WITH HASTE ON ITS BREATH

Akron, Ohio: not the usual place to hear new prog music. However, contrary to what some of the old timers think, progressive music is alive and well among the younger generations. Maid Myriad, then, hails from Ohio, and they have a very unique style. You can imagine my excitement on hearing a great prog band from my hometown! Their debut is called "With Haste on its Breath".

Maid Myriad is made up of Jeff "JCK" Klemm on guitar, bass, and vocals, and Greg Meisenberg on drums, and what a duo they are! Their style is definitely a sort of alt rock with progressive leanings: They themselves call it kaleidoscope rock due to the swirling guitar work, pulsating rhythms, and mad drumming skills. Somehow, though, they manage to keep an alternative feel to the music; catchy and even fun at times.

Each member of the band brings a certain amount of personality here. Greg absolutely kills it with intricate drum signatures and tons of noise when the time is right. The heart of the band, though, is probably Jeff himself. His delicate guitar style mostly escapes the standard distortion of other alt rock bands in favor for well-played licks and true composition, and his bass work is deep and rich (the band has since added a bassist named Mario Tonathy). His vocals, however, deserve special mention here. Jeff has a higher pitch to his voice, but his range proves to be immense, and the wild man comes out of him at times. My wife and I were discussing this, and we decided that he often reminds us of a mix between Kevin Martin of Candlebox and Brandon Boyd of Incubus. In our household, that is a huge compliment. His truly unique vocal style makes for some very odd choruses that take time to become truly ingrained in your mind, but the time spent is worth it. Jeff, then, has provided one of the best vocal performances of the year!

"With Haste on its Breath" is a wondrous collection of shorter, yet very complete songs. Maid Myriad does not believe in extending songs for the sake of filler, and so you won't even find guitar solos here, though Jeff certainly has the chops for it. The songs are beautiful, yet sorrowful; tinged with a harder edge, but very delicate and harmonious. Again and again, though this album proves itself to be something special between the complex structure of songs like "Encircled" or the wild choruses in such songs as "Camera Eye". I especially love the amazing vocal harmonies of songs like "Shake Them Off".

If you love music that may tread outside prog at times but still has the heart of progressive music, Maid Myriad is your ticket to great music, full of emotion and skilled musicianship. Give this young band your support. I know their masterwork is yet to come.