STRANGE LAND

Strange Land has morphed through different sounds and incarnations, and this current version is a two-man band featuring Sean Gill and Brad Klotz. These two do an admirable job of providing instrumentation and vocals for the entire album. I applaud them for this.

The band utilizes a brand of progressive rock/metal that leans upon heavily distorted, raw guitars and a bleak, unfeeling atmosphere. It has roots in punk rock, methinks, and also in heavy metal and Tool. This is certainly no descendant of Dream Theater. The music is unimaginative, full of roaring distortion that never really goes anywhere or serves any purpose. The guitars are right on the edge of annoyance for me, as I'm not a big fan of the harsh, raw side of the instrument. The instrumentation isn't the weakest part of the album, however.

The guys both provide vocals for this album, and, unfortunately, the vocals range from horrible to somewhat manageable. The shrill, punk style that is used irks me to no end, especially when it seems the band has something deep to say. Forget that, though, as any profundity is lost in the immature sound of the vocals. The vocals really do ruin the entire album.

There are some bright spots here and there. Actually, the instrumental "Luke's Blue Serial" is a genius track full of brass instruments and sheer inspiration. I was shocked when I heard it! The rest of the album, however, is nothing but mediocre style, sloppy musicianship, and horrible composition. It's listenable, but barely. I do not recommend this album at all.

In style they often come across as a rough mix of Fates Warning, Rush and Iron Maiden; with the overall sound of Fates Warning, guitar riffs and lick in a similar style (although not sound) as Rush and galloping bass lines at times reminding me very much of the style Steve Harris have used.

The songs themselves are probably the weak part here. The musicianship, although not stellar, is mainly good, but doesn't manage to add anything to the melodies themselves. And the moods explored really doesn't quite manage to impress me. Nice riff patterns, loads of breaks adding variation, a general sense of evolvement is there all along - but few of the songs manage to conjure up soundscapes that grabs my attention. Nice music, pleasant, but that's about it for me.

If rough music in the borderline between hard rock and metal sounds good to you, and you don't mind influences from bands like Fates Warning, Rush and Iron Maiden in your music, this is a title you'd want to check out.

When rocking out, they are mostly slow and dark in scope, with what seems to be influences from King's X and Soundgarden in sound. Some Dream Theater-eque faster moods can be found, but most times they balance the slow chugging riffs with mellow clean or acoustic guitar based moods, often with atonal or disharmonic elements.

There's also a bit of theme and mood exploration going on here, so I guess King Crimson and various fusion bands belong in a list of probable influences here as well.

Interesting music when it works, and nice even when it doesn't quite gel. Relatively original overall sound on this release.

The record opens with "Obliquity" a slow and very heavy tune with a stuttering soundscape. ZERO HOUR-like precision between the bass, guitar and drums. The sound 3 1/2 minutes in is amazing ! "Cause And Defect" opens with drums that quickly build as the rest of the band join in. Fantastic sound here. Vocals enter 1 1/2 minutes in as we are treated to another heavy track. 4 minutes in the sound lightens somewhat (still heavy) and I like it even more than the earlier melody, it reminds me of RUSH. Man these guys can play ! The drumming is outstanding and the song speeds up 8 1/2 minutes in to end it. "Marionette" opens with strummed acoustic guitar for 30 seconds until it is trampled underfoot by a heavy sound. This contrast continues. I really like the mellower sections, actually I love the heavy parts too, it's all good ! A killer guitar solo follows with riffs right behind. It's as heavy as hell 5 1/2 minutes in followed by a galloping rhythm.

"In A Mind" has an atmospheric intro including some rare keys. The bass and drums form a formidable team on this mid-paced tune. This is just a gorgeous song. The guitar solo 6 minutes in is pure bliss. "Dear Helena" may be the heaviest song yet ! A wall of sound. Nice guitar solo 3 minutes in and the song ends with a lot of intensity. "Exordium" is really a change of pace as we get a spacey soundscape with some strange sounds as this song blends into "Alone We Go" for 30 seconds. A great contrast in this one ("Alone We Go") between the heavy and mellow passages. The guitar solo 4 1/2 minutes in is in a different tone from the rest on the album. A lot of variety with the lead guitar on this record and he really hangs on to the final note of this solo. "Below The After" is a great way to end the album. Some tempo changes and riffs with some beautiful guitar melodies. I have to say that the vocals were very well done on this album as well, quite powerful but not the range of some i've heard. Still he keeps within his limits extremely well.

Anyone out there who is into the bands or albums listed above, needs to check this band out. 4.5 stars.