Chrome Shift - Ripples In Time

Year of Release: 2003
Label: DVS Records
Catalog Number: DVS008
Format: CD
Total Time: 53:47:00

Chrome Shift emerges on the progressive music scene right at a time when things seem to be moving along very slowly so far this year. Ripples In Time brings a fresh sound to the genre; blending a mix of prog rock and prog metal to produce quite the disc. Upon hearing the disc I immediately hear Damian Wilson singing in Landmark, which gives this sort of a leaning towards prog rock, but the guitars can be quite crunchy at times, refusing the disc a single label. It would appear that the band has settled in nicely at laying down progressive rock song structures, while the guitarist seems bent on holding onto a metal sound which provides the blend that works to their advantage. What really brings this bands sound out is its great use of keyboards, and the sound of the keyboards. Much emphasis in placed on the keyboards, which add a certain tranquility to the sound, almost surreal at times. Most of the songs are mid-paced to slower paced tempos, with many a change happening within each song. The music isn't overly complex, but has just the right amount of progressive elements included making the most avid fan happy in this dept. Elements of Dream Theater abound, but only for moments, and it would be very difficult to call this band a clone of anyone, as they definitely have their own style going here.

Vocalist Rasmus Bak is a dead ringer for Damian Wilson, and complements the music well. He does not have a high range, and generally stays within the same range, at times straining when he does leave to go high. Overall, his tone is pleasant, and his singing style fits well into this brand of music. The slower tunes really show his style ability, and his voice almost becomes surreal as well as the music around him does.

Guitarist Otto Schutt does his best to make the band sound "metal," and it's this crossover that will appeal to both prog rock and prog metal fans. Complexity will not be an issue here; the band has more chops and tempo changes than most fans could wish for, yet the key ingredient here is that the band never loses its melodic warmth. This is due mostly to the glorious keyboards that hold this music together like a warm glue that isn't harsh, but certainly sticks.

The production is certainly another reason that disc shines. With the great songwriting, and musical performance, it would be a shame to have it all ruined by poor sound. This is not the case with Ripples In Time as the sound is equal to the greatness of the performance. Of note, the vocals and keyboards are way out front of the mix. Guitars are placed well in the mix to allow the heaviness to infiltrate the rest of the sound. The drums are solid and thick, and my only complaint would be in the bass dept, where I hear just a little lacking in the bottom end. My subwoofer didn't say much when I cranked this disc, leading me to believe that there is some bottom end missing, but nothing that would take away from the overall enjoyment of the music.

It's certainly a breath of fresh air when a band comes along and presents a nice, no-nonsense, quality disc like this one. Its blend of prog rock / metal will appeal to both audiences, bringing much deserved recognition to this band in the process. So far in 2003, this is one of the better releases I've heard. This disc certainly deserves a listen.

Tracklisting:
Nightmachine (5:24) / Full Moon (4:45) / In My Own Dream (4:13) / Shadowsong (1:07) / Through (5:54) / Kosmonauten Er Død (3:56) / Le Temp Des Assassins (3:47) / Sorry (4:39) / Ripples In Time I (5:16) / Ripples In Time II (5:31) / Ripples In Time III (4:41) / Ripples In Time IV (4:27)

Musicians:
Otto Schütt ? guitars
Jens Christian Nielsen ? bass
Jakob Paulsen ? keyboards
Poul Terkildsen ? drums
Rasmus Bak ? vocals

Discography:
Ripples In Time (2003)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DK

Added: May 4th 2003
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

Artist website: www.chromeshift.dk
Hits: 2348
Language: english