Sun Caged original?

[rbloemink]

Sun Caged's debut album contains very good Progressive Metal, but I want you to consider this:

I've got the album of Sun Caged for about 4 weeks and after a couple of listenings I think the sound is far away from original. For example the first seconds of the first track of the album is almost exactly the opening of the famous Liquid Tension Experiment album, although the intro of Sun Caged is a little bit longer. The song on itself is good, but there riffs almost copied exactly from Dream Theater: They're main influence. I think a riff of Erotomania (Awake) is in it. BTW you can hear the influence of Dream Theater through the whole cd.

The intro of the second song of Sun Caged could be placed on every album of Meshuggah. The static, heavy riff on the seven-string guitars is just copying the unique sound of meshuggah. I can give you a lot of other examples, but I won't do that. I just want you to know that although Sun Caged is a good band with very interesting music, compositions, technical solo's and so on, the music is far from original.

BUT I'm happy about this album anyway, because finally, The Netherlands is on the map of Progressive Metal.

 

[SaTriaNi]

Hmmm you're the first one who said something negative about the album All the other reviewers said they have their influences but they are original and have their one sound. And for what I have heard from the album, I agree with that. I even think that's the most positive thing that they aren't just another prog metal band who sounds like Dream Theater but they are a new band with their own sound. And what they have said many times, all the bandmembers have different influences and like many styles and that all together is Sun Caged.

 

[keeper of the flame]

If you have had this album for 4 weeks now, it means you've got an illegal copy! About the supposedly acclaimed originality, I think no band listening to others in the same genre is free from influences. So what if it sounds like DT or Meshuggah? It's not like it's an exact copy. In future there will be other bands sounding like Sun Caged once this album will spread like a wildfire.

 

[sclemur]

We should make a difference between a certain punctual soundings/passages reminding of some other band/artist and the fact of being or not original (i.e: if you play harmonic minor phrases on guitar you will immediately have an Malmsteen-ish reminiscence, but that does not mean you are not original, etc... the same happens to prog and the use of certain chord harmonizations or progressions)

Being Sun Caged a progmetal band, and considering the huge amount of bands of the genre, it's normal that in certain moments a melody or passage may remind you of another artist (I remember huge polemics not long ago on Dream Theater ripping off Tool, for example). However, at least to me, having listened to everything coming from Sun Caged except their new album, the sound is very unique and distinctive. Their sounds go from hard metal bands to fusion, and IMO the way they display that huge amount of field is quite unique, thanks to not basing their music influences directly into any other actual prog band and giving a lot of importance to the personal style of each member (as incredible as it can be, all individual SC players have very unique styles that can be easily recognized). Of course, the Dream Theater comparison will always be there, as inevitably happens with any band as technically skilled as SC, but they're very different bands. The same with Meshuggah (any skilled metal band using crunchy riffs on 7-string guitars with odd meters will be compared to them inmediately and inevitably, no matter what they play)

 

[Sam027]

the influences (or what they like/listen to) are/is blatent, thats right, but well I dont see that as much as a problem. Its just a debut album after all. I already dig the very few I've heard, and I think they'll take a more personal path next time, by, as I read, tuning lower.

 

[schoolsux]

somebody is always ripping off somebody else. Elvis ripped off blues, SRV ripped off henddrix, insync ripped off the back street boys(just joking). the thing is if a band in particular has influences of some other band or bands it's kinda psycological that the music will show the influence. as for SC, they are doing an excellent job staying true to themselves combining prog and power metal. right now my music sounds like DT, SX, Rush. but it's only a matter of time now, I'll brake out of that and try something origial. but hey not everyone can create revolution. SC, they might have a chance.

 

[Demonspell]

Their influences may be readily apparent, but I don't believe Sun Caged are an overt DT clone as some have suggested (or one of anyone else.) And I also think the Labrie comparison is being stressed too much in the reviews.

 

[Borkdude]

Ah, well yes. I have listened the album for a few times now too and of course some things remind of other bands... no worries. I think there are some really cool riffs and solo's on the album and some guitar parts give me chills (that is positive). Especially when I saw the live version of Unchanging... the guitar solo at 3:07 (three minute seven seconds on the studio album) really made me like: wow, cool! This is awesome! Some riffs keep dangling round my brains. Some pieces are very nice. However, the album as a whole is not very consistent imho and sometimes the sound is a bit too full (for me) or too busy. That's just my opinion, don't get offended. I have listened the album a few times, but it doesn't give me that 'feeling' I get when I listen to a very well organized album, like Images and Words, Operation Mindcrime or whatever.

I have very big expectations of the band and I think time will make this band very awesome. As a debute: I think it's fine, but not a 'stayer' in my cd-player.
It just needs that tiny little bit extra coherence.

 

[FLechdrop]

Hey Michiel, you're registring on every known forum aren't you?

 

[FLechdrop]

Hehehe

 

[keeper of the flame]

BUT I'm happy about this album anyway, because finally, The Netherlands is on the map of Progressive Metal.

Don't you think Arjen Lucassen's Star One-space metal or his album Flight of the Migrator had already put Holland on the map long before SC? :Smug:
Sun Caged is just another example of the fact that also in this genre The Netherlands produce quality music.

 

[FLechdrop]

Or his album Into The Electric Castle? I was thinking that too.

 

[Borkdude]

Really? Where'd you get it?

D.

Got it fresh from our local university network... the well known place for a lot of prereleased stuff.... hmm, probably that is all I can tell for now I guess . Don't worry: I WILL buy the album in a few days.

My method:

boolean opinion = download_album(a = new Album());
if (opinion) buy(a) else delete(a);

// opinion = true means I like the album

 

[SanderThomas]

My method:

boolean opinion = download_album(a = new Album());
if (opinion) buy(a) else delete(a);

// opinion = true means I like the album

 

[Borkdude]

What I meant was: I first borrow or download the album to check it out and see it's ok enough for me. Then if I really like it I'll go buy it (when it's out and when my bank account permits it still ).

 

[SanderThomas]

I understand what you said, don't understand why you said it that way :Smug:

 

[Borkdude]

I dunno either... probably I wanted to make a joke when I said: my METHOD. In Java functions or whatever you call em are called methods. Hmm, don't pay any attention to it .

 

[FLechdrop]

Hahaha that's cool how you wrote that down.

Eek the colors changed?

 

[rbloemink]

If you have had this album for 4 weeks now, it means you've got an illegal copy! /QUOTE]

no, I haven't. I've got a promo-copy.

 

[rbloemink]

All I want to say is (I doubt you want to belive me, though) is:

All similarities to other bands are purely coincidental. We're doing what we want to do. We're not "influenced" by other other prog bands. Our influences come from other sources.

D.

Ah man come on. If you're saying that all similarities to other bands are coincidental, you are not making yourself very credible. Like I said the intro of sedation (however it IS cool, I think) IS a copy of LTE's Paradigm Shift. And I read in the biography of SC that you are influenced by LTE so: there is the similarity.
Overall you really sound like Dream Theater, anyway and I'm not the only one that thinks so, because reviews in Io Pages and the Aardschok (you probably read them) said so too.

I really like SC serious (!), but I think that denying of similarity to other bands is not very honest.