Upon first listening to this EP, Shear just blew me away with their highly charged progressive metal sound. Deliciously heavy with solid guitars, yet very sophisticated with superb keyboard accompaniment and exquisitely written guitar parts. Alexa Leroux’s stirring vocals are the icing on the cake. She has the most amazing soaring voice that really brings the music to great heights. The choruses are just breath taking and Alexa’s voice makes them all the more exciting.

The first track “In Solitude” really grabs you with its staccato guitar intro and the menacing vocal lines, and then the chorus just sweeps you away. The second track “Scorched” is my favorite on the EP with a double bass drum attack and then an incredible pounding metal guitar just crashes in. The rest of the song is simply mind blowing. The other two tracks are just as stunning, and what’s really impressive is that each song has its own distinct feel and composition. It’s like each song is from a completely different creative source. There are so many strengths in this band, they are absolutely formidable. The song writing and musicianship are just outstanding, and there is a strong metal quality to all of the tracks.

For their first EP, the band’s sound is already very well developed and the production is very classy. There is more power and passion packed in this 4 song EP than you’ll find on many full length albums by other bands. This band is going to take 2011 by a storm!

© 2011 John Davies