OK, so I thought I'd go first!!
Band: The Provenance
Recommended Album: Still At Arms Length
Recommended Song: Carousel Of Descent
Recommended for fans of:
Opeth. But with added female vocals, Flutes and Hammonds!!
The production on 'Still At Arms Length' is rich and meaty, the male vocals of Tobias are a pleasing mix of clean and evil, not too far from Mikael Akerfeldt. The surprise is the wonderfully sensual vocals of Emma Hellstrom! Not some kind of opera babe, her voice is pure yet seductive, the sound is so intimate and personal. Of course the songs are big and fresh, twisting and turning with heaviness, melody, rage and beauty. It's an amazing trip. The subjects covered in the lyrics are a dark mix and it makes it all the more wonderful to hear these dark topics covered by Emma's breathy tones. Hehe, I defy any sensual person not to be intrigued by the intro to 'World Of Hurt'!!
Earlier album '25th Hour: Bleeding' is ok, it shows the potential, but is not quite as engaging as 'Still At Arms Length'.
The most recent album, 'How Would You Like To Be Spat At...', is also very good, but it lacks the vicious Tobias vocals, and only has clean vocals. It still has the dark lyrics and big songs, but not up to the magnificent standard of 'Still At Arms Length'.
So in short, I recommend that one particular album to anyone who likes the sound of Opeth, mixed in with these extras. Personally I prefer this to any Opeth output - and I am a big fan of their work (particularly My Arms Your Hearse, Still Life and Blackwater Park).
If anyone ever checks it out, please let me know what you think!!
See ya!
