As a whole, I cannot stand djent bands (or the word for that matter). Most of the material is monotonous, the bands lack creativity, and guitar riffs are more boring than watching grass grow. I was VERY surprised to hear what Reflections had brought to the table with their latest production, “The Fantasy Effect”. Reflections is a combination of almost every sort of metal genre out there today. They are not entirely a “djent” band since they bring elements from different genres and experiment with a wide variety of techniques. “The Fantasy Effect” will appeal to the hardcore “djent” fans as well as to an audience that enjoys the more progressive side of metal. A huge part of what makes “The Fantasy Effect” so much better than other “djent” releases today is because it doesn’t bore the listener. Listening to the album all the way through, it feels as if Reflections is taking you on a sort of aural journey. There was always something in each song that I had particularly enjoyed. Putting aside the mammoth guitar tone and pulverizing drums, Reflections managed to creatively inject some ambient electronics in “The Fantasy Effect”. It didn’t feel as if it was overdone by any means. If anything, it enhanced the experience when the listener was waiting for Reflections to come back in and groove along. “The Fantasy Effect” is filled with passages that go from headbanging, merging into melodic interludes, and before you know it, the headbanging commences once more. It keeps the album from getting stale and helps put more “punch” into the upcoming riffs and phrases.