This is the debut album from Hei’An, a progressive metal band from Slovenia.
Imago is a long album. With a duration of 69 minutes there’s a lot of material here, (86 minutes with the Slovenian versions of three of the tracks included). Thankfully Hei’An’s progressive metal is wide-ranging enough that it is up to the task of filling this time nicely.
Imago offers a contemporary blend of different ingredients. Post-metal, electronica, metalcore, ambient, and blackgaze elements all feed into a progressive metal framework that’s layered and expressive. Hei’An are focused on building mood and atmosphere, while still having moments of instant appeal and directness that are sure to satisfy. You can hear old and new influences in the music, distilled into a modern vision for progressive metal that’s nonetheless learned from past masters.
Epic and diverse, Imago has a bold and ambitious vision, and it pleases me to say that it largely achieves everything it sets out to. Each track has its own voice and character, and there are a multitude of ideas and creative flourishes explored across its running time. Various guests appear too, further adding diversity to the album.
The music is colourful and engaging, delivering a collection of songs with depth and passion, not to mention no small amount of skill. Synths layer the music, enriching it greatly, yet rarely taking a starring role; they’re the thread that ties much of the album together. All of the band members clearly know what they’re doing though, and this is an accomplished and professional album, one that’s filled with feeling and cinematic scope.
Imago is a real journey across a rich soundscape of high quality progressive metal. Hei’An have impressed, especially as this is only actually their first release.
Wonderbox Metal 