AMELIORATE

I have been one of the biggest fans of AES out there ever since Tony Hawk's American Wasteland hit the shops. Then there was a period of time where I forgot about them. When they were resurrected again in Guitar Hero III, I could keep my eyes off them no longer. And then the band appeared in Guitar Hero: World Tour, they had cemented their reputation in my heart: I check in on their MySpace and website everyday and answer new posts in the AES forums (I'm the third most active member), and check on the updates from Andy Gentile himself. But enough of my story, AES only has four songs in their catalog and they are a perfect band for every prog fan, since each song is in a different style than the last but still retaining the AES sound.

The album opens up "Anything." It is a strong opener, in my opinion, and will get metal-heads' ears perked up. The song is ablaze in heavy guitar solos and even contains a brief vocal section (which is quoted from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"). While this song would definitely be the favorite on the EP for fans of metal, I am more of a fan of prog and I absolutely love the acoustic interlude with soaring keyboards in the middle of the song.

"Impulse" is the band's biggest "hit", if you would call it that, and one of their most interesting. Impulse is far more melodic and prog than "Anything" and contains Carlos Santana-like solos and plenty of breakdowns and disturbing guitar passages that would once again interest metal heads. This song is a giant step above "Anything," but I must remind you again: I favor prog over metal.

"Sun Of Pearl" continues to build up from the previous two tracks, and is even more prog than the latter track. The song contains excellent piano and soaring guitars that build up to beautiful melodies and riffs. For the prog fan, this is definitely the best song on Ameliorate.

The closing "The Adventures Of Jabubu" is the most prog on the album. It is like the album is an ascending elevator and the songs get more prog as the next one ends. "Jabubu" is my favorite tune off the album and it is the most relaxed and has the nicest solos from Kamins. The climax of the track is an amazing xylophone solo from Andy Gentile followed by a few seconds of scattered applause.

So that's it, a fantastic EP by a fantastic band, and a new album is coming out this year too (check out the track from the new album on their Myspace)! This is definitely one of the better albums in 2000s progressive rock. While not as dense as Dream Theater, not as calm as Echolyn, and not as prog as The Flower Kings, AES delivers a fantastic EP that is a highlight of modern instrumental prog.