Waqar Ahmed and Hussam Raza are probably the best guitar team in Pakistan. They have the ability to create unique and intricate riffs with a strange alien feel to them. Their guitar style was, in my humble opinion, the defining feature of Orion. Sadly, Orion split up when the vocalist and the drummer left for Canada to pursue higher education. Out of a desire to create more music, and take a different musical direction than the one they were pursuing with Orion, Waqar and Hussam formed Odyssey. Hussam Raza said in an interview with The Iron Markhor: "With Odyssey we're pursuing a different musical direction but it will be recognizable to fans of Orion as well." He couldn't have described his new project better.

First of all, the production. I'm not gonna be too harsh with my criticism because this is only a demo and was recorded in Hussam's own bedroom. The production is very muddy. The guitars are mixed a bit too high and everything else - including the vocals and the keyboards - gets drowned in them. This takes away from the music a bit, but keep in mind that this is only a demo recorded with limited financial support.

Secondly, the vocals. Nabeel is actually a very good vocalist, and I'm not saying this just because he's an Aitchisonian like me. He has a good voice and hits almost every note perfectly. However, he fails to hit some higher notes. Some, not all. I'm confident that if the band re-records these two songs for their first full length, the vocals will be done perfectly and without a glitch. He has the capability to pull off some great things with his vocals.

The drum lines are very solid. The band uses programmed drums but I think that the drummer composed the drum lines himself. The drums match the guitar work well and add to the epic feel of the songs, especially 'The Last Stand'.

Now for the songs. The first track is 'The Last Stand', which is probably the first full fledged prog/power song I've heard done by a Pakistani band. Right from the get-go, you can sense that you're in for a treat. How can I describe this song? Well, take Symphony X, Dream Theater, Metallica, and even a bit of Pantera and throw them into a blender. While the contents are mixing together, throw in some middle eastern melodies at the last second. The product will be this song. The guitar work is completely insane, and the riffs are almost as technical as the solo, judging by the video Hussam Raza uploaded on his Youtube account. The keyboard work is pretty epic but the sad part is that it gets drowned in the guitars at times. But this IS only a demo, so it shouldn't bother anyone too much. As I said before, the drum programming is good and suits the guitar parts. A VERY good song and I shudder to think of how awesome this song would sound if the band had a bit more money and time to spend on the production.

'Falling into Infinity' is an interesting track. It's a mellow song, almost a ballad, but is very aggressive, very heavy and just kicks ass. The opening riff is textbook Orion. Unique, epic and with the trademark alien sound. The vocal performance is excellent in this track. The verses are pretty mellow, but the chorus is melodic and heavy, similar to some of Savatage's work. The main highlight of this song is, however, the solo. After the second chorus, the song takes a complete u-turn and goes into a perfect prog/power section. The guitar work is completely stellar. I swear, Hussam and Waqas' combined efforts never cease to amaze me. The last one and a half minute of this song is pretty cool, strange middle eastern/persian style melodies and some amazing vocals from Nabeel. If only Nabeel did vocals this good on 'The Last Stand'! A great song, not as good as 'The Last Stand' musically, but the vocals are better than 'The Last Stand's.

So, two great songs. The band gives out its songs for free so I suggest you download both of them. You won't be dissapointed, take my word for it. This band has a lot of potential and I'm not saying this because I'm a patriotic Pakistani. Odyssey are every bit as good as I hype them up to be, and if you don't believe me, listen to their tracks for yourself.

(originally written for ironmarkhor.metalseinen.com)

Reviewed by MegaHassan
03/13/2009 14:00