songs spanning a 109 minute album with little to no filler. Yeah, you read right, 26 songs. I listened to “Volume” in it’s entirety twice today while driving back from the beach and loved a good bit of it. The effort really shows when such a long record is so powerful and intricate. Makes me wonder how long it’s been in the making. Of course, some moments are better than others but overall this is a very solid debut release. Wide Eyes has a very technical, melodic, powerful, progressive sound with electronic and atmospheric elements which feel good in your ears.

A little background… This band started as a solo project in Akron, Ohio but ended up being something much bigger. Now with 6 members, Instrumental Progressive Metal band Wide Eyes just put out their debut exclusively on Bandcamp August 21st for streaming and download (You get to name your own price. That’s a deal and a half). Adam “Nolly” Getgood of Periphery/Red Seas Fire mastered “Volume” and did a good job of it.

This band first caught my attention awhile back when they released a pre-production demo for “The Galveston Key”. The varied songwriting was great and everything flowed nicely. That first impression would be a good way to sum up this album. Just very well done. The album opener and standout track “Inception” also really gives you an idea of what to expect. It caught me off guard at first with sparkly upbeat electronics only to smash me with heaviness and smooth me out with melody before chopping with jagged edged technical riffs. Other stand out tracks are “Marahute”, “Genie”, “Revival” “Chronicles of Zuo”, “New Order of the Ages” and the 10 minute epic “Demarcation” among a large number of others. The two songs made available by the band on youtube can be found above and below. A full album stream is available here. I found only a handful of moments on “Volume” to be a tad stale. For example, “Eskalofrio” is fundamentally a good song but I feel like I’ve heard it all before. This band has an influence from/similarity to groups such as Volumes, Periphery, and maybe a bit of Animals as Leaders and I, The Breather. But similarities aside, they definitely have a driving force of their own. Gems of genius and originality can be found throughout the experience.

These guys are prolific as hell. They have already been working on a new EP and a second album. That being said, I think everyone should give Wide Eyes a round of applause for the effort. It would be really cool to see Wide Eyes take on a vocalist, but honestly they can do whatever they want. But in the mean time you should definitely get yourself to Bandcamp and give these dudes a download or some monies.