PRISMA

Though they may be on the opposite side of the Atlantic, Swiss act Prisma are disciples of one of the most significant American rock bands of the past twenty years. For anyone who has heard a minute of Prisma, you'll know the band in question is Tool, and if you've heard Tool, chances are you have a pretty strong opinion about them, for better or worse. Although this band's second album "You Name It" is well produced, performed, and even written, there's not a moment here where Prisma breaks free from that influence. Out of context, this is a talented act with some great sludgy art rock to offer, it's just a shame that they don't explore their own territory.

I understand that it's not fair to dismiss an act as a basic 'copy' of another; after all, every musician is a unique mix of influences and passions. The fact remains, however, that everything from the drums to the sludgy guitars, dark atmosphere and vocal range all screams Tool. As progressive rock goes however, it's not uncommon for bands to emulate their heroes. To their credit, Prisma manage to cut a relative par with Tool, circa their "Aenema" period. The drums comes across as a melting pot of metal aggression and near-hypnotic tribal rhythms. The guitar work is impressive, but not necessarily from a conventional measure. The riffs are based more on thick texture than any kind of technical precision. Although nothing here feels distinct or original, Prisma execute this sound very well.

Throughout "You Name It"s hour-length, Prisma do not change up their sound much, if at all. The compositions are typically rooted around the Alex Jones-type grunge riffs, and as a result of this, it's fairly difficult to tell these tracks apart from one another, although the song "Broker" would likely take my vote as a highlight, if there is one. In short, I can give Prisma a quick recommendation to any hardcore fan of Tool; if I haven't emphasized it enough, that band's sound is what you should expect here. The skill and finesse of their musicianship is certainly here, the personality isn't.

Though the influences are clear, they are not easy to isolate. The sound is defnitely raw, very clean, uncompromising: it reminds early Tool (Undertow), or the italian post-metal band Ophydian, but there's also something which recalls grunge bands from the 90s. But there's more underneath which keeps the band a little distant from the models. If they were not so dark, pulsing and reflective, one could think about a young re-incarnation of Mastodon.

The band doesn't show off its technical ability: substance overwhelms appearance. Essentials, I would say: the roots of the 4-element rock: drums, bass, guitar and voice. With simple bricks they build various and surprising buildings. And though the band keeps the pace of medium-length rock songs (we don't find 10-minutes prog suites here) they are never banal. Longing to hearing next.

To sum up in two words: raw and unpredictable.

EDIT 2010/02/05: I added one star, because the record seems to be more mature and complete than I thought at a first listening.

Sounding not too unsimilar to Tool, they mix influences from indie rock such as REM with the heavier sounds of Black Sabbath and Soundgarden, as well as refined prog metal/thrash in the vein of Coroner. The tunes are sombre, intricate and slightly quirky; but at the same time accessible and melodic. Bass and drums dominate the verses, most times with atmospheric guitar use, and the guitar kicks in on the other parts of the tunes.

If you like Tool and similar bands, this disc should be high on your list of music to check out.