Putting out quality bands such as Communic, Pagan’s Mind and Circus Maximus etc. Norway has put itself on the progressive metal map. Illusion is no exception and is based in the same musical surroundings. The difference? These guys are now 19 years old. Meaning they were 17-18 when they recorded this.

This music is so ridiculously mature, it’s pretty hard to believe they’re so young. They did study music for three years at high school, which of course contributes to their musical talent and their songwriting skills. However, I sure as hell didn’t expect this. Musically this is strongly inspired by Pagan’s Mind, Dream Theater and A.C.T. This is in other words nothing original, but highly enjoyable.

The atmospheric intro is composed by vocalist(!) Atle Pettersen and sets a fine mood for the next track Katatonic Coma. It's a rather slow song, and maybe not the ideal opener, but it claims your attention with its catchy vocal melodies, and the great guitar-playing by Robin Ognedal. The leads are great and not what you would expect from a 17 year old. His playing is very mature, and not as show-off as you might expect from smug teenagers.

Leviathan is the next track, and my personal favourite. Direct and rhythmic riffing, accompanied by steady double-bass drumming, breaks down into a highly melodic chorus, where Atle shows off his vocal skills. His voice is powerful and slightly raspy sometimes. Do not expect your typical high-pitched and wailing vocals, which we are so (too?) used to. However, when he does the falsettos, he nails them. He does sound a bit 80s’ glam/rock/metal-ish ala Bon Jovi, which has caused some negativity here and there. On the other hand, I think it’s pretty bold that they dare vary from their obvious peers.

Answers is the next song up. It starts off with quite heavy riffing, but breaks down into a mellow verse, where Atle shows his soft side. The chorus is incredibly catchy, and the interludes provides us with offbeats and complex rhythm-patterns, which is both confusing and fun to listen too if done properly.

The Face of Fairness leans more into power metal territory, with its fast and straightforward riffing, accompanied by keyboards and catchy melodies. After the piano-solo there’s an instrumental part which bursts into a great guitar-solo. How he pulls that off so technically clean is beyond me... once again, the age comes to mind, making it even more impressive

The EP closes with the title-track, which provides us with more of the same. I love how the drums mark every beat which seems out of place, and how they make that seem so easy. It’s pretty hard and maybe even more of a challenge live. I’ve got nothing mentionable to complain about, except some minor flaws here and there when it comes to production. The bass is hardly audible some places, but that`s not much of a problem if you ask me.

This sets my expectations sky-high for their upcoming record, and if they keep up the good work, they will, without a doubt, be up there with the big names some day.