BEHIND CLOSED DOORS - Metanoia

11 songs
59:28 minutes
***** ****
The Finest Noise

Bandpage

A German, a Hungarian and a Swede... this may sound like the introduction to a joke, but in the case of Behind Closed Doors, we are in the presence of an instrumental trio whose members live spread all over Europe. It would be too easy to simply dismiss them as a djent band, as they are definitely more than a mere clone of Meshuggah or Between The Buried And Me. There are a lot of additional influences which allow their second album Metanoia to unfold itself in all its dynamic glory.

Usually, apart from a few exceptions, I am not the biggest fan of instrumental albums. The lack of vocals often leaves a hollow that is just begging to be filled. With Behind Closed Doors, things are different as all the instruments, especially guitar and keyboard, take care to fill any possible gaps. This starts straightaway with the suspenseful opener Any (Time + Where) whose hypnotic beats will mesmerise the listener. Frozen Gods continues in the direction so that you won’t even miss the non-existent vocals. The songs often come with aggressive, martial structures which hardly find any respite in quieter moments. The album, although an hour long, is at no time boring. The three musicians never take a break and always push the envelope which guarantees a maximum of quality. The songs are wonderfully complex and should appeal to every fan of extreme progressive rock.

I have rarely heard such a music which is suspenseful and rousing at the same time. Metanoia is not an easy listening album, but provided you bring the necessary amount of attention and patience, you will be rewarded by an outstanding listening experience. Behind Closed Doors are one of the rare new bands that can entertain for an entire album without any drag.