Linear Progression

I’m sure the lads here were merely poking fun at themselves and the audience by choosing the least appropriate title for this effort… cause they couldn’t possibly think that they were progressing with this… if the most logical sequel to lofty progressive power/thrashisms is a most banal alternative rock-ish vaudeville, then yeah, this EP could pass for one…

but in some other, by all means godless universe. So this is a reunion stint, no more no less, the band members patiently waiting for their comrade, the vocalist Tom Denlinger, to return from the one-album spell The Scream of the Guillotine (one opus in 2001), a less interesting progressive metal formation. It’s great that the guys are together again, but why did they have to come up with this parody? Yep, parody is right as this is nothing like the style of the debut; this is a combination of the milder side of the US 80’s scene (think Warlord, above all) and Seattle-like alternative livened by Dellinger’s traditionally strong soaring expressive vocals, and the really proficient lead sections. “Sing to The Lord” tries not to lose face in the sea of rehashed noisy Soundgarden-esque riffs, but it’s an ungrateful chore this one, especially when “Master and My King” is just a pleasant romantic semi-ballad, melting the hearts of the non-believers as well. “I’m Free” adds more poignancy to the already very soft delivery, a dragging quasi-epic ballad which on top of that lasts for whole 7.5-min, the actual saviour here being the boisterous doom-clad “Power Unto You” which again doesn’t offer anything too striking, but at least it doesn’t surrender completely to the trite unimaginative mediocrity that permeates the rest of the material.

How the band have seen this stuff as progression, is beyond me… I guess they were too happy to see each other teaming up again after a long break that they have lost their high criteria for a bit. The modernized 90’s vibe that has been utilized at times is hard to explain… the old school resurrection wave was well into its second phase; nostalgic looks back at a decade that had nothing to do with the band’s delivery to begin with, were out of the question. But the 90’s plague wasn’t restricted to just this effort; there are other examples (Iron Angel, Wrath, Defiance, Vendetta, Nuclear Assault, etc.) which showed only too well that other veterans were also making the same unpardonable mistake, to prolong the life of a trend that wasn’t meant to appear in the first place, at a most inappropriate time.

Lesson well learnt, or unsavoury experimentations’ hunger satiated, the band changed their name to Slave to Right (a self-titled demo, 2006), something they should have done before this effort’s release… reportedly the style quite similar to the one here. They hid from sight once again afterwards for another huge hiatus, before the sophomore “Sons of the Kingdom” saw the light of day. A faithful follow-up to the first instalment, it showed the band having come to their senses, sticking to their staple classic approach, not exactly producing Jesus-like miracles with it, but rightfully winning a seat at the table… and definitely not for the last supper.