FEEL.MELT.RELEASE.ESCAPE.

This debut album by Anti-Depressive Delivery was the perceptual victim of my first hearing their sophomore release, Chain of Foods; an album which ranks as one of favorites of the 21st century. The differences between the 2 were such that Feel. Melt. Release. Escape. (henceforth referred to as FMRE) fell by the wayside. I have recently revisited this album with a fresh perspective, no bias toward its successor and find FMRE to be a proverbial hidden gem in my own collection.

FMRE is a decidedly heavier album than the remaining 2 Anti-Depressive Delivery albums. Not so heavy that I would refer to it as a "metal" album, though the distorted crunch exists in spots. The use of heavy guitars comes with a great amount of contrasting undistorted, lightly overdriven, and acoustic sound. Even a banjo gets air time on Path of Sorrow. Additionally, the writing does not lend itself to any metal conventions that would typically accompany heavy distorted guitars. Combine that with the rather liberal use of B3, common time changes and soaring vocal harmonies, FMRE takes on the feel of a complixified and edgy classic rock album, though not nearly as classic rocky as ADD's remaining albums. The keys are not just limited to B3 either. Mellotron makes a healthy proggy appearance as well.

Overall FMRE does not hit that sweet spot of perfection that Chain of Foods did. White it is an outstanding and enjoyable listen, some of the transitions do not feel/sound as natural as they did on Chain of Food. But The album has nonetheless earned itself a little promotion in my collection to a little more frequent listen after this little re- acquaintance. And I believe it to be an excellent addition to any prog collection. 4 stars.