Still at Arms Length, the second album from Sweden's the
Provenance proves that the quintet is a true anomaly within their native Gothenburg. Shirking the high-velocity, melodic death metal style which has put their town on the world's musical map, the band pursues a much more laid-back direction, mixing gothic tendencies and mournful atmospherics with progressive rock ambitions. Heavy metal guitars can also be found in abundance here (see the forceful "Mimic" and "At Random Choose"), but about the only death metal-related ingredient in sight involves male vocalist Tobias Martinsson's occasional growls. Other than that, the
Provenance excel at conjuring vast landscapes of sound (check out disc highlights "Climbing Ideals," "Carousel of Descent" and the title track), which are often very reminiscent of Dutch sensations the
Gathering. But they also experiment with surprisingly fitting organs and flute, both courtesy of lead singer Emma Hellstrom. As the band's main focal point, Hellstrom also proves her mettle as a capable and versatile stylist, but doesn't yet possess the distinctive, self-asserting charisma to compete on par with other prog-metal sirens such as the
Gathering's
Anneke van Giersbergen or
Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia. Nor is the
Provenance's vision as mature or developed all around, but there's plenty of evidence and potential here to suggest this may be just around the corner. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia