Illusions of Truth is the latest single by Finnish-Swedish metal guitarist Jari Salmikivi, and you can imagine how much metal this man packs just by his nationalities. No but jokes aside, this release is one of the most special and interesting pieces of the year. Its sound mixes elements from electronic rock and hard rock due to the forward and easy-to-follow riffs, coupled by a present bass and a complex rhythm.
The song begins with a Symphonic/Symphonic Power Metal inspired intro with the synths interplayed with the main guitar riff. The vocals, performed by Scott Foster Harris, shortly follow. The vocal lines are on the high and forward-placed end, they walk us through a beautiful verse in a storytelling manner, and then it segues into an even higher chorus which showcases more melodic guitar and synth lines with slightly higher vocals to match the chords and progression of the chorus. A powerful fest of metal influences coming like a wall of sound. If there will ever be a Scar Symmetry and Dream Theater collab, this is surely what it will sound like.
After the guitar solo/bridge section, we get one final solo with heavier and changed-up drums. There were some sections where a synth or electronic percussion sound played, kudos to Mirko De Mayo who does an amazing job on the song’s drums.
All in all, this is a powerful and energizing metal song full of melodic and electronic elements, and I recommend it to all my fellow metalheads who love a balance between Headbanging-friendly songs and prog-ish technical songs. If you fit into that category, then this is the song that balances those scales for you.
