Verdict (& Rating): Classy synth-based progressive rock (80%)

Synema consists of two musician - Steve Nellessen & Mike Adkins, with Mike Hargeaves (Traveller of Space and Time) and Christine Youngberg (Banished to Pangea) helping out on vocals on the mentioned tracks, and Gary Rosier lead guitar (Conception De Renaissance). The band's name is a fusion of the words - Synthetic, Symphonic & Cinema.

The album is largely keyboard based, with guitars of both the acoustic varieties adding colour rather than being the central elements. Being a bit of metalhead at heart, I would have liked the guitars to be more central stage. In describing the overall sound of the band, it is difficult to better the band's own description - "Electronic, Symphonic and Neo-Progressive Rock". It is possible to detect influences here and there on the various tracks, but in a genre populated with acts content to rip-off Dream Theater, it is refreshing to find a band steering their own course.

Even though the album is split into a number of tracks, in truth they all flow into each other with no gaps, make the album feel like a single track, albeit one with plenty of variety (as you would expect from a progressive act).

"Conception De Renaissance" is a spacey affair that explodes into a guitar & synth fanfare to welcome you the CD and serves as an intro to the Floyd-like "Would You Like?". Throughout "Movement Evolution" I'm reminded of Magellan (in their quieter more Yes-like moments) and Gentle Giant, which are couple of names that the more prog-rock aware readers might be familiar with.

As I have already said the album is keyboards/synth-based and a result I hear a few elements from bands of that genre that I'd be vaguely familiar with - The Enid on "Million Memories", Tangerine Dream & Kraftwerk on "Field River Tree". "Field River Tree" starts off with a synth bass-line with a Kraftwerk feel before taking on more of a Tangerine Dream theme. It is one of the more up-tempo tracks on the album. Combined with the space-orientated synth rock of "As Light", which rocks out more than the rest of the album when it hits its stride, they make sure the album finishes strongly.

Whilst going through talking about individual tracks is useful from a reviewer's viewpoint, this album is really best enjoyed if you can find the time to put it on, sit back and listen to it in it's entirety. Despite it's American origins, it reminds me of British classic progressive rock and bands such as The Enid. This is a good album that will appeal to many progressive-orientated readers.