CHAIN REACTION

An intelligent heavy prog with moderated use of the elements that often make metal music too abrasive for my senses. In this I would compare them to Tool, Karnivool, Proghma-C, and even Haken and Muse in their ability to salvage sensitivity and melody within their music.

1. "Every Time She Smiles" (6:46) Stylistically and vocally this song almost could have come off of FREDDEGREDDE's Brighter Skies album. It even has quite a few attributes of the music coming from Indie-pop band COLDPLAY or maybe MUSE. Nice. (9/10)

2. "Children of Red" (5:08) There is a heavier, more metallic musical foundation to this one, yet their are still parts (mostly vocally) that remind me of COLDPLAY--at least until the growl-vocals at the end of the third minute. Then it reverts back to the more Indie-pop style choral vocals. Back to machine gun kick drum-led metal sound before fading delicately. A bit incongruous. (7/10)

3. "Misguided" (8:30) opens with some layered, multi-insturmental presentation of an engaging melodic riff before settling into a song that sounds straight from HAKEN's Vision album. Then around 1:35 a cool multiple chord bridge takes us into another FREDDEGREDDE-like section. The first exposition of the chorus at 2:20 reminds me of KARNIVOOL. A nice FROST*-like instrumental midsection ends with some awesome lead guitar blending into screaming voice (treated) and keyboard before returning to the chorus. This one is a keeper. (9/10)

4. "Nothing (But the Rain) (2:16) is a very nice, melodic keyboard- and industrial sound-based instrumental interlude that builds on a repetitive chord progression into a quick climax. (10/10)

5. "As One" (5:48) begins softly with treated guitar and keys before the full band comes kicking in. At the one minute mark a "normal" vocal enters over some straightforward though heavier Indie rock sound. Chorus and later vocal sections are heavier and treated with effects. The number of tempo and style changes is again reminiscent of "quick change artist" FREDDEGREDDE, though the music is more similar to HAKEN. Cool song. (9/10)

6. "Hollow" (6:07) opens with some gentle, emotional, slowly strummed electric guitar and piano chords. How deceiving! All hell breaks loose at 0:44 with a creeping, haunting insistent heavy sound. The "I am the wave..." section only adds to this unsettled feeling. A very cool song with all kinds of sonic incidentals to surprise and/or distract you. Super high pitch fret-tapping guitar solo blasts its way in at 3:44. Wow! The three sections of the chorus return but with all balls out--to great effect. Great finish à la PROGHMA-C. (10/10)

7. "As You Go" (3:12) sounds like a nice MOON SAFARI or RPWL song. A nice break from the heaviness before (and to follow). (8/10)

8. "Natural Selection" (5:14) begins with an aggression that belies its melodic vocal sections. Kind of LINCOLN PARK-like in its two-facedness (even the "it doesn't matter" lyric!) The band seems like it's kind of draping a couple songs together into one. Again, FROST*s Experiments in Mass Appeal come to mind here: too much being compacted into five minutes. (7/10)

9. "Methylene Blue" (7:43) opens with a synth arpeggio repeating itself. Gentle almost whispered vocal enters soon. At 1:25 the voice moves up an octave as other instruments begin to join in. At 2:10 a piano-based section takes over for a bit. Gentle NOSOUND-like treated vocal begins. Very pretty section. Very sensitive and emotional--dreamy. At 3:50 the full band kicks in for "Praise the sun before she goes away" lyric. Electric guitar solo bridges between another louder, more aggressive section. Then, at the five minute mark, a drum-led staccato odd timed section ensues. Wonderful to hear the band weave their way in and out of this rhythmically complicated section. Just as suddenly it all drops out and we are restored to the piano arpeggios beneath the plaintive treated voice singing "Methylene blue. I am sorry for killing you" over a few time till the song's end. Great tune! Feels like it should be accompanied by a sci-fi video (like KARNIVOOL's awesome "We Are.") (10/10)

Probably my favorite prog metal/heavy prog album of the year (I eventually find one or two). Fully worth four stars and more. Excellent instrumentalists playing some awesomely complex and yet engaging and beautiful music--all topped off with a great vocalist. Great job, guys! Your future is bright! I, for one, will be watching!