|
The
first cut of this debut is titled “Doppelganger” and is
quite impressive. I haven’t heard an opening of an album
this strong in a long while. “Doppelganger” is not
progressive in the jerky, busy, petulant, preposterous,
ambitious sense that most prog rock usually is. Instead,
it’s concerned with rocking out and offering a
satisfactory fourteen minutes of cool riffs, upbeat
rocking passages, senseful changes, logical evolutions
and tremendous combinations. Best of all, there is no
vocalist to distract us or fuck things up a bunch. The
music is the center. And deservedly so. Canada’s The
Isosceles Project are doing things right in this debut.
The
Isosceles Project is comprised of guitarist Eric Euler. I dig
his work a great deal. The desperate solo come the eleventh
minute of the first song is astounding. Not perfect. Just
effusive. His heavy riffage ain’t no laughing matter either.
Euler commands with authority, he leads the band through fuzzy
patches and rough terrain.
But it’s not all him. In the title
track, the drum and bass combo work adds a happier hue, and they
are almost all there is for half the track, where Euler goes clear and
soft they sprinkle cymbals and almost rumbling submissive bass
work. The tune gets rocking of course. Shit, this is so much
better than listening to Fates Warning.
There are
many annoying aspects of progressive rock. One is the assumption
that the accumulation of notes suffices. It does not. And it
never will. Sure thing, this Canadian trio have an admirable
concentration span, to play such long songs you need that, but
so do they possess the rare ability to balance out technique and
spectacular drama with sensible melodies.
As a music lover
listens to Oblivion’s Candle is difficult not to feel certain
joy. Joy because the music is there, joy because it is loud, joy
because it rocks, and joy because its at times exhilarating. The
accent changes in last track “Whispers in the Factory” are
fantastic. Nothing short of that. And so is the rest of the
album. Highly recommended.
MySpace |
|
