Chromaparagon

The first time I heard of this band was about three years ago, when they self-released the awesome, but painstakingly short EP 'Freaks'. Since then, the quartet has toured the US and made a name for themselves, while also working on this, their debut full-length.

Moon Tooth is something of an oddity; a band which doesn't seem to fit any particular mold, but they don't really seem to care much about that fact, either. For simplicity's sake, I'll call them progressive metal, solely because they are amazingly versatile and technically competent. And, they are most definitely "metal", but don't think they have much else in common with genre mates like Opeth or Dream Theater.

The first thing you might notice is the somewhat out-of-the-ordinary vocal work, which might take some time to get used to. John Carbone, Wielder of Microphones, has an eccentricity and soulfulness that's closer to - well - soul, than it is to modern metal, but this just creates a delicious blended flavor of sweet and salt. Think of a more masculine Brandon Boyd (Incubus), pushing his voice to the absolute limits without ever (purposelessly) breaking.

The music reminds me of 'Blood Mountain'-era Mastodon, and Converge at their most chaotic, but there's also an incredible depth and finesse to the melodies, in most part thanks to guitar virtuoso Nick Lee (which some of you might know better as Riot's newly hired axeman). There doesn't seem to be any limits to what this man can achieve with six strings, and I couldn't give two shingles about how blasphemous it might sound to call him the new Alex Lifeson, with such a creativity and control of his instrument!

Tracks like 'Bats In the Attic' and 'Forgive Me Snake Ryder' go off like shotgun shells, and sees them explode in a cascade of skull-rattling riffs and violent battering of drums, while 'Little Witch' suddenly breaks out in the most uplifting and energetic summer tune, with tambourines and the lot! 'Queen Wolf' and 'Death and the Vibrant Architecture of Rebirth' are also testaments to their brilliance, where they breathe entirely new life into more easily absorbed material.

If you thought music was dead, check out 'Chromaparagon' for new hope. This is undoubtedly the start of something big, and if Moon Tooth is given the chance they deserve, we'll be hearing a lot more about them very soon!

Originally written in norwegian for www.pondus.no