We're in Brazil, São Paulo to be exact, and we're listening to a band that used to go by the name 'Prostate Seer'. They changed the name a while after their inception in 2000 and the original name became the title for one of the songs on this e.p. 'Implexi' means 'Entanglement', which stands for the way this band incorpororates many different influences into their own style.
Judging from the artwork, logo and the fact that Brazil is mainly a death metal country, I expected some brutal grunts and fierce guitars but boy was I wrong. There's some grunts here and there and the guitars do indeed sound strong and heavy but this is not death metal. This is quite intense power metal, blending elements of heavy, symphonic and progressive metal and turning it into something that sounds like it comes straight of eighties & nineties Europe.
The e.p. opens with 'Arrival In The Dark', a pretty solid power metal song which roams in the same fields as bands like Blind Guardian, Hammerfall or Kamelot. This example is immediately followed by the earlier mentioned 'Prostate Seer'. Yet, while this song is quite up-tempo, most of them are a bit slower than the usual songs in this genre. That's where the progressive elements come in, combining symphonics with classical arrangements and an atmosphere of heroism and victory.
The two longest songs on this e.p., 'The Secrets Of Darkness' and 'Anguish' take the level of symphony a bit higher, becoming more like anthems in stead of songs. Here some grunts are used, as well as Sabaton-like voices of vengeance. It's here where I can see the audience raising their fists and singing along. Even more so, around the end of 'The Secrets Of Darkness' we can hear the high pitched voice that reminds me Helloween as well as some black metal screams.
With 'Safest Shelter' Implexi delivered an interesting e.p., filled with complex song structures and loads of atmosphere. To some people, this music might sound outdated but I think there's still a place for decent progressive power metal in the present day metal genre and that's exactly what Implexi stands for. Talented musicians making something epic together in a rehearsal room somewhere, that might be one of the safest shelters indeed...
Serge