| The
Review |
All right here we go, funny how this bands name tends
to be sympathetic to the state of the economy at this time,
obviously a phrase that might be sighted on some tree-hugging
yuppie college kids WV van placed somewhere between a Phish
and "Free Tibet" Sticker. But don't judge a band by it's name,
I mean this is literally their fifth album, and should be
the record that might them break into the whole progressive
rock/metal mold here in the U.S. ***
This being their fifth album, and their first for Inside
Out, which is among many of the labels that this German quintet
has been signed to in the past, they tend to walk the thin
line between progressive Metal and progressive rock, being
song oriented with heavy exposure among the improvisation
of both keyboards verses guitars. But then again, these guys
are not just another weak Dream Theater clone; they stand
out amongst themselves, but for comparisons sake they lean
toward a mixture of Angra, Spock's Beard, and Vanden Plas.
***
Obviously, The Chemical Chaos is a dark record, that
with its emphasis tend to lean toward the playing, there is
the whole songwriting structure that keep the sound of the
album more tame, without going overboard with the jamming/soloing,
keeping the hooks in their place, but yet leaving the extended
timing of the songs give the headroom for what accessible
experimentation is used here. The dual guitar work from both
Volker Walsemann and Marco Ahrens, is completely metal-esque,
with your thick Marshall rhythmic punch that carries constant
through the record, no to mention leads that are no distant
from any metal player's chops; but along with this we have
the keyboards, brought to you courtesy of Jörg Springub, who
plays the aggressive synth solos, to church reverberated Hammond
organs, to warm analog synth pads, even the bass stands, occasionally
with pops and slaps, complimenting the busy "Zonder" style
of drumming of Andreas "Theo" Tegeler. ***
Well for one, The Chemical Chaos opens up with "Walk
Into Nowhere," which, opens up with more of an overture type
piece, with the soloing between the guitars and the keyboards
beginning this cut, which eventually leads the basic song,
with the lyrical content, coming from the pipes of Volker
Walsemann, whose vocal range stays within a lower range, without
falsettos that might tend to be annoying for some. With the
whole song structure setting the tone for the record, there
are dark moments with yet an upbeat feel such as "All Minds
in One," "Left to Chance," and "Do What you Feel," being more
like some of Fates Warning's or Queensryche's darker material.
There are of course the ballad like moments such as "A World
Without Me," "Pact with the Past," "Moving Target," and the
acoustic "Access Denied;" but with yet the pace changes, the
consistency of the record stays the same. ***
All for all this makes for a great record, keeping it's
own sound, while not straying too far from typical progressive
endurance that pleases us all. The production is more organic
sounding, with more of a live atmosphere, rather than sounding
too overproduced, but by no means being stripped down. ***
Tommy Hash
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