MEMOIRS OF A BROKEN MAN

Futures End is not exactly a 'supergroup', but looking at the pedigree of the five guys in the band, I suppose you'd be forgiven for thinking so. At one time in 'rival' bands, guitarists Marc Pattison and Christian Wentz decided to work on something together, initially to see what would happen. The addition of singer Fred Marshall moved things further along, making Futures End a band instead of a project. Completing the lineup is the impressive duo of bassist Steve DiGiorgio and drummer John Allen. Childhood friends that have played together before [Dragonlord, Testament, Sadus], they each know what the other is capable of and bring a strong chemistry to the band that's hard to beat. There are also keyboards in some of the songs, but as to whose work it is, I cannot say at this point ' Pattison, Wentz and DiGiorgio have also played keyboards in the past, so I'm guessing it's one of them. With everything that each member has done in the past, it would seem that Futures End would be more like a gathering of different styles and influences that compete with each other. Instead, the band sounds more like a marriage of metal (as Marc Pattison mentioned in an interview I read) that brings some heavyweights of '80s metal (prog and non-prog alike) together with a modern edge. The end result is something like a thrash driven breed of progressive metal with some power metal influences. If I had to drop names, think Iron Maiden meets Judas Priest meets Queensr'che (hey, that's almost the 'Three Tremors' tour!) with a bit of Iced Earth, Testament and Fates Warning - all without sounding like a rip-off of each band (and others) thrown together and recycled. Memoirs Of A Broken Man is a concept album that deals with a topic we're hearing more and more about these days in the news; the struggles some soldiers endure after returning home. The main character of the album sinks deeper into depression and self-destructive habits following the suicide of his best friend (and fellow returning soldier) and lashes out, his girlfriend deciding to finally leave him. Isolating himself from the outside world, his thoughts turn to suicide. Eventually reaching a critical moment of clarity, he decides to try to change his life for the better before reaching a point of no return. A few sound clips help move the story along, without eating up too much time. On a bit of a side note, I have to say I was surprised to hear the use of a typewriter in the background (a manual one at that!) during the narrative parts, rather than the click-clack of a computer's keyboard or scribbling in a notebook. I don't know why, but it caught my attention. End of detour. Marc and Christian are exceptional guitarists, able to shred with the best of them. Pick a song, any song except for power ballad 'Beyond Despair' (which is as good as anything else on the album) and you'll hear an exceptional twin guitar attack with precision control, a strong sense of melody and some outstanding solos. 'Your Decay' and 'Forsaken' are good examples, but they're all worth checking out. Fortunately, the album isn't all about shredding or keeping the guitars the main focus. Steve and John's experience playing together is fairly evident, building a rock solid foundation for the songs and providing a back end powerful enough to keep the guitars from overflowing. The mixing and production helps keep them from being buried by the guitars and vocals, but it would take a lot to bury their packaged thunder. As good as the music is, I think Fred Marshall is the highlight of the album. It's hard to pick out any one moment, but the aforementioned 'Beyond Despair' is a good place to start looking. While guest vocals from Lance King [Pyramaze, Balance Of Power, Avian] and Lucho Silva [Magistral] help in a few of the songs, Fred has a voice strong enough to stand on its own, able to remain in the foreground at all times. 'Endless Journey' features counterpoint that helps to elevate it to awesome levels, while 'Remembering Tomorrow' seems to give Fred more of a chance to explore his own range. A jaw-dropping cover of Iron Maiden's "Powerslave" completes the album as a bonus track. Even though it's last, it might ruin the 'flow' of a concept album for some listeners. However, if you can get over this trivial matter, it's quite an enjoyable rendition of an Iron Maiden tune that hasn't been covered a lot (as far as I'm aware) already. I didn't know what to expect at first, but Memoirs Of A Broken Man has remained on near constant play since I got it and I doubt it's going to leave my current listening anytime soon. Albums like this don't come along very often, and that's probably a good thing. All five men have had impressive careers up to now, but the five of them together seems to be an example of something that is 'greater than the sum of its parts'. Expect to be hearing music from these guys for years to come.

3.5 stars. FUTURES END came about when the two lead guitarists (Christian Wentz & Marc Pattison) decided to do a musical project together.They added Fred Marshall which is why I became interested in this album to begin with, knowing him as the vocalist on ZERO HOUR's "A Fragile Mind" album. Steve DiGiorgio (bass) came on along with Jon Allen (drums). So an all-star cast to be sure with some guest vocals from Lance King and Lucho Silva. Wentz also plays piano and keyboards while Pattison adds keyboard programming and sequecing. For me the music is fairly similar to ZERO HOUR at times, not quite as heavy overall though.This is a concept album and the story is detailed at length in the liner notes. It's about a soldier who returns home with his friend from war, the only two from the unit to survive. He has a terrible drinking problem which causes his woman to leave and his friend ends up committing suicide. It's obviously a dark subject but the silver lining is that our subject struggles back to his feet and forgives himself to actually "live" once again.

"Relentless Chaos" opens with atmosphere and I like the narration to start as our subject describes the experience of war and the rage he feels as he heads home.The dam was about to break.The music kicks in with that twin gutiar attack and heavy drums. Oh yeah ! The vocals spit out the lyrics. Some crazy synths at times on this one. A great uptempo track. "Inner Self" opens with heavy drums and background synths. Nice. It kicks in at a minute with the guitars buzzing.Vocals before 2 minutes. It settles 4 minutes in with atmosphere,drums then vocals. It kicks back in a minute later.Some killer guitar here. "Endless Journey" opens with guitar as the drums and bass kick in heavily and vocals follow.Great sound here. Check out the bass after 1 1/2 minutes. Love the overlapping vocals too. Amazing guitar show before 3 1/2 minutes.

"Your Decay" opens with outbursts of heaviness that come and go then it settles in with vocals. A calm with reserved vocals 2 minutes in. Ripping guitar follows when it kicks back in. It ends with deep atmosphere and the sound of his friend getting shot (suicide). "Beyond Despair" is almost ballad-like with acoustic guitars and reserved vocals.This is surprisingly good for that style. "Share The Blame" opens with orchestral synths as the sound builds. It's built ! Vocals join in. I like the guitar / drum section 4 minutes in. "Forsaken" opens with narration then it kicks in quickly.Great sound ! Nice guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in.

"Stand To Fall" is heavy with vocals a minute in. A calm with acoustic guitar before 2 1/2 minutes and vocals join in. It's building before 4 minutes. "Terrors Of War" opens with lots and lots of gun fire before the guitar and drums take over.Vocals after 1 1/2 minutes. I like the guitar solo before 6 minutes. "Remembering Tomorrow" opens with heavy bass and drums and the tempo picks up. Vocals as it settles back some. Guitar comes in after 2 1/2 minutes. Nice.There is a bonus track which is a cover of IRON MAIDEN's "Powerslave".This is the best MAIDEN cover I have ever heard. Absolutley smoking !

I wasn't blown away by this record but it's certainly worth checking out if your into Prog-Metal.

Despite releasing a single album in 2009, FUTURES END is still officially a bona bide active band and has been touted as a supergroup due to the fact that several members were in various metal bands in their career however that might be a stretch. The band was formed in Martinez, CA by guitarists Christian Wentz and Marc Pattison. Both Wentz and Pattison played in the Tampa, FL based Circle II Circle but the other lineup is what makes progressive metal fans salivate.

Along for this wild progressively infused power metal ride are drummer Joe Allen who has played in various bands including Dragonlord, Masqued, Sadus and Testament. Also on board is Zero Hour vocalist Fred Marshall but the true star of the show is bassist Steve DiGirogio who has played with long resume of metal acts: Artension, Autopsy, Charred Walls of the Damned, Control Denied, Dark Hall, Death, Dragonlord, Futures End, Iced Earth, Painmuseum, Roadrunner United, Sadus, Scariot, Soen, Testament. There were also a few guest musicians. Supergroup? Maybe, but whatever.

Hitting the market in 2009, FUTURES END caught the attention of the prog metal community with its so far only release MEMOIRS OF A BROKEN MAN which was received quite well and won all kinds of accolades for the stellar performances displayed. This is a concept album about a man who returns from war, falls into depression and becomes an alcoholic. His only friend commits suicide and he spirals deeper into the ultimate depression but ultimately if you pay attention the lyrical content, the story ends with a positive resolution which is what everyone wants from such a traumatic ordeal i would guess.

FUTURES END delivered a bombast power metal album infused with progressive twists and turns that take things a little further. The band has rightfully been compared to bands like Symphony X and Dream Theater but in all honesty isn't quite as creative as either band. Melodically the band is quite strong and technically as well with hard driving power grooves that display the member's most ferocious chops. Creatively though, MEMOIRS OF A BROKEN MAN falls short as there really isn't enough divers elements to warrant a 70 minute bombastic metal experience. While a few slower moments occur, FUTURES END delivers a balls to the wall Dragonforce inspired speedfest from beginning to end.

First flaw is that this album is way too derivative of Symphony X with its neoclassical guitar runs, heavy guitar riffing and vocal style. Second flaw is that the tracks are too similar. While the final track 'Powerslave,' a remake of the classic Iron Maiden track is perfectly performed, it seems totally incongruous with the overall concept and thematic flow. In the end, this is a satisfying technical display of musical chops but i sure wish that it would've been honed into a more interesting listening experience. All that is missing is some original content. Oh well, the desire to cash in on popular sounds is nothing new but this album is a testament to why so many bands fail to carryon on after an initial wow factor. Definitely worth a listen if you can't get enough Symphony X inspired technical prowess but unsatisfying if you want an album with staying power.

"Memoirs of a Broken Man" is the debut full-length studio album by US progressive/power metal act Futures End. The album was released through Nightmare Records in October 2009. Futures End formed in 2007 and feature quite a few prolific names in the lineup. The quintet lineup consists of bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Testament, Death...etc.), drummer Jon Allen (Sadus, Dragonlord, Testament...etc.), guitarist Christian David Wentz (Circle II Circle, The Element), guitarist Marc Pattison (Destiny's Void, Chemical Burn, Circle II Circle), and lead vocalist Fred Marshall (Destiny's Void, Zero Hour).

So without even talking about it, we´ve established by looking at the names involved, that the musicianship is top notch on "Memoirs of a Broken Man". Stylistically the material is a progressive tinged form of US power metal performed with great technical skill. Marshall is a powerful and commanding singer (I´m personally not sold on his voice, although he is undeniably a skilled vocalist), and the album is loaded with high level drumming and bass playing (...it´s the Sadus rhythm section so it´s a matter of course), and very intricate guitar riffs and lead work. Fans of the genre should be able to find a lot to enjoy here. The material are relatively varied with both hard edged US power metal tracks, intricate semi-progressive moments, and the occasional more power ballad type sections.

"Memoirs of a Broken Man" features 11 tracks and a total playing time of 70:07 minutes. 10 originals and a cover of "Powerslave" by Iron Maiden closing the album. While it´s slightly too long for it´s own good, it´s not an album featuring an excess of filler material. It´s more a matter of 70 minutes generally being a very long playing time for any release and a shorter more focused release could have felt even stronger than this version. The album is packed in a detailed and powerful sounding production, so upon conclusion it´s a high quality release by Futures End. A 3.5 (70%) rating is deserved (probably higher if you appreciate Marshall´s voice more than I do).

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)