"One of the best things about this business is the friends you make, and a recently made friend sent me this CD thinking I might like it and knowing the band was looking for the label. This was one of those albums that didnt even require a second listen for me, I wanted to work with them immediately and it all came together very organically." (Shawn Gordon, President, ProgRock Records)
Thessera was formed in the early days of 2003, with the idea of playing prog metal with elements from different music styles, such as fusion, blues, Brazilian rhythms and classical music.
The band is composed of Marcelo Quina (voice), Nando Costa (guitar), Raphael Lamim (guitar), Marcelo Mattos (bass), Rodolfo Amaro (keyboards) and Fernando Cerutti (drums)
In May 2006, only three months after the independent release of their first album, Thessera got signed to the US-based label ProgRock, which has been since then distributing and promoting Fooled Eyes worldwide. Since the international release date in June, the band has been enjoying excellent repercussion with the public and critics alike, getting positive reviews from magazines and web portals across Europe, North America and Asia, as well as airplay in regular and online radio stations like Progulus (US), Breakthru (US), Radio Emsland (Germany) and Radio Alfa (Poland).
After returning to Brazil from a successful tour of Europe in 2007 -- including appearances at Prog Power Europe and Elsrock Festival -- the band is getting ready to record their second album starting next May.
Concert Reviews:
DPRP.
Album Reviews:
. 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.
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Overall, Thessera's "Fooled Eyes" conforms to the highest standards adopted in contemporary Prog-Metal, though personally, I see the main worth of this creation in its conceptuality and the diversity of its musical languages. This is a strong debut offering that might receive a wide acceptance in corresponding circles and beyond.
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. I am really impressed with the maturity in writing as well as the musicianship that Thessara shows here, and being a debut, makes it even more impressive, they are in that same league as bands like Circus Maximus, Mindflow, and Venturia when comparing progressive metal bands that have recently released stellar debut cds, considering this, the future truely appears to be bright for the fans of this style of music, as there are some really good up and coming artists persuing, and pushing the boundaries of creativity in the genre.
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Quite impressive for a debut, Thessera comes off as a band that really sounds seasoned within the scope of making records, I guess you can say they have us ‘fooled.’ But all puns aside, these guys are seasoned as musicians and it is almost a dangerous thing to do by literally releasing a concept album as a debut, but they have pulled it off. Rather than spaceships or some type of intergalactic entity to provide the basis for the lyrics, the album’s story is something we can all relate to; being within the scope of an unconscious journey through the past life experiences and emotions; then only to wake up dealing with reality and trying to get a grip on sanity in the process.Thessera have really raised the bar for themselves, if not for the progressive metal community in general. Who knows where the band will go from here, but all I can say is that expectations are high.
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Other Reviews in English
http://www.metal-observer.com.
http://www.dvdivas.net.
http://www.seaoftranquility.org.
German Reviews
http://www.metal-inside.de.
http://www.musikansich.de.
http://www.rocktimes.de.
http://www.obliveon.de.
http://www.unitedpixel.com.
http://www.music-scan.de.
http://www.blooddawn.de.
French Reviews
http://www.musicinbelgium.net.
http://www.progressivewaves.com.
http://www.progressive-area.com.
Dutch Reviews
http://www.lordsofmetal.nl.
http://www.stagedive.org.
Italian Reviews
http://www.metal-zone.it.
http://www.movimentiprog.net.
http://www.unprogged.com.
Spanish Reviews
http://www.dlsi.ua.es/~inesta/LCDM.
