SECRET SPHERE -

SECRET SPHERE - SCENT OF HUMAN DESIRE - NUCLEAR BLAST
The signing of Italy's Secret Sphere by Nuclear Blast is a surprising move. Scent Of Human Desire, the band's third album, is an atypically weak effort from a stylistically atypical band.
Secret Sphere is a poppy hard rock band. The overall sound is weak, the delivery too soft and the forays into metal territory too sporadic to amount to anything. Ramon's voice is high-pitched and monotonous and the rest of the band plods along to a commercial structure. The worst offender is drummer Cartasenga whose erratic beats come without warning and at different tempos. He, alone, could shred the band's songs to pieces. By the time songs like Surrounding and Virgin Street 69 come along the band is in Warrant and Poison territory, which is okay by itself. The problem is the sextet is not very good at it. Oh yeah, they do have a full-time keyboardist on-board - not to mention the part-time female whine. Only the infrequent, deft soloing gives the album a whiff of respectability. Then again, yet another cliché hidden segment at the CD's end destroys any illusions of originality.
Secret Sphere wade the waters of pop rock and hard rock and only recommended for those seeking the silky comforts of the commercial bottom-end. - Ali "The Metallian"