Katagory V - A New Breed Of Rebellion

*=Staff's pick	Sands Of Time Turn To Grey* No Response* A New Breed Of Rebellion A Peaceful Act Of Terrorism* Your Dreams Chrono-Logic In Dark Night One Last Time

Genre	Progressive Heavy Metal	Lynn Allers	Vocals
Tracks	9	Chris Morrell	Guitar
Runningtime	51 Min.	Trevor Asire	Guitar
Label	MetalAges Records	Dustin Mitchell	Bass
Release	27 Jan. 2004	Matt Suiter	Drums
Country	USA	-	Keyboards
Similar artists	Fates Warning, Queensrÿche, Nevermore

Katagory V from Utah is a new acquaintance for me and I found them to sound very close to an older version of Fates Warning. Musically this goes under what the Americans would call power metal, as that genre isn't exactly the same there as it is in Europe. Progressive heavy metal with thrash as a just an important ingredient as the melodic and progressive elements, and Katagory V has the skills to make this sound good.

The music can go from calmer parts of Fates Warning and to then burst out in to more thrashier parts reminding of Nevermore, not just as melancholic though. Katagory V provides progressive and chugging music contra softer and calmer parts and it offers a real challenge for your ear, and if you are up for it you will find that this is a really great album. Complex songs and progressive structures, much as on Fates Warnings album Perfect Symmetry (1989), but they are not trying to copy or steal, they are just very close.

The comparison to the early sound of Queensrÿche is also something that I cant avoid, especially when Lynn Allers voice close in to the high-pitches resembling those of Geoff Tate. In the track Your Dreams it is almost a copy, otherwise it is more Ray Alder from Fates Warning that is a close match, although a bit rougher around the edges and not as powerful, but still very good though. It sometimes scares me with how close to Alder he sounds.

The production leaves you with much to wish for, it actually sounds as it is recorded in a basement with crappy equipment and it steals much of the attention. A fat sounding production and a better producer would have made this sound great, Katagory V in the hands of Terry Brown that does Fates Warning would have been splendid. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with the song material that Katagory V has to offer, great progressive metal without making it to complicated.

Production	Vocals	Compositions
3	8	7

Summary
7 chalices of 10 - Thomas