DOWN BELOW

For those seeking the epitome of formulaic progressive metal, look no further. I generally don't like constant double bass pedaling, and this album is loaded with it, as though it is a compulsory technique. Chugging guitar makes an appearance in every track, as though there is no other way to craft a powerful rhythm. The lead instruments shred as though it is a constant requirement for the genre. The whole album reeks of triteness, to be frank. On the plus side, the vocals are clear, and the production is excellent. In terms of arrangement, there are moments of sheer brilliance. What makes this album terribly frustrating is that it combines all the hackneyed elements of progressive metal with some exceptionally creative morsels. Overall, I would compare this to Dream Theater's Images & Words, which I am sure the members of this band (and progressive metal fans in general) would take as an enormous compliment, so perhaps my evaluation of this album should be taken with a grain of salt (or the whole Morton company).

"Weak and Sober" Riddled with cliché, both musically (pedestrian pentatonic runs and banal chugging rhythms) and lyrically (lines of angst like, "I'm sick of all this shit"), this opener somewhat failed to impress me, except to say that is has plenty of variety packed into it, and I really love how tight the band is, especially in transitioning from one segment to the next.

"Open Scars" A rapid-fire riff serves as the basis for light synthesizer, followed by thicker instrumentation and a great guitar theme. It has occasional growling, which seems to work as a heavier contrast to the clear singing. The express rhythms are impressive, but sound mechanical, although the soloing is quite pleasing.

"Thirteen" Additional thudding and guitar, with a good lead (throughout), gives way to vocals over piano, although the rest of the song is heavy and constant.

"As Goodwill Falls" Here is a neat blending of metal and symphonic tendencies, although metal remains the dominant genre. The guitar solo is impressive on a technical level, although for me it seems like shredding for shredding's sake (a common vice, I'd say).

"Undisclosed" With regard to overdone metal staples, this one has them in spades. The instrumental section, however, is one of the most brilliant moments on the album.

"Something Vile" Something vile? Not at all- just something stale, as there's plenty of formulaic progressive metal here than I care to write about. Again, there's a few good moments peppered throughout, but they are overwhelmed by the cookie-cutter nature that pervades the track.

"Whistle for the Dead" For once, the metal clichés work to the advantage of the piece, which has an intriguing polyrhythm in the middle and some more varied instrumentation here and there.

"The Pawn" Predictably, there is a very quiet song that serves as the shortest track on the album by far. Over piano and clean guitar however, the vocals are unnecessarily and ineffectively harsh, although the last minute or so invokes some fairly creative and melodic electric guitar work.

"Left for Dead" Piano gives way to heavier instrumentation, and it would seem this is the most inspired song on the album, particularly with its use of the piano. This song has such wonderful sonic diversity while remaining amazingly coherent- it forces me to wonder why more of the album were not more like this. This piece does show what overwhelming music Down Below is capable of.