This is an interesting band. My guess is they are a lot better live than on album. That’s partly a function of the recording we are presented with here. It’s also a function of the fact that it feels like they might “dumb down” their music for the CD. With all of that in mind, let’s look a bit closer at what we’ve got here.

First, we’ll address the music. The band seem to consider their sound to be heavily influenced by progressive rock and leaning in that direction. I’m not 100 percent convinced to be honest, but there’s enough evidence here to put them that category. Truly they seem very well rooted in classic rock and have definite forays into the progressive vein. The music is well written and performed and works pretty well.

The biggest problem with this CD is the production. The vocals need a bit more presence to them. The drums are too high in the mix and feel really stiff. Don’t get me wrong, the sound here is clean – almost too clean. It feels downright sterile at times. There could be three explanations for this – lousy equipment, an inexperienced producer or a combination of both. As clean as this sounds, my guess is that it’s all in the hands of the producer. It’s hard to get a “good” sound without becoming lackluster. I’d guess that the producer – who happens to also be the engineer and lead guitarist, hasn’t had a lot of experience with production and that shows. This isn’t a bad recording, but the music really deserves better.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.