The Reformation
Fatal Expectation
Review by Gary Hill
I like this album quite a bit. These guys are pretty amazing musicians and the range of sounds is pretty impressive. This is probably not for everyone, though. There is a bit of a DIY feel to some of the song-writing and the production that will turn some folks off to it. To me, that’s almost one of the charms here. This isn’t overly polished and some of the twists and turns feel a little awkward, but in a great way. Additionally, some of the vocals are a little rough around the edges, too. Still, that’s all part of the indie charm of this release. Surely prog purists will run screaming for the exits because there is a lot of metal in the mix. Often the vocals (Caroline Schneider) call to mind Rush to me. Mind you, that’s mostly because Geddy Lee’s voice (especially in the early days) was in a register mostly reserved for female singers. However you slice this beast, it’s creative, inventive and pretty darned cool.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2014 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
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