Band:	Deus X Machina
Album:	X
Style:	Power metal, Progressive metal
Release date:	July 2014
A review by:	Susan

01. Dawn Of Ashes
02. The Devourer
03. Reborn In The Fire
04. Absolute Reality
05. The Curse Of Capistrano
06. Farewell
07. Under The Clouds
08. Deus X Machina
09. Eye Of The Tiger [Survivor cover]

Deus X Machina's X is power metal with strong heavy metal leanings. These Argentines released a debut that comes out of the gate with mountains of energy to spare, a classic metal influence, and a singer with strong high notes even a dog can't hear. The opening track even reminded me of Hibria's debut Defying The Rules: The Power Metal Version.

The youthful energy here is the main selling point; each listen was exciting and I couldn't help but tap a toe or otherwise move my body for every single note. Yet, they're unpolished here and there and still have a ways to go regarding songwriting. The melodies are good, not great or hugely memorable, and the production is a bit lacking. Overall, keyboards are well used and provide enough support without overwhelming any of you listeners who have keyboard allergies. Vocals are classically performed and stay primarily in the upper range. Because of this, they have potential to get tiresome. This guy sounds like he knows what he's doing, so I'd love to hear him explore his mid- and low-range more next time.

The opening track "Dawn Of Ashes" is just excellent and shows off the band well. It sets the tone nicely but no other song comes close to its magnificence. If Deus X Machina can get some "songwriting-stamina" going, we in the power metal world should brace ourselves for their awesomeness. They also need to work on their obligatory ballads, but can rest-assured that this is something with which most power metal bands struggle.

Worth mention is the title track: a 12-minute epic and a bit of a strange departure from the rest of the album. There are some extreme vocals, some odd chanting, but one hell of a solo around the 8-minute mark. The band calls themselves "Progressive Power Metal" and if they had more than one song like this, I'd them that also. It's not necessarily "better" than the others, but it alone shows their progressive side and is quite interesting.

(I must point you in the direction of their album-closing cover: Survivor's Eye Of The Tiger. Whether or not you're a child of the 80s, it's a fun way to close out a fun album.)

X is an record for power metal fans to enjoy, but more importantly, to whet your appetite for what this band can become.