Artists | Issues | CD Reviews | Interviews | Concert Reviews | DVD/Video Reviews | Book Reviews | Who We Are | Staff | Home
 

Derev

Leap of Faith

Review by Gary Hill

This new disc features an intriguing sound. I could almost put this under heavy metal, but ultimately I think progressive rock is the right place for it to go. Much of this is dark and moody. It's definitely metallic, but you probably gather that from what I said previously. No matter how you describe it, though, this music is strong, and the sound is fairly unique. This is a great debut from a promising band.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review
Tunnel Vision
Ambient and textural sounds are on display as this works outward and continues to grow. The cut streams directly into the next song.
Turab
Metallic guitar riffing brings this in from the previous tune. It drives furious and heavy as it continues. It drops back a bit as it continues. It's dark and rather trippy. It has some cool musical textures and moods. It works through a number of shifts and changes. It turns out to some seriously thrashy stuff further down the road.
Futile
Another fierce metal stomper is on the menu here. This thing is positively on fire. There are some intriguing mellower and proggier concepts on the mid-section of the piece. Those proggy textures are prevalent around the five-minute mark as a cool bass driven movement takes control. The cut continues to drive with real fury from there.
Delayed
This is moody and so classy. There is some killer keyboard jamming later that really brings the prog angles to bear. The tune has some cool, trippy, jazz meets space elements at play later. This might be the most dynamic cut on the disc. It's also probably my favorite.
Slipping Down Again
Another that's much more melodic and decidedly prog, this has some of the most mainstream music of the set. It's powerful and another highlight. There are definitely jazzy guitar angles to this piece.
Ghost of Guilt
While the song proper is more trippy, moody proggy sound, the cut explodes mid-track into a powerhouse prog jam that has jazzy and metallic edges to it. It really screams.
  
Return to the
Derev Artist Page
Artists Directory
  
Google

   Creative Commons License
   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
    © 2024 Music Street Journal                                                                           Site design and programming by Studio Fyra, Inc./Beetcafe.com