Every now and again, a disc will come along that has that "something special". You know what I mean. It's the kind of disc that you can remember where you were when you first heard it.
I can remember quite vividly to this day gathering around Jeff's phonograph system. You know, the kind...with the tuner/receiver/turntable all built into one unit. It was graced with what had to be the cheesiest set of speakers ever known to man. But Jeff was "cool" because Jeff had scraped together enough odd job money to buy these HUGE Jensen speakers and hook them up to his Emerson all-in-one. The result? The closest any of us had ever come to that point in our lives to audio nirvana. The year was 1976. I was 19 years young. And we had all trooped over to Jeff's dorm room after classes to listen to this new record that was supposed to be the "greatest rock album I have ever heard" or words to that effect. We all waited with anticipation as Jeff placed the phono arm (with a WAY cool Grado cartridge on it!) onto the vinyl surface. And out of the speakers came a sound that truly defied all prosaic efforts to describe it. The song faded in slowly with a sweet acoustic guitar into. Then the vocals kicked in...and WHAT vocals. Soaring, screaming, touching the sky. And the electric guitars! An absolute wall-of-sound. The album was Boston's self-titled debut. The song was 'More Than A Feeling'. What can I say? I get chills just thinking about it. It was a moment. And I was launched on a musical journey that continues to this day.
Fast forward to 1992. I'm a big boy now. Married with children. You know the drill. And one night after band practice our guitar player says to me "you NEED to hear this new cd I bought". He's grinning from ear-to-ear. "Yeah" chimes in Jeff, our bass player "you NEED to hear this".
Now, Mark was (and still IS for that matter) cool because he has this incredible car stereo. It's an Alpine head unit with beefy power amps driving incredible sounding speakers. You know the kind. A car system that sounds better than most peoples home stereo. Anyway, Mark, our bass player, and I all troop out to his car and after we have settled in, Mark fires up the cd player. And out of the speakers came a sound that truly defied all prosaic efforts to describe it. The opening song built up slowly, from a clean quavering crosspicked electric guitar intro, heavy on the vibrato and chorus. A moody bass riff, a washing key pad, and huge sounding drums came in. Then the song postively roared to life as a crunching and powerful guitar riff became the icing on the aural cake. The disc was Dream Theater's 'Images And Words'. The song was 'Pull Me Under'. My faith in the power of music (greatly shaken by the hopeless mixture of synth pop and disco that had dominated radio throughout the late 80's and early 90's) was refreshed and restored. I bought the cd the next day. Honestly, if it were possible to wear a cd out, then I would have ruined that one. It was my near constant musical companion for weeks and even months after that. It was great music and the magic that accompanies it.
You all know the kind of music I'm talking about. Music that makes you remember why you love music so much in the first place. Music that sends a thrill up your spine. Music that nourishes the soul and awakens powerful emotions inside of you. They're quite rare you know. The kind of discs that incite all of these feelings and more.
Well, now there is another disc to add to that short list. It's the long awaited and much anticipated from the band Sun Caged.
How to describe this music? Well, it's prog metal to be sure, treading some well traveled and familiar musical paths. But that doesn't mean it's stale. Not at ALL. From the opening shred of the eight minute epic 'Sedation', we are treated to some of the freshest and most energetic progressive metal to be released in years. It's all there. And in spades. Tighter than tight guitar/keys/bass/drums interplay. Soaring vocals that carry the melody strongly and clearly above the fray. Ripping solos that don't just wank mindlessly but fit seamlessly within the context of the songs. Sounds that move effortlessly from the 'nu' to the 'retro' and back again in seconds. Monster groove that just won't quit. All enhanced by state-of-the-art production that has every single performing shining with crystal clarity. No mud or distortion here. Just killer clean sound.
Musically, these guys have clearly taken a page from the book of all the great prog metal bands that have gone before, but they have added their own personality and style which gives them a unique character. The strongest musical influence? Clearly Dream Theater/Liquid Tension Experiment. But are they derivative to the point of being nothing more than an annoying clone? Absolutely not! The influences are there, but the songs are all alike stamped with that ineffable quality that comes from the band having poured their souls into the music.
The songs? The title track 'Sun Caged' is a perfect example of the musical quality of this tour-de-force. It moves effortlessly between a romping stomping helter-skelter riff to a beautifully moving balladic middle section with gentle piano and an awesome melody into a shedding solo from guitarist Marcel Cohen that's so brilliant you'll be wondering aloud why it ends so quickly. And I'm not cherry picking. Every single cut is a gem. 'Home'...'Hollow'...'The Eighth Day'...'Unchanging'...all are great songs that work as SONGS and not just as displays of musical virtuosity. The performances all gel perfectly. From André Vuurboom's amazing vocal performance (emotion be thy name...Tate meets Labrie...is that even possible?) to Joost van den Broek's masterful keyboard work to Rob van der Loo's pulsing, driving yet ever so clear bass work to Dennis Leeflang's complex and precise drumming. And of course, there's nice guy Marcel Coenen's flawless guitar playing.
My personal favs? 'Closing In', with it's eerie opening bars which segue into a driving riff with enough widdly shredding bits inserted here and there to send Yngwie scrambling for his Mel Bay books. This is everything a great prog metal song is supposed to be. Powerful and yet fully controlled vocals with a melody that haunts you wedged between powerful stabs of instrumental interplay. My other favorite cut? 'Secrets Of Flight'...a nine minute opus delectum that never lets up. Changes galore and enough instrumental prowess on display to entertain even the most jaded. And it gives way to what has to be the most epic vocal melody of the entire disc. Not a weak moment in sight as the band careens insanely between power and grace.
In fact, I can honestly tell you there isn't a single weak moment on this entire disc. Not a single wasted note. Not a single squandered idea. It is all played with the powerful economy, precision, and restraint that great prog metal is noted for. A place for everything...everything in it's place. And THAT is saying something in a genre known for overblown and overly hyper arrangements.
As I stated from the outset, this disc has been a long time in coming. And many here have waited for it with near breathless anticipation. Well, the wait is over. The debut full length disc from Sun Caged is here. And any self respecting lover of progressive metal will own a copy. Maybe two.
Sun Caged. They came. They saw. They conquered.
I can remember quite vividly to this day gathering around Jeff's phonograph system. You know, the kind...with the tuner/receiver/turntable all built into one unit. It was graced with what had to be the cheesiest set of speakers ever known to man. But Jeff was "cool" because Jeff had scraped together enough odd job money to buy these HUGE Jensen speakers and hook them up to his Emerson all-in-one. The result? The closest any of us had ever come to that point in our lives to audio nirvana. The year was 1976. I was 19 years young. And we had all trooped over to Jeff's dorm room after classes to listen to this new record that was supposed to be the "greatest rock album I have ever heard" or words to that effect. We all waited with anticipation as Jeff placed the phono arm (with a WAY cool Grado cartridge on it!) onto the vinyl surface. And out of the speakers came a sound that truly defied all prosaic efforts to describe it. The song faded in slowly with a sweet acoustic guitar into. Then the vocals kicked in...and WHAT vocals. Soaring, screaming, touching the sky. And the electric guitars! An absolute wall-of-sound. The album was Boston's self-titled debut. The song was 'More Than A Feeling'. What can I say? I get chills just thinking about it. It was a moment. And I was launched on a musical journey that continues to this day.
Fast forward to 1992. I'm a big boy now. Married with children. You know the drill. And one night after band practice our guitar player says to me "you NEED to hear this new cd I bought". He's grinning from ear-to-ear. "Yeah" chimes in Jeff, our bass player "you NEED to hear this".
Now, Mark was (and still IS for that matter) cool because he has this incredible car stereo. It's an Alpine head unit with beefy power amps driving incredible sounding speakers. You know the kind. A car system that sounds better than most peoples home stereo. Anyway, Mark, our bass player, and I all troop out to his car and after we have settled in, Mark fires up the cd player. And out of the speakers came a sound that truly defied all prosaic efforts to describe it. The opening song built up slowly, from a clean quavering crosspicked electric guitar intro, heavy on the vibrato and chorus. A moody bass riff, a washing key pad, and huge sounding drums came in. Then the song postively roared to life as a crunching and powerful guitar riff became the icing on the aural cake. The disc was Dream Theater's 'Images And Words'. The song was 'Pull Me Under'. My faith in the power of music (greatly shaken by the hopeless mixture of synth pop and disco that had dominated radio throughout the late 80's and early 90's) was refreshed and restored. I bought the cd the next day. Honestly, if it were possible to wear a cd out, then I would have ruined that one. It was my near constant musical companion for weeks and even months after that. It was great music and the magic that accompanies it.
You all know the kind of music I'm talking about. Music that makes you remember why you love music so much in the first place. Music that sends a thrill up your spine. Music that nourishes the soul and awakens powerful emotions inside of you. They're quite rare you know. The kind of discs that incite all of these feelings and more.
Well, now there is another disc to add to that short list. It's the long awaited and much anticipated from the band Sun Caged.
How to describe this music? Well, it's prog metal to be sure, treading some well traveled and familiar musical paths. But that doesn't mean it's stale. Not at ALL. From the opening shred of the eight minute epic 'Sedation', we are treated to some of the freshest and most energetic progressive metal to be released in years. It's all there. And in spades. Tighter than tight guitar/keys/bass/drums interplay. Soaring vocals that carry the melody strongly and clearly above the fray. Ripping solos that don't just wank mindlessly but fit seamlessly within the context of the songs. Sounds that move effortlessly from the 'nu' to the 'retro' and back again in seconds. Monster groove that just won't quit. All enhanced by state-of-the-art production that has every single performing shining with crystal clarity. No mud or distortion here. Just killer clean sound.
Musically, these guys have clearly taken a page from the book of all the great prog metal bands that have gone before, but they have added their own personality and style which gives them a unique character. The strongest musical influence? Clearly Dream Theater/Liquid Tension Experiment. But are they derivative to the point of being nothing more than an annoying clone? Absolutely not! The influences are there, but the songs are all alike stamped with that ineffable quality that comes from the band having poured their souls into the music.
The songs? The title track 'Sun Caged' is a perfect example of the musical quality of this tour-de-force. It moves effortlessly between a romping stomping helter-skelter riff to a beautifully moving balladic middle section with gentle piano and an awesome melody into a shedding solo from guitarist Marcel Cohen that's so brilliant you'll be wondering aloud why it ends so quickly. And I'm not cherry picking. Every single cut is a gem. 'Home'...'Hollow'...'The Eighth Day'...'Unchanging'...all are great songs that work as SONGS and not just as displays of musical virtuosity. The performances all gel perfectly. From André Vuurboom's amazing vocal performance (emotion be thy name...Tate meets Labrie...is that even possible?) to Joost van den Broek's masterful keyboard work to Rob van der Loo's pulsing, driving yet ever so clear bass work to Dennis Leeflang's complex and precise drumming. And of course, there's nice guy Marcel Coenen's flawless guitar playing.
My personal favs? 'Closing In', with it's eerie opening bars which segue into a driving riff with enough widdly shredding bits inserted here and there to send Yngwie scrambling for his Mel Bay books. This is everything a great prog metal song is supposed to be. Powerful and yet fully controlled vocals with a melody that haunts you wedged between powerful stabs of instrumental interplay. My other favorite cut? 'Secrets Of Flight'...a nine minute opus delectum that never lets up. Changes galore and enough instrumental prowess on display to entertain even the most jaded. And it gives way to what has to be the most epic vocal melody of the entire disc. Not a weak moment in sight as the band careens insanely between power and grace.
In fact, I can honestly tell you there isn't a single weak moment on this entire disc. Not a single wasted note. Not a single squandered idea. It is all played with the powerful economy, precision, and restraint that great prog metal is noted for. A place for everything...everything in it's place. And THAT is saying something in a genre known for overblown and overly hyper arrangements.
As I stated from the outset, this disc has been a long time in coming. And many here have waited for it with near breathless anticipation. Well, the wait is over. The debut full length disc from Sun Caged is here. And any self respecting lover of progressive metal will own a copy. Maybe two.
Sun Caged. They came. They saw. They conquered.
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