Product Description

Fooled Eyes album for sale by Thessera was released Sep 12, 2006 on the Prog Rock label. Recording information: Nave Studio, Juiz De Fora, MG, Brazil (09/2004-11/2005). Thessera: Marcelo Quina (vocals); Raphael Lamim, Nando Costa (guitar); Rodolfo Amaro (keyboards); Marcelo Mattos (bass instrument); Fernando Cerutti (drum). Fooled Eyes CD music contains a single disc with 9 songs.

Review

Fooled Eyes is a debut release from Brazilian sextet called Thessera. US based ProgRock Records is once again responsible for releasing this material for world wide audience and we can all thank them for that. Thessera is a young unit but it sure doesn t sound that young.
Actually these guys master their instruments so well that you immediately think of some older dudes of 40+ age.

Fooled Eyes is a concept album with 9 long compositions with a tale of young artists and his engagement to the woman of his dreams. Maybe not a traditional prog metal story, but it is definitely a refreshing and different one. It deals with difficult subjects and feelings of joy, sorrow, unconsciousness, loss etc. It is a roller-coaster of emotions, great musical arrangements, melodic parts, Brazilian rhythms, classical moments, as well as bluesy rhythms and prog rock elements. It is diverse material that will satisfy most metal/rock fans but also ladies as well with ballads such Party s On and The Leading Roles .

A must have, must listen, for any fan of Dream Theater & Angra. Truly powerful and intense yet very listenable. --Metal Revolution

THESSERA is a band that s been garnering quite a bit of attention lately. The Brazilian sextet is being hailed as the next great Progressive Metal sensation from a variety of media sources; as such, I was quite eager to see what all the fuss was about. With the band s debut, Fooled Eyes , in my hands, I set off in search of the truth.

Now, let s make something clear: THESSERA borrow very heavily from Prog heavyweights DREAM THEATER. The music has a very similar feel to it, but there are a few key differences. For the most part, THESSERA seem to be a bit more mellow than their American heroes, as evidenced by tracks like The Leading Roles . Also, the production isn t as crystal-clear as DREAM THEATER s, something that detracts from the experience.

As far as songwriting goes, THESSERA prove that they ve got chops to burn with their skillful performances on Heaven s Gate , The Gallery , and pseudo-instrumental album-opener Le Chef D oeuvre (It has narration provided by DETHKLOK s Pickles! No, not really, but gosh darn, it sure sounds like him). In many cases, the band eschews the ear-pleasing melodies that many Prog Metal bands love to blend with their technical prowess; the result is an album that is clearly focused on instrumental wizardry. The only notable exception to this rule is Party s On , which is a much more melodic song than the rest of the album s tracks, but also turns out to be the highlight of the album.

The bottom line stands thus: if you re a DREAM THEATER fan, then you can t go wrong with Fooled Eyes . Also, since DT singer James LaBrie has something of a love/hate singing style, for those of you who were turned off by his piercing shrieks, THESSERA offer much more mid-ranged vocals. This is a well-written and ambitious debut album (did I mention it s a concept album?), and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a new Prog fix. A word of warning to fans of über-melodic Prog fare ala SEVENTH WONDER: the instruments, not the catchy hooks, are the focus in THESSERA, so it may take several listens before it sinks in. --Metal Observer

Thessera is a Brazilian band, and they started out in 2003. Fooled Eyes is their debut album.

Musically, Thessera has chosen to play progressive metal. And they are one of the few groups in this genre that can be said to have created their own sound, which in itself is impressive. Due to the sound and production chosen, you'll be able to hear similarities to Dream Theater's debut album "When Dream And Day Unite" from time to time; but overall Thessera mostly sound like themselves.

What you get then, is a sound where the guitar plays a major role in the individual songs melody. The guitar sound is very polished and subdued in the soundscape, but still very much a metal guitar sound. The piano is used to convey the main melody as well in many songs, which works out very well.

The synth is present all over the place, but is only very rarely given a dominant role in the soundscape. Mostly, the synth is used to enhance and create moods in the soundscape; on the few occasions where you'll hear a synth solo here it will always be accompanied by another instrument in the soundscape, mostly the guitar.

The guitar solos has to be mentioned as well. You do get the more or less traditional fast paced soloing on this album indeed, but just as often the group chooses to perform solos that convey melodies instead of scales and pace, where the drawn out notes is just as important as moving up and down the fretboard.

All in all, melodies seems to be more important for these guys than for most prog metal bands.

In addition to this, Thessera has spiced their music with a couple of elements to further separate their sound from other groups. The drumming is clearly jazz inspired, and the piano which is much used are also played in a quite jazzy manner at times. Furthermore, the group adds small segments of fusion inspired playing in quite a few of the songs, which are clearly utilized as effects. Add to that a production and a mix where instruments quite often are placed differently in the soundscapes than what is normal (subdued soloing where guitar riffs take the main place in the soundscape for instance), the end result is a group presenting a rather unique and original sound.

The main weakness in Thessera's set-up is the vocal performance. The vocalist has a limited range and a voice that can be a bit irritating at times; especially in the more mellow sections I found it a taxing listen.

The individual songs are mostly good. I have marked down two tracks as average; "Party's On" and "Conflagration", but I really can't put my finger on what's lacking in those two tracks; apart from the fact that they never managed to engage me. The rest of the songs here were very good, in my opinion. --Prog4You