Band:	Forces At Work
Album:	Forcilized
Style:	Progressive metal
Release date:	2004
Guest review by:	Emalaith

01. Vortex Phobia
02. Harvest At The Bodyfarm
03. The Benefit Of All My Senses Sharpened
04. Versus
05. Husk Of The Withered Moth

Pleased to introduce Forces @ Work, another band from Dusseldorf, Germany, and their second album "Forcilized". As for the style, singer Andreas told me that Forces @ Work try to avoid being categorized into a specific style and on "Forcilized" you will hear that they do just that very well. "Forcilized" is a blend of many different elements, held together cohesively by a powerful voice and skilled musicians. As we speak, the band is composed of Adrian Weiss and Mischa Blum [guitars], Armin Alic [bass], Sabir Salkic [drums] and Andreas Lohse [vocals]. Let's have a closer look at this mini album that is definitely worth a try.

Here's a breakdown of the 5 tracks on "Forcilized":

1. 'Vortex Phobia': a mix of Thrash and Prog Metal with multiple breaks that give the song its aspect of a vortex, indeed. Huge guitar work laid on psychedelic rhythms, all of which topped by the aggressive (almost Hardcore/Nu-metal-like) vocals. A good opening track, both original and powerful.

2. 'Harvest at the Bodyfarm': a very funky composition, again with aggressive vocals and a thrashy feel brought on by the guitars. This one sounds a bit like Suicidal Tendencies meets Dream Theater and Pantera. A very catchy song despite the complex structure.

3. 'The Benefit of All my Senses Sharpened': this is a progressive semi-ballad reminiscent of Andromeda's first album, well done with a splendidly clean voice. Then the song turns into a more thrashy composition and becomes even more interesting. Excellent guitar solos towards the end, technical and groovy at the same time.

4. 'Versus': this one starts oddly with an atmospheric solo and then morphs into an aggressive and progressive track. Complex songwriting with an excellent result. There are definitely some strong Dream Theater influences in this song (after about 3 minutes or so) and this shows once again the level of musicianship of the band.

5. 'Husk of the Withered Moth': in contrast to the other tracks, this song has a very dark beginning with some death and black metal elements (particularly in the drums), combined with powerful Hardcore elements a la Soulfly. The result is a rather brutal but also very technical composition, very different from the rest of the album.

Avoiding clear categorization, "Forcilized" covers a broad range of metal styles and manages to showcase at the same time the musicians and the songs of Forces @ Work. Despite a complex songwriting basis, the originality and funkiness of some tracks turn this album into a great investment for metal heads in quest for new horizons. Moreover, "Forcilized" has the potential to disturb all other listeners enough to interest them as well. So it's time to ask yourself then: "How on Earth is this band unsigned?"