Price of Power

With the last demo being an abomination, how much do you want to guess the band still managed to create a worthless waste of time? After hearing the previous demo, my expectations were dead – I knew what was in store for me, but I tried very hard to suppress all assumptions. After opening up the files, my cynicism seeped back into my conscience and as I was about to the play the first track, I just couldn’t do so without trembling. This was going to suck – I knew it – it made me want to go back to Basic Combat Training for the US Army in Kentucky.

Now the problems with the production, mixing, or equipment was thankfully fixed, which would mean the songs are undeniably better, right? That’s sort of true, though the band essentially copy their sound from the last album – much of the same riffs, harmonies, and progression. The clarity is a plus, and the guitars do have a bit of a bite much like John Petrucci’s (Dream Theater) usual guitar distortion. Bass support is the same as last time; blubbery rhythm backing with less than stellar uniqueness. The mid-paced tracks are supposed to be vicious but are just kind of there behind the vocals, as are the drums. On that subject, the drums got worse, with almost no hostility and a stale sounding kit; I’m talking q-tip double bass, airy snares, and petite cymbal crashes.

All right, let me get another pop quiz in here, because you guys really need to think this one through.

Which one matches Juli’s clean, poppy singing?

a) Very off-key
b) Way too loud
c) Trying oh so hard
d) Miserably attempting growls or harsh vocals
e) Cracking glass
f) All of the above

Once more, the last one is the true answer, and anyone who’ll take what I have to say seriously is in the right mindset – and the vocals got worse if you couldn’t tell from those answers. Stay away from this; how many times can I say it? There are so many progressive metal bands that write better riffs, create stronger songs, play with more harmonic tunes, and have singers that can actually sing. Sometimes buried treasures end up competing with the big names, but you’ll find no such thing with this band. The straightforward songwriting along with the better production should be in the band’s favor, but I’m still not convinced by their playing. It’s just a bunch of amateurs putting together some riffs and ideas that may look decent on paper, but cannot be executed at all.