Although billed as a prog metal band, Greece’s Fragment Soul are a world away from the genre’s typical Dream Theater and Threshold wannabes. On their 2024 EP ‘Galois Paradox’ they share a metal based sound that’s atmospheric and gloomy; a sound that shares parallels with a few of prog metal’s moodier traits, but at the same time, dares to be quite different. Although the release is short at just twenty seven minutes, the material still finds time to focus on various themes that link the tracks together as a whole: hope, love, loss, and “the chaos of thought” – although in this case, the shared concepts do not necessarily make this an obvious “concept” piece with a narrative flow. The songs can be enjoyed individually, and in some ways, are actually better when approached in such a way.

‘Eternal Night In Death’ opens with a brooding, almost gothic melody where a slow rhythm throws the focus on a hard edged drum part and flowing bass. The presence of a soaring voice set against such a dark backdrop actually creates something that’s closer to “late period” Porcupine Tree than any other prog metal you’d care to name, and the dual vocal shared between Marc Durkee and Tamara Filipovic sets up a great contrast. This isn’t just obvious Nbetween their two different tones, but also clear in the way both performers add something more atmospheric to the music’s brooding groove. This creates a very strong start to the track, but looking more closely at the music itself, that’s actually even stronger. The way an overdriven bass cuts through a ringing guitar really accentuates the gothic edge, and once the guitars rise into slightly heavier sounds – a very gradual change, achieved with the help of an almost chant-like vocal melody – Fragment Soul’s more thoughtful style really comes into its own. By the end of the track – and with those riffs elevating from the dark and gothic into the more broadly metallic – the marriage between the heaviness and clean vocal feels a little darker still, but since Durkee sounds (somewhat unexpectedly) like Jadis man Gary Chandler in places, his performance remains impressive, and his presence is absolutely pivotal in keeping everything melodic and not letting things descend into a more typical, overblown prog metal workout.

Placing the focus more on the piano, ‘All That I Despise’ feels, at first, like a track that will be a little more theatrical, but the swift arrival of a heavy, rather doomy chord progression from the guitars adds more of an unexpected twist. With a heavy riff in place, the band then veers off somewhere entirely different, since the verse works a very proggy melody around a funky bass. Landing somewhere between The Pineapple Thief and Godsticks, the prog feels more contemporary, and is perfectly arranged. Bringing the heavier riff back in for the chorus, there’s a strong link with the end of the previous track, and this is cemented by Durkee delivering a very similar vocal despite the harder edge. Overall, it becomes a perfect example of how the band blends heaviness and melody to achieve something with a great atmosphere, and despite everything ending prematurely, this is certainly one of ‘Galois Paradox’s strongest cuts.

Almost as strong, the lengthy ‘A Faceless God’ offers the listener something even more abrasive when Tamara shares a cold vocal against a hard edged guitar, exploring a different angle of the band’s more metallic interests. The track’s strongest moments aren’t actually connected to any brooding heaviness, however. The real interest here comes from the more prog-centric elements where Durkee’s brilliant vocals soar over ballad-centric piano lines and Spiros Giorgiou’s elegant bass playing. More so than before, Spiros proves to be vital to the band’s overall sound here, since he weaves melodies beneath the chiming guitars and slow grooves that fuse prog with a little funk, always choosing melodies that are the perfect counterpoint to the vocal, and even shows off a massive, distorted, grinding feel in places, dictated by an escalating dark mood. In relation to the other tracks here, this sidelines some of the band’s more song oriented skills in favour of atmosphere, changing moods and pure musicianship (though it never feels too “muso”), but most prog fans certainly won’t have an issue with that when the results sound so impressive. ‘The Pain Ceased” doesn’t bring quite as much variety throughout its six minutes, but those who’ve already found a love for Fragment Soul will be pleased by the number’s core melody, and the presence of even more of an AOR/melodic rock touch within a few of the bass/vocal parts. It’s great to hear Tamara featured a little more prominently too, and her mournful cry sounds superb on the track’s second verse, and absolutely perfect on the number’s Evanescence inspired interlude. With a riff that’s comparable to the heaviest parts of the opening track returning to create a massive climax, the whole band gets to cut loose, albeit briefly, before a cold coda brings the mood back down with several bars of stripped down vocal and guitar that’s short on intensity but massively atmospheric.

In closing, ‘This Empty Dream’ leads with a wash of ambient synths, then slowly brings in extra layers of melody via a very cinematic sounding piano and wordless vocal. Eventually, Tamara unleashes a big, melodic cry, adding a sound that’s impressive but never too domineering. The bulk of the number sounds like a Nightwish intro, but the fact that it doesn’t explode into a world of bombast actually makes it more impressive, since it relies far more on a floaty atmosphere, and in terms of showcasing a great voice, it’s actually one of this release’s strongest cuts. Also, by ending this selection of tracks with the kind of melody that allows the listener plenty of time for quiet reflection, it gives the feeling that Fragment Soul are more concerned with melody than some of their peers.

There’s a great deal of variety packed into these five tracks. Despite a fairly dense sound in places, the band show an equal ability with 90s style prog, melodic prog metal, goth, and even a couple of black metal-ish tones, each of which make up a great musical palette. ‘Galois Paradox’ is never a light and frothy affair, but for those able to find a way into the band’s work, this promises a dark, but rewarding listen.

January/April 2024