NO ONE'S WORDS

Let me state first, that as a debut piece of work, I was extremely impressed by "No One's Words". Though there are moments where you may recognize particular influential nuances, I would state that this album has a very unique sound. Whether it be the mastering, or the use of untypical chord progressions, there is a small spark found in this work that you will not find in other Prog. pieces. With this aside, I'll go into a song by song review.

The Show: This is a very peculiar track, that seems to express both very hopeful, yet detrimental demeanor. The reason I bring up the peculiarity is that, while the transition back and forth is very noticeable, you don't necessarily feel it; as the overall emotion of the song is very consistent. The first minute or so of the song, may be slightly misleading due to the heavy nature of the song that is revealed by very steady drums, and thick chord and note progressions which hit you rather hard and in the chest. There are minor acoustic allusions, to a bridge about halfway through the track, which really leaves you with a "something needs to be done" sort of feeling about. The note progressions are recognizable, yet unfamiliar to the usual Prog. premises. All in all, this is probably the third best track on the album.

Haze: This track has, what I feel to be a very eclectic feel to it. It is very heavy, and participates in a very morose demeanor. If I had to translate this particular track into an analogy, I would say this would be very much like trying to wade through a river made of pudding. Even the somewhat bright acoustic measures feel heavy. Unfortunately, I find myself somewhat unfavorable to this track, till the guitar excerpt that comes in about a minute and a half till nearly the end.

Better Than Anything: This is a very confusing, yet intriguing track. It carries a lot of sustain, and maybe a bit of Tull influence (especially the flute to guitar transition). It carries a particularly heavy demeanor for a while, but seems to carry some amount of ethereal essence to it; particularly when the vocal notions kick in. Though kicks into the drudgery once more. All in all, this track is really, quite intense.

Blocked: I kind of feel that this track is perfectly placed on the album. It really sort of marks the transition from the weighted stance of previous tracks, into a somewhat bright, yet vividly intrepid guitar-athon. There are few tracks in albums that seem to adequately signal a tide of change, and I think this may be a prime example of such a notion. The thickness sort of dissolves, and turns into brightness, and determination. Easily, on a whole album scale, this is one of my favorite transitional tracks.

The Sum of Damage Done (Silhouettes I-V): This is where I feel the album starts to shine. Admittedly, I'm not a very big Pain of Salvation fan; however, I love Gildenlow's presence in this song! This is where you start to really feel some of the envisioning that "The Show" seemed to demonstrate. The shift from part to part, may not be as transitory as some more extremely lengthy pieces, but does flawlessly for it's particular time table. The brightness in this song is very evident, and kind of controlling in a "Hey, I'm bright and I'm here to take you town" sort of impression. There is a vocal excerpt about halfway through the song carries a very matter of fact-ly tone to it, but transits into an intensified guitar piece, and final verse. After these nearly final statements, it's immediately trumped by a little over a minute of guitar outro, which is pulled off very beautifully. There are numerous Prog. songs that leave you waiting for that "part in the middle" or "part near the end". This one carries you all the along, and gives you an astounding exit. Though somewhat of a toss up. I have to say, this is my favorite track from the album.

Real (Attempts 1-3): Perhaps the most influenced track on the album, yet still carries it's very own uniqueness in subtle chord shifts, and a very bright comportment. Lyrically, this piece may be a slight bizarre in it's story to story approach, but very interesting, and if nothing else, quite fun. This piece also carries various instrumental characteristics not found earlier on the album, yet just as rambunctious as it's lyrical counterpart. This song carries some what, in normal cases, may be seen as normal and typical prog. moments. However, I think there may be a slight individuality to this particular piece. I can't explain it very well, but Ephrat seems to carry a distinction to their sound which is all their own,and is particularly displayed in this piece.

If you're looking for a band that very much has their own sound, while borrowing from their influences, and can handle a little more heavy than you may be used to, I would say this album is a grand addition to any collection, and will certainly give you a solitary musical experience.