Dangerdog Music Reviews :: © 1999 - 2024 Craig S Hartranft :: All Rights Reserved
No part of this this website, including design and music reviews,
may be reproduced in any form or by any means without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
- New Music Reviews
- |
- Archives
- |
- News
- |
- Submissions
- |
- About
- |
- |
New Music Reviews, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, AOR, Alternative Rock, Alternative Metal
Recent Reviews
May 2024
- Riot V: Mean Streets
- Anette Olzon: Rapture
- FM: Old Habits Die Hard
April 2024
- War Grave: War Grave EP
- Six By Six: Beyond Shadowland
- Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
- Praying Mantis: Defiance
- King Zebra: Between The Shadows
- About Us: Take A Piece
- Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories
March 2024
- Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
- Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
- The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
- Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
- Lipz: Changing The Melody
- The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
- Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
- Turbulence: Binary Dream
- Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
- D'Luna: Monster
- Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
- Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help
February 2024
- Traveler: Prequel To Madness
- Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
- Honeymoon Suite: Alive
- Durbin: Screaming Steel
- Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
- Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
- Striker: Ultrapower
- Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
- Robert Hart: Circus Life
Vertigo Steps: Surface/Light
Vertigo Steps: Surface/Light
Melodic Heavy/Progressive Rock
4.0/5.0
Facebook
YouTube
Ethereal Sound Works
by Craig Hartranft, 03.26.2012
Vertigo Steps is the project of Portuguese multi-instrumentalist Bruno Saramágico de Almeida, and Surface/Light is his third album. His brand of heavy rock, with layers of ambience and atmosphere, melody and stinging guitar, should appeal to fans looking for an intersection between Katatonia and Muse.
Vertigo Steps: in a happier mood.
Generally, the character of Surface/Light feels heavy and dark, or melancholy and brooding. There's seems an inherent sadness under the surface, a sadness that doesn't allow for much light. But conversely there's a vibrancy that arises even within this context, notable on songs like Railroads, Helsinki, or Someone Like You. Then a tune like Zeppelin on Fire seems to turn on a pure up tempo rock groove, dismissing the aformentioned observation.
So then the song composition is intriguing, enough to cause the listener to listen more than once to any particular song. But Surface/Light should probably be listened to as a whole from beginning to end. There's a definable measure of continuity here, whether from the undercurrents of ambience or the edgier, yet melodic, chord structure.
Vertigo Steps' Surface/Light is an engaging platter of edgier melodic heavy rock, lush with atmosphere, and nods to progressive rock. Not exactly my first choice in this category, but certainly surprising and entertaining. Recommended.
Tweet
In Short
Vertigo Steps' Surface/Light is an engaging platter of edgier heavy rock, large atmosphere and ambience, with nods to progressive rock.
Find A Review
Alphabetical Index
New & Notable
Six years after the success of their self-titled debut album, Multi-national trio Six By Six returns with their second album, Beyond Shadowland. The band, once again, feature guitarist Ian Crichton (Saga), drummer ... [ Read More ]