NEW SUN

It took another five years for New Sun to return with their fifth, and currently most recent album. They had returned to core trio of Chris Trujillo (drums), Christopher Scott Cooper (guitars, vocals, keyboards, bass) and Alex Kley (bass) but this time had also brought in a large number of guests, just as they had with the third release, 'Expectations', including violinist Benito Cortez who had been involved with their second album some 18 years earlier. Here we find the band trying out some new ideas, expanding their musical offering but instead of forming parts of a whole, instead it feels more like the band are not sure what they are trying to achieve which means the lack of cohesion makes for a somewhat fragmented release. There are times when what they are doing is nothing short of superb, as the trio have been working together for more than 20 years by this time and have a great understanding of each other, but others where it just does not gel as it should.

"The Beguiler" sounds as if it has come out of the New Romantic period of the early 80's, with hints of Depeche Mode as well, and it is not something I expected from a prog band. True, bands need to keep pushing boundaries and moving in different directions, but there is always a risk of alienating fans and that is so far out of left field one has to wonder, "why?" But contrast that with the sheer brilliance of "Slipstream Day" which commences gently with an acoustic guitar and is lifted by a wonderful lead electric and soaring strings. It is one of my favourite songs ever by New Sun, simple in many ways, yet sheer delight. It is quite possible that this album requires more listening than I have time to give to it, but for me this is an album where I may return to it to play certain songs but doubt I will listen to the whole thing. Six years since this was released, although they have remixed both this and 'Damage Done' since then. I sincerely hope there is more to come from the band in the future, but I guess we will have to wait and see.

— First review of this album —

After the excitement of the 90's, many prog bands dropped out of the scene when we got past the millennium, and after three albums in six years the same happened with New Sun who went on extended hiatus. They returned in 2012 with their next album, 'Damage Done', and while Chris Trujillo (drums), Christopher Scott Cooper (guitars and keyboards) and Alex Kley (bass) were back, there was no sign of founder guitarist D. L. Erickson who had departed before their third album, 'Expectations'. Rather curiously, the band had decided to bring in a new lead singer in Christopher Elio, which seems rather strange given that role had always belonged to founder Christopher Scott Cooper. The band must also feel now that this was a step in the wrong direction as in 2019, they remixed the album and reissued it with the original vocal tracks ? the original version of 'Damage Done' is no longer available, and here we have 'Damage Done Redux'.

Whereas 'Expectations' had seen the band bring in quite a few guests, here we see the band getting back to their roots and producing something which in many ways is more similar to 'Fractured' than anything else. The keyboards are not nearly as prominent, and here we have New Sun firmly in heavy prog yet mixing in melodic rock as well, so this is a very easy album to get inside. One of the main differentiators of New Sun for me are Christophe's vocals and I cannot imagine what the band would sound like with a different singer, so it is no surprise they reverted to the original vocal tracks. The guitar is more direct and less nuanced, while Alex and Chris continue to provide that wonderful foundation which they have been doing since the beginning. This album does not have the polish or expanse of 'Affects' yet is still a solid listen and thoroughly enjoyable. So, what was next?

Just three years after the debut and New Sun were back with their second album, 1998's 'Affects'. The line-up was the same as for the previous, which had them gaining in confidence and looking to expand their sound into other territories such as symphonic. They also brought in a guest violin player in Benito Cortez to assist in this. This expansion meant they moved away somewhat from the more straightforward melodic expressions of the debut and instead maintained some of that but also wanted to see where the music would lead them and their listeners. "Acquired Muscle Memory" is quite Floydian, with delicate keyboards and Gilmour-style lead, yet there are times when the influences of Rush and Tiles come through, along some of the more melodic stylings of King Crimson.

The debut album was a load of fun, but it is only when playing 'Affects' that one realises just how much more depth there is here as we are no longer in the shallows of prog but are now fully immersed and who knows where the current will take us? This means that although this is not as immediate as the debut, the more this is played the more there is to discover and enjoy with lengthier instrumental passages and more concentration on guitar leads. The rhythm section here almost sits in the background, just providing a wonderful platform for the others to work against yet rarely stepping into the spotlight. However, listen to what they are doing and there is a lot of complexity taking once to build that foundation. A definite step up, both this and the debut are thoroughly enjoyable, but in different ways.  

Two years on from his solo release, and multi-instrumentalist Christopher Scott Cooper joined forces with guitarist D.L. Erickson in 1993 to form New Sun, and by the time of their 1995 debut they were completed by bassist Alex Kley and drummer Chris Trujillo. One can see the journey from the debut through to this one, as this carried on many similar ideas, but as is often the case when there are more players involved, each with different influences, the music has transformed. In this case it is way more polished, and while there are more people the arrangements often contain more space. Take "Glass" for example, there are times when it is solid drums, a dynamic bass (love some of the different styles Alex shows on this), a little guitar and Christopher's vocals, yet there are others where they more far more solidly into prog metal territory, taking a leaf from Threshold as opposed to Dream Theater, so it is not surprising that PA list them as Heavy Prog. Indeed, while there are times when one can easily think that one is listening to the complexity of Rush or Tiles, yet always with a melodic sensibility.

I had to smile when I heard the word "Incommunicado" in "Then & Now", as anyone into prog will always think of Marillion when they come across it, yet this number shows a more reflective side of the group, far less bombastic and thoughtful. This is one of the delights of the album in that there is a lot going on and the band have no problem at all in shifting styles, often containing a simple complexity which makes it easy to listen to yet also contains much to investigate. This does not feel like a debut, as it sounds like a band who know what they want to achieve and have the skills and chops to do just that. While it does not sound like a modern release, it also does not feel like an album which is now more than quarter of a century old, and progheads would do well to investigate this.

New Sun is a band that I'm aware for some time now, knowing 2 of their albums Affects from 1998 and Expectations from 2001, both being quite good heavy prog albums to me. In 2002 the band went in to a hiatus who lasted until 2010 when the band begun to work for a new album and aswell a new member appear in the line up Chris Elio responsable for vocal department.

Well, the music from the new album named Damage done, isued in may 2012, their forth album is no better then previous releases but is no worst either. The heavy prog offered has some intresting passages, is well balanced between heaviness of the guitar and melodic lines, the perfect examples are pieces like Shard In The Sand or Miscreants , aswell Dreams worth mentioned for some horns addition in the mix, working quite well in the end in the heavy prog atmosphere. So, not a big album or excellent, but is decent most of the time, I remain to Affects and Expectations to be their most acomplished works so far, at least to me. 3 stars, I'm curious in what direction they will take with the new album.

These new days seem to be a perfect moment for old Prog bands to come back to play and record. In the last decade tons of bands returned to the music business. They are aware that we have a high time for Prog Rock in general and today it is an ever growing genre within the audience. This week I have reviewed two bands in this position and that's exactly where the American band New Sun stands.

I wasn't aware of New Sun but they are an American band founded in 1993 and they had 3 albums released between 1995 and 2001. Soon after that, the band went on a hiatus that would last for 11 years. Damage Done (2012) is the result of this 11 years without releasing an album and gathering experience. The only big change in the band's line up is their new vocalist Chris Elio. The band is completed by Chris Trujillo (drums), Christopher Scott Cooper (guitars and keyboards) and Alex Kley (bass).

The best thing on Damage Done (2012) is that you cannot precisely spot where the band is going. They play an extended mix of Prog that is mainly based on melody with a bit of heaviness here and there. The band has many heavy guitar moments in Damage Done (2012), like in the opening 'Shard In The Sand' or 'Miscreants', but most of the time the melody is the main goal. Listen 'She Moved Me' and understand what I'm talking about. One perfect example of how broad their influence can be on this album is the track 'Dreams'. The inclusion of horns was completely unexpected and works wonderfully!

The best track on the album though, is the last one, 'Chasm City'. On this track we have different vocals, possibly by the guitar player Christopher Scott Cooper (couldn't spot exactly who, both Chris Trujilo and Christopher are marked with vocals on the booklet), that interchange with Chris Elio vocals. I would love to listen more of his vocals on the album.

New Sun unfortunately doesn't have a great production on Damage Done (2012). I have this impression that the guitar sound is repetitive on most of the tracks, even if it was a conscientious decision to forge the band's sound, for me it looks a little boring. Other thing is Chris Elio, his vocals lack a bit of charisma and sometimes his voice can sound a bit over the top.

But you cannot say that New Sun is not a hard-working band, they are indeed. Damage Done (2012) took 3 years to be completed and has many good ideas and moments and I can see the band doing much better in the next album. And one more thing, they did the perfect thing when they decided to record a 45 minutes long album, this is a smart move nowadays. So you can sit down and actually listen what's going on. Worthy to give it a try.

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

This is an extremely varied album, and while New Sun will be viewed as many as being 'progressive', they are much more about providing strong songs than conforming to any particular genre. The biggest thing to come out the album is a feeling of space, some of which is due to the sometimes lengthy gaps between tracks, but also to the laid back feel to many of the songs.

It is music that is there to be listened to and enjoyed, but the guys feel no need to thrust it down your throat. While much more will be gained from sitting and listening to it quietly, this album also does very well from being played as background music.

The firs few times I played this I did so while doing something else, but found that songs that "Reflections", with strong vocal and lyrics but minimal backing always had a way of grabbing attention. Then the next song is much more rock based so that the listener is never quite sure what to expect next. No lyrics in the booklet but they are obtainable from the web site which is www.new-sun.com. An interesting album.

Originally appeared in Feedback #62, May 01

New Sun hail from the Silicon Valley in California with multi-instrumentalist Christopher Scott Cooper and guitarist D.L. Erickson as the original members and Alex Kley (bass) and Scott Landucci (drums) joining soon after the band's formation in 1993.Landucci would leave his place to Chris Trujillo the next year and this core recorded the band's debut ''Fractured'', released indepedently in 1995.The album can be purchased through Blue Seven Audio, a recording label established by Christopher Scott Cooper.

Combining the Power guitar-Rock of RUSH and some of KING CRIMSON's extreme workouts, New Sun appear as a Heavy Prog group with an intense tendency towards powerful rhythms and complicated instrumental passages.The limited use of keyboards and the strong presence of the two guitarists result a dynamic and at moments raw guitar-driven style with both groovy and adventurous moments, while the vocals of Copper have sort of a metallic edge.''Fractured'' offers ten compositions, divided into catchy vocal deliveries, powerful, heavy grooves and technical displays, while there are plenty of different atmospheres offered by the group, from the spacey mood of ''Then & now'' to the nervous and dark sound of ''Switched by remote''.Quie often the group flirts with a more Prog Metal-oriented sound akin to QUEENSRYCHE with deep lyrical content and nice instrumental diversity.The two guitarists, as being the band's leading figures, deliver some great solos, impressive riffs and FRIPP-ian complex breaks, strengthening New Sun's technical efficiency.

Anyone fond of band's in the vein of TILES will love New Sun.Guitar-driven Power Prog Rock with a wide spectrum of different song structures, likely to please all fans of Prog Rock music.Recommended.

3 years later in spring of 2001 New Sun comes with third album named Expectations. Well my expectations were that this release to be as good as previous one. Still, ok maybe more mature and little polished then previous two works, Expectations offers some good spacey heavy prog arrangements. No big diffrences between this one and Affects in overall sound, but pieces like opening track Mammoth, the title track . Expectations who is by far the best piece of the album and among the best they ever done, excellent Rush like guitar passages and heavy drumming with some complex moves and twists. The atmosphere is in parts more relaxed and without that forced moments that appear on Affects, Heavy prog played with balls and with heart, the problem is that this band is little known and for sure needs far more attention even is not among the top bands of the genre. Decent is the word to describe this album and this band in general. 3 stars again.

New Sun is somehow an unknown band in prog circles even they release 4 albums to date. They are from USA formed in early '90s. The second album from 1998 named Affects is a trip in heavy prog realm with some great guitar parts and dark atmosphere. Also they incorporated in their sound some space rock passages that gives overall a fairly decent experince to the listner. The riffs and sound remind me in places of King Crimson and even some Rush passages are to be found here, but are all melted with their own twists. This album is ok, good no doubt but some parts are little forced in my opinion, like for instance in pieces like FYB (the Deceptionist) or "Cause & Effect". There are also some highlights like Prometheus and ending track Question. So, fans of Rush at some point might give this band a try, they are ok, but I don't think is a groundbreaking release, still 3 stars to this one, good cover art.