Intelligent Music Project is the melodic rock project of Milen Vrabevski, who for years now—across a series of high-quality albums—has brought together a variety of outstanding artists from the international music scene. On “Fiction”, the band’s latest release, vocals are handled by Joseph Williams (Toto) and Carl Sentance (Nazareth), with the legendary Simon Phillips on drums. Musically, as already mentioned, the album moves firmly within melodic rock territory, infused with a strong AOR vibe, plenty of art/prog rock elements, fewer hard rock moments, and Vrabevski as the main songwriter. What emerges is a wonderful collection of finely crafted songs that speak directly to the listener and stir emotions—whether through their ethereal melodies, driving rhythms, or the immediate, punchy electric guitar riffs. To better grasp the musical style of “Fiction”, imagine Toto, Foreigner, and The Alan Parsons Project co-writing an album together. The entire late ’70s/early ’80s melodic rock spirit flows through this record, which captivates with its full-bodied, fresh melodicism, rich emotion, and the tasteful performances of every musician involved. There are also welcome surprises along the way: for instance, “Living This Way” strongly recalls Avantasia, while “No Flame, No Game” is pure Santana. These touches are simply the icing on a delicious cake that will appeal to listeners—I personally couldn’t get enough of it! Overall, “Fiction” is a complete and thoroughly enjoyable album, packed with quality, respectable AOR that fully delivers. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it does return to its core with grace and finesse, free from nostalgia traps or similar obsessions.
♦ 8,5/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
