ODD LOGIC

Hell! What an odd logic! Is there any album which will bring me closer to growls, better than this? Wasn't aware of that outfit from Tacoma beforehand, but fortunately stumbled upon a new effigy recently, which is their 7th piece of art in the meanwhile. They are opening the song collection with the extended title track, and soon, solely after some minutes sinking into this, I already felt certain about the further status. Consequently this took a flying leap forward onto the top of my review list. It's not that those chaps are defining something essentially new here according to the progressive rock genre. The compositions though are really really enchanting, top notch all the way through, sometimes even courageous.

Hereby they are covering the complete range of heavy progressive rock, this mixed-up with some AOR and death metal. The band originally derives from a one-man show, what I know, rocked by Sean Thompson, who after all cares for guitars, keyboards as well as vocals here, additionally being responsible for the compositions. Not sure if there is a concept story behind this? In no case I could find proper information concerning this issue. Anyway, the aforementioned title song is epic for sure. I hear some significant Fates Warning leanings for instance, where Sean's voice comes surprisingly close to Ray Alder at the very start ... but hey, it's all good, and that's not all.

Nearly 18 minutes passing by in a flash, a multi-faceted affair, showing a recipe based on luxary equipment, including nice organ with (early) Genesis glimpses, acoustic guitar, multiple riffs, clever hooklines ... a fantastic kick-off by all means! More straightforward rrrocking in behaviour the shorter Master Of The Moor continues on the same level, partially setting the focus on the organ again. This one should be spreaded all over the world to every broadcast focussing on rock music outside of the mainstream, no question. Mercenary then will let them invade into the death metal territory, though not totally, as for that a hybrid somehow.

Due to The Yearning you won't miss the obligatory charming acoustic ballad, this featuring wonderful vocal performance throughout! Now returning back into the already entered moor paths Witch Runner appears with more AOR sentiment ... until they surprisingly again will open up a new death metal intermezzo. Well, what should I say to this? Wow, an excellent album! Almost perfect if you love heavy progressive rock music with diverse surprises involved. As there is something for every whim. Some spain respectively mexican folk impressions needed? No problem! Sean Thompson and his band mates have achieved great success with 'Effigy'.

A truly stunning album for those who like their metal to be truly progressive (and not only metallic). This is album number six from this quartet out of Washington.

One need not ponder how or why they have managed to maintain such a low profile through their 13-year existence, but if there is any justice in the world, Penny For Your Thoughts should take Odd Logic into the prog premier league.

They shuffle elements of rock, metal, jazz, classical and pop into an absorbing avant collection of eccentric songwriting. There is simply too much going on to capture in a mini review.

Just give yourself the time to listen to this album from start to finish, and you'll see why this is an early contender for my Album of The Year 2016.

Odd Logic is the project of Sean Thompson who play most of the instruments with a lot of guest musicians. For someone who playing some music is a hobby, the music here is seriously crafted. You will recognize the typical Progressive Metal of many acts in this genre, but with some tasteful arrangements, from the vocals range to the rhythm changes sometimes abrupt switching from a soft melodic mood to a heavy dose of djent metal. Also we have some special effects and techno sound spread out in the songs with some exotic passages with the drums and the guitar. Sean Thompson know how to take some simple melody lines to create his own patchwork with surprising turnaround in a completely new atmosphere. In that cocktail of music, there's a bit of bluesy passages to spice things up again. The album end with two ballads to give us a breather after the display of that complex and intense music. The story of this album is important, and the way it has been communicated by all the vocalists is impressive, from the clean vocals, to some female opera singing, and to another voice that simply narrate the story. A well deserve 4 stars!

Although Odd Logic has remained in relative obscurity since its formation in 2003, Over the Underworld is proof that they're one of the most creative acts in the prog metal genre. It's certainly not every day you hear a modern "vanilla prog metal" album with this much atmosphere, heaviness, and emotion - even more infrequently do you run across an album in this genre that is meant to be synced to a movie. Over the Underworld was written in different "movements" meant to be synced with different parts of the 2003 film, Underworld. Although I may be missing out on the intended experience of this album (I've never seen Underworld - let alone sync it to this album), the music alone is enough to leave me awestruck. Over the Underworld has a few flaws, but none crippling enough to rob the album of its accolades. This should prove to be one of 2011's highlights in the prog metal world - I wouldn't miss out on this exceptional effort from Sean Thompson.

The music on Over the Underworld is progressive metal with obvious influences from the likes of Dream Theater, Symphony X, and Pain of Salvation. I also hear nods in the direction of the much-heavier modern djent-metal movement. The guitar and bass tones are usually downtuned and extremely distorted - there's a heavy, almost industrial, atmosphere throughout the album that makes the lighter sections contrast even greater than they normally would. Sean Thompson has demonstrated here that it is not only possible to create "vanilla prog metal" that's still strikingly original, but it's also possible to succeed tremendously at doing so.

Over the Underworld took a quite a few spins before I "got it" - not at all surprising when one considers the epic scope of the album. Every song here (aside from the hidden track at the end) falls into the 9 to 21 minute range, and encompasses multiple sections, mood changes, and a concept story filled with repeated themes. That alone should make my first acquaintance with the album a bit difficult, but the production also took a little while to get used to. That shouldn't at all be interpreted as a bad thing, though - the more I hear Over the Underworld, the more I recognize the genius of the album's production. The guitars and bass both dominate the mix here, with the drums and atmospheric keyboards often taking a backseat in the sound. The vocals are also fairly low in the mix, but it adds excellent mood to the album. I would just recommend not dismissing the quirky production after just one or two spins - it definitely reveals itself after repeated listens.

As I've mentioned earlier, Over the Underworld was meant to be synced to the 2003 film Underworld. For most listeners I can imagine this being a bit of a "double-edged sword", so to speak. On one hand, this gives the album a unique twist that sets it apart from the seas of cookie-cutter prog metal bands, but on the other hand this method of songwriting may create a few problems. Although a largely insignificant complaint, I do feel that a few sections on the album are a bit "underdeveloped" because of the method of composing used here. If the album weren't synced to a movie, Sean Thompson may have had more freedom to expand upon his ideas. Some parts feel as if they were cut off early just to match up with the movie - it happens infrequently, but it's a minor complaint regardless. This may just be an issue that resolves itself after even more spins, however. Considering how much this album grew on me after the first 10 listens or so, I have a feeling that the next 10 spins may prove that this isn't a problem at all.

Over the Underworld is a groundbreaking prog metal album in the truest sense. It's strikingly original, genius in its delivery, and compositionally intriguing - that pretty much defines a "modern classic" for me. If you give Over the Underworld the undivided detention it demands, this should prove to be an incredible experience for all prog metal fans. 4.5 stars are well-deserved here. Let's hope this album puts Odd Logic on the map - I know that this will be one of my highlights this year for sure!

Odd Logic moves in mysterious ways...

The brand new Odd Logic album is a bit of a mystery. It contains of 5 very long pieces of music. Average length is around 13 minutes. One of the songs are even over 20 minutes long. In other words, very ambitious.

The music here is modern progressive metal with a lot of cyber metal infused. That means dirty sounding bass, guitars and drums which has been downtuned. Cyber music from inside a big machine in other words. The vocals is pretty similar to George Michael, though. George Michael from Wham! fame, that is. The music has a lot of film and sound effects too. There is also a film included in this album too. A secret movie, that is. Instructions on their Myspace site.

The music itself is chopping and changing between downtuned heavy guitar passages, sound samples from movies (I presume) and some clear instrumental parties taken from symphonic prog. The sound is big and so is this album. It is a big sounding album and a very heavy album too. Minimalism is not a word I would use here.

The quality of the songs are good throughout. I am not one of these cyber prog metal fans, I gladly admit. But the clean sounding melody bits here are great. The blasting bits where Odd Logic is trying to scare of the crows outside my office window (and succeeding !) is not to my liking. This is an contrast filled album between the beauty and the beast. I quite like it, but that's it.

3 stars

Do you like old school progressive metal? Do you like fantasy fiction? Do you like old-fashioned role-playing games? If you gave a yes to the first and one positive response to either of the following questions then Odd Logic may just be a band you would like to check out further.

"Legends of Monta: Part II" is, as the name implies, the second album following a conceptual story. The first chapter was realized in conceptual, musical form back in 2006.

I didn't get too much into the storyline of this one, apart from the context: An grandfather telling a fantasy story to his grandson, with an odd twist at the end. What I did catch throughout the album are odd names for persons and places, and certain twists in the storyline which owes more to Dungeons & Dragons than to Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. Which may limit the audience for this album to some extent.

But if you can tolerate this setting, and especially if you generally find these kinds of endeavours enjoyable, you're in for a treat with this album. Musically it is a well made affair. While not taking on as elaborate musical territories as bands like Ayreon, Dream Theater and Symphony X, Sean Thompson is a strong lead vocalist and as a composer he has a good ear for melody and a keen sense for the construction of engaging and pleasing textures. The odd quirky riff pattern does appear from time to time, but most times the melody is in focus, enhanced by clever keyboard patterns and synth textures. It won't make it into any record books as amongst the most challenging efforts made, but it's most certainly pleasing for the ear and the mind.

Spicing up the proceedings are the inclusion of cinematic sequences, with more or less good acting and sound effects to highlight certain parts of the story. Personally I found most of them to enhance the overall listener experience, but for some these segments may end up as to cheesy. I'd surmise that fantasy fans with a distinct intellectual approach to their reading and enjoyment of the genre will be slightly put off, while those who doesn't reflect too much upon the philosophical grounds of their fantasy pleasures should find these delightful.

A strong album will well made compositions, perhaps somewhat lacking in the mix and production department at times but then again we're not dealing with a record label effort constructed in a state of the art studio either. Personally I found the quality of the compositions here to outweigh the technical aspects of this venture, but the clinical sound enthusiast might get less enjoyment out of this one due to that.

All in all, a strong effort, tailor made for enthusiasts of fantasy and progressive metal both.