Description

Wetwired was the debut album of what could have been a new star in Prog Metal, Icycore. In spite of the stylistic variety which characterizes Icycore and the highly skilled level of musical artistry, their compositions sound unique and never cranky. The album could easily compare to early Dream Theatre releases but unfortunately this album seems to have been lost in the mists of time. Its sad to see that they never managed to make an impression on prog-power fans back then. They had quite a good thing going, with a unique combination of style and conceptual elements, with an aesthetic that was bang on for the turn of the century. Unlike the vast majority of Italian progressive metal bands, their blueprint wasn’t Labyrinth or DGM. Instead they sounds more like Eldritch or even Fates Warning in their Perfect Symmetry period. The jerky, mechanical riffs and abrupt time changes jump out of the Jim Matheos playbook, while the cold keys and futuristic synths have an industrial air that gives it that European edge. Valerio Voliani’s vocals has a great tone and phrasing, not unlike an Italian Ray Alder, hitting the occasional power metal high that really jumps out at you. He’s a little unhinged, but flirts well with the grinding riffage on display. The opening title track is the most coherent piece here, and a gem, with a great chorus and some startling changes. If youre into prog metal then this is something to discover. Also featuers guest vocals by Terence Holler of Eldritch fame.

Track list:
1. Wetwired
2. Upload
3. The Net
4. Visions Of Numeric Life
5. The Hollow Men
6. Watchdog And Virus
7. Chrome
8. Redefine Stru
9. A New Gestalt
10. Watch Me Now
11. Inner Void
12. Eternal Unlife