Soul Secret > Flowing Portraits > Reviews
...Soul Secret at this point in their career may not win favor with the originality police, but I’ll give this young band credit for exciting the listener with 6 lengthy tracks (clocking in at close to an hour) that certainly will not pass by without a few awe-inspiring licks and tricks from the five members. The core of guitarist Antonio Vittozzi, bassist Lucio Grilli and drummer Antonio Mocerino have been involved with the group since August of 2004, and their tightness in terms of arrangement skill and drop dime tempo changes spirals incessantly from riff to riff. The shortest track "Regrets" also works with ballad magic because of the minimalist acoustic nature and a shining emotional melody from Mark - giving me hope that Soul Secret will try to emphasize this diversity with future records...
www.imhotep.no/?did=9078461&aid=9069486
To my ears, Italy is producing some of the better progressive metal around at the moment and this is no exception. Take yourself back to the Dream Theater sound of the mid-nineties and you're in the same ballpark as Soul Secret...Progressive metal certainly has a bright new star to cherish, this is without doubt an absolute must have for every fan of this genre.
www.getreadytorock.com/reviews2008/soul_secret.htm
Interview with band
www.metalperspective.com/interviews/soulsecret.php
German review
www.musikansich.de/review.php?id=5933
It has been a while but 'finally' we have one again; an Italian prog metal band who have Fates Warning and Dream Theater as main influences, or so it seems as Soul Secret make clear on their album 'Flowing Portraits'. Sometimes it can turn our a bit disturbing even when bands do that but not with Soul Secret, they manage quite well actually. Lots of variation with spotlight on guitarist Antonio Vitozzi but also on the keyboards of Luca diGanerro, while singer Mark Basile is doing his job more than OK too. His voice is somewhat reminiscent of Charlie Dominici anno 2008 by the way...
www.lordsofmetal.nl/showreview.php?id=11634&lang=en
Italian review
www.metalzone.it/recensioni2008/soulsecret.html
...“Dance of the Waves” with its strange beginning is the perfect illustration of the melodic metal ties. “First Creature” is in the same musical path, maybe more melodic than the first track. “Inner War” has a great piano beginning; it is also a very good progmetal song. I really like it because it is at the same time powerful and melodic. The guitar solo is fine. “Learning to Lose” is a classic symphonic prog song with a good blend of guitars and keys, it borders on AOR. “Regrets” is a cool ballade which creates a quiet acoustic moment. “Tears of Kalliroe” is the epic length track of this CD and by far the best piece with its superb orchestral beginning. We are not far here from Rhapsody and Luca Turilli. In this piece all the musical styles that I described before are blended in an original brew. It is a real joy to hear. The synths are for me the backbone of this piece even if the guitars are playing powerfully...
www.silverdb.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25389
...Of course it’s closer Tears of Kalliroe that will excite prog fans the most and the band don’t disappoint, running the full gamut of styles from the grand classical intro (read: three minutes) through some of the album’s heaviest guitars to some typically intricate keyboard playing and impossible guitar solos. It’s five minutes before any vocals are heard and in places these are some of the most aggressive of the record.
Flowing Portraits is one of the most impressive progressive metal debuts for some time, possibly since Daniel J.’s Losing Time (also on ProgRock Records). Hopefully they can build from this, get some solid touring under their belt and become a staple on the prog circuit.
www.jukeboxmetal.com/2008/soul-secret-flowing-portraits
Slovokian review
www.rockplanet.sk/news.php?akcia=view&id=579&typ=4
Italian review
www.truemetal.it/reviews.php?op=albumreview&id=6895
Portuguese review
fenixwebzine.blogspot.com/2008/05/soul-secret-flowing-portraits-2008.html
This is a debut release from Italian prog metal band Soul Secret. What is it with prog metal bands from Italy? They are all of a high standard and know how to produce great sounding music. This band is no different.
The band comprises of Mark Basile(ex-Mind Key) – Vocals, Antony Vittozzi – Guitar, Lucio Grilli – Bass, Luca Di Gennaro – Keyboards and Antonio Mocerino – Drums. They have certainly concocted a potent mix of metal, prog, symphonic, and acoustic moments that blend so well together. There are six songs on the CD totaling 60 minutes. They state their influences as Dream Theater and a host of other bands in that genre. One thing they have managed to do is to release a truly great debut CD. They even have Karl Groom onboard mastering the album. If I had a progressive metal band, I would want him to do the mastering as well, and maybe the producing, if I could afford him...
usaprogmusic.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_simple_review&Itemid=28&review=149-Soul-Secret-Flowing-Portraits
Italian review
www.loudvision.it/musica_recensioni-soul-secret-flowing-portraits--2090.html
Italian interview
www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=706&page=1
...Highlight is the last, epic song called "Tears Of Kalliroe", which features an amazing orchestral overture followed by sheer brilliant prog metal passages which you could listen to for hours without getting bored. If Soul Secret is able to develop their own style a bit more then I promise this young band a bright future. So, keep your ears open for Soul Secret!!
www.rockunited.com/reviews2008_4_6.htm#soulsecret_fp
Italian review
www.babylonmagazine.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2865&Itemid=0
...From the very start Flowing Portraits is a powerful album and Soul Secret is a welcome addition in progressive metal. Regrets is were the power is put to a stop, it's a beautiful acoustic song with soul. A good song to catch a bit of breath before Tears Of Kalliroe really lifts this album. It starts slowly with movie score sounds, gradually the power increases and with the bass and drums provide a solid structure for this monumental song. The accent for the guitar on this song is mainly in the powerful riffs, but what power and timing from this man. The main part of the solos and melodies are placed in the hands of the keyboard player, he has been given the largest space to excel. All things considered though, I still think vocalist Mark Basile is the celebrated man on Tears Of Kalliroe and he fully shows his capabilities - during the powerful parts he is very convincing. Tears Of Kalliroe is by far the best song on the album a nd towards the end of the song the intensity increases to a huge climax...
www.dprp.net/reviews/200826.php#soulsecret
Interview
www.lordsofmetal.nl/showinterview.php?id=2173&lang=en
Interview
www.dprp.net/specials/2008_soulsecret
Italian interview
www.truemetal.it/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=28085&mode=&order=0&thold=0
German review
www.musikansich.de/ausgaben/1108/reviews/mo_soulsecret.html
Polish review
www.mlwz.ceti.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2314&Itemid=26
..."Tears of Kalliroe" is the epic closer, and takes the listener through heaven, hell and back again. All of this accomplished in the span of nearly seventeen minutes. That's right, seventeen minutes. This is not just a song, it's an absolute monster. And while the running time seems excessive, every second is packed with fantastic instrumentation, beautiful vocals and fluid melodies. A movie-score like beginning opens the song up before the lead heavy guitars begin crunching in amongst the layered keys. Insane swapping between this rich orchestration and clawing heavy metal, it's a song of drama and virtuosity. A drowning pool of solos keeps the song clipping at an incredible pace, all while the vocals keep you grounded with their solidity and haughty sweeping majesty.
Mark's DC Cooper-like vocal command comes into play here, as the soul shredding conviction is absolutely unshakeable. For those that cut their teeth on prog metal similiar to this, it will be like a spinning dizzy retro trip of bliss. However, you also get the feeling that if the six songs available here had been chopped up into perhaps eight, the disc would become much more accessible to the general audience. There are plenty of ideas running wild here, and Soul Secret has the talents to keep everything grounded and running smoothly throughout the six tracks...
www.revelationz.net/index.asp?ID=2586
Italian review
www.metalloitaliano.it/Recensioni/dettaglio.php?id=624
...The ending piece, "Tears of Kalliroe," is an impressive sixteen-minute opus. It opens with a grandiose, classically inspired overture that would have not sounded out of place as a soundtrack to an historical epic film. The performance that follows is filled with conflicts, and as such introduces some rougher vocals, coarser guitars and menacing themes, adding even more power to one of 2008 most impressive debuts.
maelstrom.nu/ezine/review_iss64_4891.php
...The song titled Learning to Lose is a kind of conclusive evidence that Soul Secret had no far-reaching designs (to achieve commercial success, for instance) when choosing the style they did, but were (and still certainly are) just bewitched by Dream Theater and their work. Nonetheless, all this has been played before, many times, and not only by the originators of the style. I confirm that both musically and technically, “Flowing Portraits” is overall a very good collection of songs, though I’d have probably rated it as a masterpiece if Dream Theater was behind it.
www.progressor.net/review/soul_secret_2008.html
Italian review
www.movimentiprog.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Recensioni&file=view&id=2690
Hungarian review
iconmusic.webs.com/anmeldelsesoulsecretflow.htm
Portugese review
progbrasil.com.br/ExibeResenhas.php?eID=1020
Italy certainly knows how to churn out red-hot progressive metal bands, the latest being Soul Secret, one of the new stars on the ProgRock Records roster. Their debut CD Flowing Portraits reminds us of everything we loved about the genre in the early 90's-melodic vocals, crunchy guitar work, symphonic keyboards, and intricate rhythms. To add some veteran presence to this release, Threshold's guitarist Karl Groom performed the mastering, and former Mind Key singer Mark Basile came in to handle lead vocals. With six tracks clocking in at just under an hour, expect long songs (all are over 7-minutes with the exception of one, and the longest nearly 17) filled with bombast and chops galore. Those familiar with Basile's past work with Mind Key should already know of his commanding DC Cooper-meets-Jamies LaBrie-meets-Dennis DeYoung styled vocal delivery, and he's in fine form throughout Flowing Portraits...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6266
Interview with Lucio
www.metallinks.nl/02-interviews/Soul%20Secret.html
...As for the songs all six of them are over 7 minutes and one almost 17 minutes and I must say this last long song is just amazing it's called Tears of Kalliroe and you can find all the right progressive metal elements in it
I think that we gonna hear a lot more of Soul Secret in the future cause I'm sure all the prog Metal/Rock fans around will love this debut album or you don't if you really hate
Dream Theater cause they just reminds me of them a lot.
www.metallinks.nl/01-reviews/Soul%20Secret.html
German review
www.home-of-rock.de/CD-Reviews2/Soul_Secret/Flowing_Portraits.html
Japanese review
maruy.blog79.fc2.com/blog-entry-85.html
"Flowing Portraits" is the debut album of the Italian band Soul Secret, which was recently released by ProgRock Records. Influenced mainly by Dream Theater, but from Vanden Plas, Spock’s Beard and Symphony X as well, Soul Secret have done a giant step towards their establishment as a rising force in modern progressive metal. It maybe very early, but the signs are very positive. Their debut is full of intensity, power and melodies...
www.metalperspective.com/reviews/soulsecret.php
Italian review
www.unprogged.com/showthread.php?t=3012
Italian review
www.hardsounds.it/PUBLIC/recensione.php?id=4047
French review
www.musicwaves.fr/frmChronique.aspx?PRO_ID=2924
Prog purists will probably call this prog metal rather than crunchy prog. I can see their point, but I disagree. Don’t get me wrong, there are parts of the album where this is true, but there are at least as many sections where the progressive rock elements take the forefront. Coupled with the complex musical arrangements, I’d put this more in the prog rock school than the metal one. These guys have a good deal of Dream Theater in them, but there is also Rush, Queensryche, Fates Warning and even ELP. It’s all woven into a sound that’s decidedly unique, even though it owes debts to the music of other bands. This is a heck of a thrill ride and a great disc. If you like your prog with a good deal of metal thrown in – or perhaps your metal with a lot of peanut butter – sorry prog, then this is for you.
www.musicstreetjournal.com/index_cdreviews_display.cfm?id=100573
French review
www.musicinbelgium.net/pl/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=2651
http://www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=1268
www.metalchroniques.fr/guppy/articles.php?lng=fr&pg=1268
Spanish review
manticornio.com/rock-progresivo/S/SOUL-SECRET/flowing-portraits.html
...My wife called it metal-prog the first time she heard the band. Before reading the press-kit i felt the influence of Treshold and behold the album is produced by Karl Groom (guitar player from Threshold)
This is heavy prog. You get blasted by riffs. Keyboard solo's fly all the way which can be said from the guitar solo's too.
Masterpiece of the album is the epic "Tears of Kalliroe" which is available for download. It's not an easy listening album. You have to take the time to get involved with it but if you invest that time you have digged up a goldmine...
progressivemusic-ginfress.blogspot.com/2008/04/soul-secret-flowing-portraits.html
...the guys really end the album with a bang! A very impressive epic song of almost 17 minutes, which can measure up to any classic epic song. "Tears Of Kalliroe" has it all. Listening to this song is a gratifying experience for your ears and brain :) It builds up with a star role for Di Gennaro and has great orchestrations. The riffs are commanding and powerful. The previous songs already showed these guys have the skills to not only write great songs, but also to perform them in an excellent way. But with this last song they prove they need not play Dream Theater covers... they should share a stage with Dream Theater!..
www.progressiveworld.net/html/modules.php?name=Reviews&rop=showcontent&id=3416
...To my ears, Italy is producing some of the better progressive metal around at the moment and this is no exception. Take yourself back to the Dream Theater sound of the mid-nineties and you’re in the same ballpark as Soul Secret. Mastered by Threshold’s Karl Groom, unbelievably, this well structured, highly polished album is the Italian 5-piece’s debut album and one I recommend everyone should check out. Registering just over 51 minutes, Flowing Portraits contains a mere 6 songs with the splendid epic finale of Tears Of Kalliroe accounting for around a third of them. So prepare yourself for extended instrumental sections containing masses of complex playing, fantastic vocals, guitar solos to die for, explosive drumming, symphonic orchestrations and blasts of rampant riffing. Further reference points are vocalist Mark Basile similarity to James LaBrie, nowhere more so than on Inner War, a track that could quite easily have fallen off Dream Theater’s Awake album. Whilst Learning To Lose is reminiscent of Rush in their heyday...
www.atfreeforum.com/crnewswire/viewtopic.php?p=7840&sid=6f6248f19b45ee70e86f2501248abeb8&mforum=crnewswire
Dutch review
www.fileunder.nl/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?tag=Soul%20Secret&blog_id=1
Flowing Portraits by Soul Secret is an interesting debut album. The musical style could be easily defined as progmetal. As a matter of fact, it is very near in spirit and in sound to the melodic metal movement. I think of bands and musicians such as Rhapsody, Celtic Frost, Luca Turilli, NightWhish or Demons & Wizards, but they are also influenced by more classic prog bands such as Symphony X and Dream Theatre. They are definitely on the melodic side of the divide particularly the guitar of Antonio Vottozzi and the keys of Luca Di Gennaro. The drumming by Antonio Mocerino is excellent and varied, which is not always the case with that style of music. The bass is aptly played by Lucio Grilli. Finally, Mark Basile vocals are more than up to par and as a replacement of Michele Serpico, he is excellent....It will be interesting to follow this band in the future. For now, it is a very good melodic progmetal band that I recommend to all lovers of that style of music.
www.proggnosis.com/MUSIC_DBCDInfo.asp?txtCDID=25389
German review
www.heavy-metal.de/?id=11739
Italian interview
www.loudvision.it/musica_interviste-soul-secret-lucio-grilli--127.html#
Dutch review
zwaremetalen.com/recensie/10738/Soul-Secret-Flowing-Portraits.html
Italian interview
www.loudvision.it/musica_interviste-soul-secret-lucio-grilli--127.html
Italian interview
www.unprogged.com/showthread.php?t=3357
Italian interview
www.babylonmagazine.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2882&Itemid=39
Italian review
www.eutk.net/album.aspx/9122
German review
www.obliveon.de/pn-om/modules.php?op=modload&name=cdreviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=11504
German review
www.metal-district.de/cdkritik-4549-soulsecret-flowing_portraits.html
One could say that Italy has a tradition in progressive rock and metal bands. Soul Secret is one of the latest additions to the country's scene. The band was formed in the mid 00s and this is its debut album after a series of line up changes.
At first I was a bit intimidated by the length of the tracks but listening to the album I realized that time passed by rather quickly and pleasantly. Early Dream Theater can easily be listed as the band's main influence. There is a balance between all instruments with the vocals (nice accent by the way!) holding the leading role. There is a variety of parts and themes from fast paced to acoustic and this works in favour of the listener. Soul Secret can prove a worthy substitute now that the once mighty Dream Theater is completely out of shape in my opinion. All the progsters out there have just discovered their new buy!
www.mariosmetalmania.com/CDDVDreviews.html