STANDING IN STILLNESS

This band is made up of three members of LEGER DE MAIN and a former member of ANDEAVOR.The three members from LEGER DE MAIN all have the same last names because two are brothers and the singer Melissa is married to one of them.The music is complex and melodic, much in the FATES WARNING / RUSH style. The female singer has a good smooth vocal delivery, and if you have heard LEGER DE MAIN you'll know what to expect.

"Magic to Breathe" is Melissa singing without any backup instrumentation at all.This is brave, but for me it makes me cringe. It doesn't work at all. Thankfully it's just over a minute in length. "In Solitude" has some amazing drum work as well as guitars especially 3 minutes in. "Standing In Stillness" has a heavy intro that dies when the vocals come in. The instrumental passages are so impressive. "Battled Beliefs" has a nice little drum intro. Riffing is right behind along with double tracked vocals that occur often on this album. There is a scalding solo 3 minutes in and the drums and guitars that follow are fantastic.

"A Dim Too Dark" opens with strummed guitar and vocals. Some heaviness comes in and the instrumental passage has a definite RUSH feel to it. Nice.The song ends as it began. More double tracked vocals on "Flash of Red" and the lyrics here and throughout are very meaningful. "Truth Undiscovered" is a guitar lovers dream. From intricate melodies, to riffs, to solos. Impressive.

It bothers me that I can't get into the vocals but I can't. The drumming,bass and at times dual lead guitars are so well done. I suggest if you're into metal to give this a try, you may love the vocals because I am sure i'm in the minority with my dislike for them.

Mythologic is a progressive metal band formed around the excelent guitar player Steve Matusik, who also played with Andeavor and Damien Steele. He gathered around him a bunch of great musicians from another progressive metal band from USA , Leger de Main, the female vocalist Mellis and the brothres Chris and Rod Rodler. The music is very good, with lots of great instrumental passages, great musicianship and very energis drumer. The album release in summer of 2003 at PMM (progressive music management) and named Standing is stillness is almost a forgotten progressive metal gem. Every thing is top notch here, from the crispy and sometimes very cold voice of Mellisa, but very good to the bursting guitar moments, all the pieces are winners here, not a weak moment. Matusik realy is a great guitarist who knew how to make a pleasent and in same time complex progressive metal album just listen to In solitude or A dim too dark , real solid prog metal pieces , not to mention the rest of the members who did a great job. In the end a 4 stars for this unknow album, very well played with great compositions, but who didn't make it in this scene, is strange because the album is very strong.

Mythologic came into being due to the desire of guitarist Steve Matustik (Andeavour) and drummer Brett Rodler (Leger De Main) to work together. Although initially they had problems meeting due to the success of their own bands, Chris Rodler finally succeeded in pushing them together. Of course, when they then decided that the ideal was working and that they needed someone to provide bass and extra guitar who would they turn to but to Chris himself. They wrote plenty of music together but they still needed a singer, and it was at this point that they turned to Leger De Main's Melissa Rodler. Mythologic were complete.

With two guitarists and no keyboards the impression may be that this is a riff-hungry act that is more at home in the depths of hard rock rather than the more technical area for which these guys are known, but nothing could be further from the truth. The album opens with "Magic To Breathe" which is a short a capella number that demonstrates the beauty and control of Melissa's voice ? imagine Alanis but with more depth and passion. Those who then think that this is going to be a laid-back affair are also going to be disappointed, as although we gradually drift, Rush-like, into "In Solitude" this is music that has rock as its' heart and Melissa as it's voice. It is deep, it is dark, it is simple, and it is gloriously complex with weird time signatures and Peart-like drumming. But this isn't a Rush clone, just one that attempts to walk through the same trees, but taking a different path.

I have long been a fan of the Rodler brothers, more years than either of us probably like to recall, but when time and again they produce music of such consistently high calibre I find myself yet again heartily recommending an album of theirs to you. For more details visit the label site at www.pmm-music.net. You won't be disappointed.