ANOMALY

A strong start for this independent band. Reminds me of a mix of Rush and Fates Warning. Despite being a 3 piece they get a lot of sound going. Some very nice piano playing by singer/bassist Chad Novell as well. A few hiccups here and there but nothing to distract from the quality of the songwriting here.

This debut CD by US band Strange Land is a nice album, without any major flaws. There's no really weak tunes here, but on the other hand none of the tunes are really strong either. Nice, but no cigar.

In style they often come across as a rough mix of Fates Warning, Rush and Iron Maiden; with the overall sound of Fates Warning, guitar riffs and lick in a similar style (although not sound) as Rush and galloping bass lines at times reminding me very much of the style Steve Harris have used.

The songs themselves are probably the weak part here. The musicianship, although not stellar, is mainly good, but doesn't manage to add anything to the melodies themselves. And the moods explored really doesn't quite manage to impress me. Nice riff patterns, loads of breaks adding variation, a general sense of evolvement is there all along - but few of the songs manage to conjure up soundscapes that grabs my attention. Nice music, pleasant, but that's about it for me.

If rough music in the borderline between hard rock and metal sounds good to you, and you don't mind influences from bands like Fates Warning, Rush and Iron Maiden in your music, this is a title you'd want to check out.