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I have been hearing about Operatika for several years now, ever since they opened for Nightwish on their one and only US date. This band, despite their unsigned status, must really have an in with somebody in promotion, because it seems like every time any metal act comes through NY, they get tapped to open the show. So even though they have until now recorded nothing, they have already opened for the likes of Helloween, Yngwie, and Therion. "Dreamworld" is their debut EP, and hopefully a step towards a deal and a proper album.

It's going to be hard to write this, because I like this band a lot, but describing their sound is going to boil down to: Nightwish. I mean it. Operatika sound almost exactly like "Oceanborn"-era Nightwish, right down to the riffs, though they are less keyboard-driven than that would imply. Now if they were a bad clone band they would be ripe for savaging, but they are so good it's scary, as even Nightwish's first CD does not sound as much like Nightwish as this EP does. I find it impossible to believe that this band does not realize this, or would be so foolish as to pretend they were not so similar to old Nightwish as to be almost indistinguishable, so I'll just say it and hope they are not annoyed by that.

All that said, this is a solid, if short, EP. The riffs are catchy and heavy, the keys are more in the background, and Slava is at least as good as Tarja, armed with vocal lines that power out in full-on opera style. There's no ballad here, just three kick-ass metal tracks. I will call the band on "The Storm", as it is a 44 second track with some sound effects that is obviously there so this can claim to have four tracks rather than three. I have to confess I hate this. If there are three songs, just say there are three songs, you know full well that when you say 'four tracks' we think that means 'four songs', and don't think we are not annoyed to find out that isn't true.

But I am only annoyed by this because the three songs we do get are so good. I fail to see why a band as pro as this one is not yet signed, and I imagine it will only be a matter of time before LMP or SPV or someone snaps them up. I hope so, as this is a band with their shit together, and a full album by Operatika will be something to look forward to. Put on the spot, I am forced to admit that Operatika are essentially a clone band, but they are a clone of a very good band, and one that has potential to be just as good as the original. "Dreamworld" gives me very high hopes for Operatika's future.