DAYDREAM XI – The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn (Sensory/The Laser’s Edge)

Now, this is the way to get people’s attention. It was movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn who once said “we want a story that starts out with an earthquake and works its way up to a climax”, and with this, their second album, that’s pretty much what Brazil’s Daydream XI have achieved. A fluid, almost plaintive, lead run gives way to both a huge choral onslaught and a flurry of anticipation, and then it’s curtain up for the show of a lifetime and as the band enter the ring and take flight. Hang on to your popcorn, boys and girls…

Unashamedly progressive in both outlook and delivery, ‘The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn’ is an exciting and grandiose offering from a youngish band with masses of talent and truckloads of potential. Centred around – the clue’s in the title – a circus of lost and tortured souls, it’s a dark album whose lyrics are backed by epic soundscapes, with keyboard interludes and intense, hammering riffs trading places as the story unfolds. Despite their relative lack of years, vocalist/guitarist Tiago Masseti, guitarist Marcelo Pereira and drummer Bruno Giordano are not only exceptionally gifted players but also hugely visionary, and between them they’ve created an album of endless depth and complexity which can easily stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any of the greats of the progressive metal scene.

With session bass and keyboards provided by Benhur Lima and Joey Izzo respectively, Daydream XI is a band that seemingly refuses to be pigeon-holed, and songs like ‘A Cup Of Agony’ and the wonderful vocal interplay in ‘Overhauling Wounds’ demonstrate that Daydream XI are constantly pushing at the barriers, seemingly insistent to almost single-handedly redefine the parameters of the genre. And it's worth mentioning the booklet art, too. I’m not 100% sure I’ve got the concept that links the album, but that’s probably my error, not theirs. Roll up, roll up, and hear one of the year’s most exciting albums!