New Brazilian Prog Metal band Jack The Joker, release their debut album ‘The Devil to Pay in the Backlands’. The album draws influence from a Brazilian novel of the same name with its themes. Raphael Joer (Vocals) Felipe Faco e Lucas Colares (Guitars) Gustavo Pinheiro (Bass) and Vicente Ferreira (Drums) are the talented lineup on hand. They deliver an album brimming with traditional prog metal complex arrangements and technical compositions. With various Brazilian musical styles added to give them their own unique flavour.

            Album opener ‘Devir’ sees Pinheiro and Ferreira grip you as their drum and bass attack pulsates with prog metal heft. Joer’s vocal and Colares’s guitar playing creates a sound somewhere close to Symphony X in style. ‘Between the Sky Lines’ continues in similar fashion as Pinheiro and Ferriera impress again. Joer really showcases his vocal range, which is excellent at times. Overall it is a solid start to the album. ‘Denied’ ebbs and flows with moments of aggression and calmness, Colares’ guitar mastery in on full display in this near six minute long track. Powerful rhythm work drives ‘XV’, the song swirls with melodic prog class over its near nine minute length. ‘Neblina’ has an elegance to its musical structure, further cementing the great musicianship within the band. ‘Sun’ is a smorgasbord of prog metal power, that tries to do too much in its four and a half minutes run time.

            Colares shines in the jazz infused ‘You (where I belong)’. It once again shows the musical range that Jack The Joker have in their locker. ‘Thousand Witnesses’ is another track guilty of doing too much. Joer’s vocals lose impact as he moves through his range far too much, the overstuffed musical arrangement feels like it has a thousand ideas jammed into it. ‘Cabaret’ is another song that falls into the trap of doing too much. The album is starting to lose its shine a little. Joer delivers a strong vocal in ‘Saudade’ which is a more concise listen after the previous couple of songs. The thirteen minute ‘Hope’ brings the curtain down on this debut album, doing so in style! The song delivers all of the best aspects that we have heard over the album, it is effortlessly played with class.

Jack The Joker are a band that will quickly grab the attention in the Prog Metal genre and will be embraced by fans of this style. A tendency to overplay and perhaps the album running a couple of songs to long are the only issues for an otherwise impresses debut effort!