Band:	Reasons Behind
Album:	The Alpha Memory
Style:	Symphonic power metal
Release date:	December 01, 2014
A review by:	Jason W.

01. A Broken Melody
02. Under The Surface
03. The Chemical Theater
04. With Your Light
05. Starlight In The Shades
06. On Butterfly Wings
07. The Ghost Under My Skin
08. 1000 Fading Lives
09. The Alpha Memory
10. In The End?

Reasons Behind waste no time in undertaking an ambitious concept album with their debut, The Alpha Memory. Guitar-driven symphonic metal that is full of exuberant keyboard and piano melodies and plenty of unique and memorable vocal passages, Reasons Behind give the listener an emotional journey into the mind of a woman living with one of the greatest conditions of the mind, that of Alzheimer's. And, for this reviewer, a well-timed opportunity to rethink and understand, even just a little, so much of the intricate mental struggles one of my closest family members wakes up to each day.

What initially drew me into the album was "With Your Light," and its accompanying video release. Atmospheric effects, muted guitars and keys, all of which burst into a theater of galloping guitar, bass, and drumming beneath the flamboyant vocals of singer Elisa Bonafè as she retells the explosion of memories in the protagonist suddenly begins to grasp onto memories of someone dear to her. Some of the best moments of the album are found within this track, with Elisa's vocals shining best during the softer middle passage above electronics and synths. Her voice resounds like a letter found in an attic, only the words have faded away as she opaquely laments "I can't remember our life together." Furthermore, the intricate merger of Gabriele Sapori's guitarwork and Dario Trentini's keys appears in the transitional moment as the chorus ends, at about the three minute mark here, feeling like a forced rush through a hallway of flickering images as the protagonist's hand grasps at any memory she can hold onto.

While Elisa flirts with an operatic style on many tracks, the calmer, natural style delivered in the shorter piece, "On Butterfly Wings," feels most at home for her, giving her singing a chance to slow down and have space to breathe. Elisa's voice laments like a blue butterfly weaving in and out of the rain-soaked path drawn by Dario's piano melody. It was in these moments that made me curious how a song in a future album with Italian lyrics would sound, perhaps? Also of note in the album, at a bit after the two minute mark in "The Chemical Theater," Enrico Menozzi's bass and Riccardo Grechi's drumming form the setup and then backdrop for a complex, offbeat synth melody and then solo. I found this to be one of the better balances in the overall mix, with Elisa's slightly distorted words poetically telling us how the protagonist feels like "A leaf carried away by the chant of the wind."

I will say that, though, the production of The Alpha Memory does show its limitations. Many times the vocals feel a bit polarizing in the more assertive parts, with the drums and vocals pushed higher than I'd personally prefer. I had to remind myself multiple times that this is a debut, and that for every moment I felt like the sound could have been warmer and more balanced, I'm equally as impressed with it, particularly during the instrumental parts combining Gabriele's guitars and especially Dario's synths. Getting a chance to read along with the lyrics played a vital role in understanding and pondering the concept as well, showing Gabriele's strength as a storyteller and lyricist. I have so often viewed my feelings of my family member's mind and of Alzheimer's as quite downbeat, but in reality she has amazing sparks of vitality and inspired energy more often than not, much of which is found in Reasons Behind's style.

In a subgenre that has matured and all too often releases albums that are endlessly derivative, Reasons Behind offer an album that is full of the band's interesting ideas and musicianship. From the exciting synths and piano sounds that merge effortlessly with the guitarwork, to lyrical concepts that enrich the lively vocals, The Alpha Memory not only is a worthy debut, but certainly will be a foundation for an excellent future.