MAIDEN VOYAGE

Canada's Thought Machine certainly have an interesting approach. Their music seems to me like the normally instrumentally-dominated genre "math rock", only with vocals. I can't shake this overall feeling of their debut album, which I will say right away is a strong debut album.

Thought Machine's music has some distinguishing characteristics. First of all, the bass seems very predominate. The bass especially is inspired by math rock, as it is very bouncy and dynamic. The guitars, too, have that hard-but-not-heavy feel. Yes, a very Porcupine Tree/indie feel. So, too, the drums are technically proficient without a shred of metal to be found.

However, there is another driving force here. That force is nostalgia. It seems like these guys have quite a few fond memories of their youth. "Young Guns" and even "Breathing Lessons" seem like odes to the past. I think this is an excellent place to begin a musical career. It builds a foundation for what to expect in the future. The vocalist pulls off this nostalgic concept in style, with vocals with a slight whine that really make you feel the emotional strings being pulled.

Sure, some of this album seems misguided. I don't particularly like the opening multi-track song, Gordian Knot. For some reason, it seems like it has quite a bit of filler and showboating when compared to the rest of the album. However, the last half leaves a good impression with me. I am very interested in where these young lads will go next, and I hope they don't lose an ounce of the emotion they show here. They have a good grasp on the spirit of truly good music, and I hope they grab on more securely with their next release.

Short-lived act from Nova Scotia, Canada, formed in 2007 around the talents of Brett Waye (vocals, bass), Rob Rushton (drums) and Marc Langille (guitars), joined later by Scott Maclean (guitars).Rushton was later replaced by one Adam Wedgewood.Slowly they developed an original Progressive Rock, which included some keyboards as well, played by Waye.The updated style was presented in 2010 on the band's only release ''Maiden voyage''.

Primar influence of the band appears to be their legendary compatriots RUSH, around the sound of which they tried to throw some personal elements from a more contemporary Alternative and Atmospheric Rock sound as well as some keyboard colors.The result is a tapping, rhythmic album, highlghted by the plays of the guitar duo, which included striking lead parts, impressive riffs and solos, complex twists and even some light psychedelic passages.Of course the fresh and clean vocals have nothing to do with RUSH, it's more like coming from a modern Rock group, and are delivered sometimes with high-pitched performances and even some more poetic lines.The music can get very complex at moments with the dual guitars displaying an ability to switch from powerful rhythms to schizophenic, almost KING CRIMSON-like moves.There are specific tracks, which contain more pronounced echoes from past as exhibited on the keyboard work, like the nice Mellotron on the opening ''Gordian knot I., the binding'' and the atmospheric but very progressive ''The Fall of House Atreides'' or the light organ parts on the groovy ''Persuasion''.Moreover they never forget to throw in some cool melodies in the vocal and instrumental ideas for an even more balanced sound.But the style remains fairly guitar-driven with a nice fresh aura and interesting chord progressions.

At some point Thought Machine moved to Halifax and experienced their first line-up change with Patrick Healy replacing Marc Langille.But an announcement on their Facebook page put an end to Thought Machine's stint in late 2012/early 2013, as most of the members were heavily involved in other projects.

RUSH-inspired modern Heavy Prog with a few vintage colors.Rhythmic and complex work, very good purchase for all lovers of guitar-oriented Prog Rock.Recommended.