Brother Ape - On The Other Side
	Released: 2005 Label: Progress Records Cat. No.: PRCD014 Total Time: 48:26
	Reviewed by: Jan-Mikael Erakare, January 2006 Evaluation: Brother Ape wears its fusion influences on its collective sleeve, and presents a chops-laden foray into commercial songwriting with varying degrees of success… Analysis: Let me get this out of the way immediately: Guys with high pitched voices who try to sing sensitively, breathily, or worse, "soaringly" must stop. Now. Almost as cringe- inducing as the emasculated vocal delivery, are English lyrics written and delivered by Swedes. People, the letter D is not pronounced like a T… That said, Stefan has excellent vocal technique, and delivers excellent pitch, and his performance on "Unaccomplished" is excellent. Musically, the band is a powerhouse … Stefan also provides killer guitar chops … impressive legato technique, tasty phrasing and admirable restraint. Max (drums) has impeccable timing, and plays across bar-lines like any self-respecting fusion drummer ought to, providing propulsion and dynamics effortlessly. Peter (bass) is solid and fluid, emphasizing note choice and rhythmic drive over flash. "Gurra" (hmmm … wonder if that's his real name*) lends harmonic support to the proceedings with textural keyboards and, thankfully, refrains from that bane of all prog rock, keyboard soloing …"Unaccomplished" is a superb example of the instrumental prowess of these guys… The songwriting is uneven in quality, ranging from cheesy 80s inspired balladry to absolutely incendiary fusion-laced prog … thankfully the heavy-weight material far outweighs the couple of "lighters in the air" moments… Rating: 4-/5 (the minus is for…you guessed it…the vocal delivery…) Summary: Excellent, well composed and arranged fusion-tinged prog-lite… [See also Bobo's review -ed.] More about On The Other Side: Track Listing: The Jerk (5:04) / Waiting For The Sandman (4:37) / I Freak Out (4:59) / Railways (4:50) / Clockworks (5:24) / This Hour (4:45) / Unaccomplished (4:15) / Farewell Song (4:31) / Lucky Fool (2:03) / On The Other Side (7:53) Musicians: Max Bergman - drums, percussion Stefan Damicolas - guitars, vocals Gunnar Maxén - keyboards, vocals, bass Peter Dahlstrom - bass, vocals Contact: Website: www.brotherape.com Note: will open new browser window Discography On The Other Side (2005) Shangri-La (2006)
	[Review Index]  [Home]  [Top] © Copyright 1999 - 2006 ProgressiveWorld.net/Jan-Mikael Erakare