SECOND LIFE SYNDROME

This band came highly recommended to me by a listener I hardly knew, so I was rather skeptical before listening. The nationality of the band had nothing to do with it; rather it was the person who recommended it. I had never heard of them and had no comparisons. Rather, I was told "If you like prog music in general, you owe it to yourself to listen to this band." Well, I'm rather jaded when it comes to prog, having grown up listening to the Icons of Prog: Genesis, Gentle Giant, Camel, Floyd, PFM, ELP, yadda yadda.

Well, let me tell you that from first listen, I was impressed more than I had been with first listen of any band I can remember. This group sounds veteran in their songwriting and production. While not a lover of black metal, death metal, or any other of such sub- genres, it is a high tribute to the band that they could incorporate elements of these types of metal and still command such high respect from a listener who has been delving deeply into prog since, oh....about 1971 or so.

This group - and particularly on this CD- do such a tremendous job of combining elements of so many different influences that the sound becomes entirely their own. I hope to continue to grow, progress, and be as inspired in their songwriting and production as they have been up to this point.

My personal favorite tracks are: Conceiving You, Second Life Syndrome, Artificial Smile, I Turned You Down.....heck, there isn't a dog on this disc at all!! Highly recommended for fans of prog and metal alike. I bought it for my 21 year old son who plays in a hardcore band (shameless plugging here) which goes by the hame Between the Buried and Me. I hope this music has an influence on him!