SCRATCHING AT THE SURFACE

This is the third album from Boston-based outfit Event, and in many ways is quite a hard thing to try and describe. They obviously come from a prog background but are mixing and moulding it with loads of other styles and tricks, some of which are down to the production and the way that they treat the vocals. Looking at the bands they have played with doesn't give that much of a clue as while some of them are label-mates, they are quite diverse (Porcupine Tree, Tony Levin, Planet X, Spock's Beard, Dokken etc). The band that for some reason I kept thinking of was Faith No More but these guys sound nothing like that; it is just the attitude and the way of throwing it all in the pot.

All of the guys are great musicians, of course, but Dave Deluco is a star. The label compares his style with Gary Cherrone, but to me his register is slightly lower but there is no doubting that the guy can really sing, and the band play to that strength. The music is designed to keep the vocals at the forefront, no matter what chaos or weird stuff is going on in the background. In many ways this is one of the more commercial of Inside Out's releases yet at the same time it is also totally out of left field so it does take quite a lot of listening to. The rewards are great as it is an album of great depth but unless you put in the time you will not get the benefit. Strange, but good.

Originally appeared in Feedback #73, Jun 03