It isn’t often that debut albums manage to blow me away these days, but Fleetburner’s self-titled first album managed to do just that. Certainly, it helps that the musicians involved are no unexperienced amateurs, but ‘Fleetburner’ is simply an adventurous album that surprises its listeners more than once. The album has been a long time in the making, likely at least in part due to the logistics involved with having musicians residing in different countries, but it has been worth the wait. From the engaging compositions to the perfect fit that is the production, ‘Fleetburner’ is a treat to fans of the more emotional end of the progressive rock and metal spectrum.

Guitarist and songwriter Kevin Storm is best known as a session musician working with the likes of Equilibrium, Shining and Vulture Industries, but he clearly needed a creative outlet. While the music on ‘Fleetburner’ isn’t necessarily dissimilar to any of those bands, the bigger picture sounds significantly different. For instance, there is an abundance of extreme metal riffs on the record, but due to the way the record is mixed, it sounds closer to progressive rock as a whole. And that is before the vocals even enter the fold. This is the first album ever to feature American singer Ken Simerly, but his powerful, emotional delivery is exactly what ‘Fleetburner’ needed to set itself apart.

Storm should be commended for not choosing the obvious path with this record. My guess is that he worked very closely with drummer Tomas Myklebust, because he doesn’t play a note too little or too much. Not unlike Storm’s guitars, the drums can be quite busy and prominent when they need to be, but when the music asks for it, they could just as easily take a back seat to the compositions as well. This adds a great dynamic quality to the album that a lot of modern metal productions lack. ‘The Fleet’, one of the greatest tracks on the album, is an excellent example: there are double bass runs and busy fills, but also segments that don’t feature any drums at all.

Atmospherically, ‘Fleetburner’ is an album that needs time. The overall vibe is quite dark and oppressive, but once you are able to let that carry you away to the world the album exists in, it is an album that doesn’t easily let you go. Kind of like ‘Brave’-era Marillion with metal riffs. Simerly really embodies the album’s mood perfectly. His voice at times reminded me of Leprous’ Einar Solberg, albeit without the over the top madness that Solberg has. Simerly’s performance is highly emotional, sometimes sounding like a tiny, helpless being trapped between walls of guitars and keyboards, though never without a glint of hope.

‘Fleetburner’ isn’t the easiest album to get into, as it is definitely one of those albums that slowly reveals its secrets over time. Anyone into this type of progressive music would probably be used to that and I suggest you give it the time it needs. It is truly a beautiful record on which the songs are the defining feature rather than any of the instruments. Sure, there are guitar riffs and interesting layers of Veli-Matti Kananen’s keyboards that strongly influence separate sections, but ‘Fleetburner’ just works wonders as a whole. And like any great concept album, ‘Fleetburner’ is best listened to in one sitting, but each of the songs stands out on its own as well.

Recommended tracks: ‘The Fleet’, ‘The Deck’, ‘Below The Waves’, ‘The Breakwater’