Quiet Room, The - Introspect

Year of Release: 1997
Label: Dominon Records
Catalog Number: DR2907
Format: CD
Total Time: 45:31:00

When I place music orders, I always order what I call a "longshot" disc ... one that I have not heard much about, and one that I am hoping will blow me away. How often does that happen, right? Almost never ... well, it did with The Quiet Room's Introspect, which is one of the biggest surprises for me in 1997. This certainly has been the year for great releases, and Introspect is no exception ... the best part is that this disc came out of nowhere, with little buzz and little warning, making the surprise that much bigger for me ... it now resides permanently in my 5-disc changer, always at the ready for play ... and here's why:

THE STYLE:

Overall, I'd have to say that this is melodic / power / prog metal ... it has all the melodic warmth that I love mixed in with a hefty dose of power, and it certainly is progressive.The style is twin guitar driven, keyboard backed, with constant changing melodies throughout the song, but never sounding overly technical thanks to the warmth injected by the keyboards ... the twin guitars are a treat for anyone who loves that awesome double-stringed sound ... I for one am a sucker for this guitar, but rarely have I heard twins that sound so melodic as these two ... usually, twins mean a little more technicality than I care for, but these guys seem bent on making sure that their sound stays in a warm area instead of veering of to a cold, technical area of music ... the excellent backing keyboards ensure that this sound stays inside that warm area that makes prog metal sound so special ...

THE PRODUCTION

This disc sounds very clean ... it is an excellent, almost live sounding disc, as if they got together and just created this gem without too much added effects ... the neat thing about this disc is the "clean" sound. Someone said that disc sounds raw, which makes it sound so "live" ... that is an accurate description, and it takes a band of much talent to step up to the plate like this and strut their stuff ... every instrument stand out very clear, no one instrument dominates the sound, altough its hard not to hear that awesome twin guitar attack, and one point, the drums are super clean in this disc, its easy to hear every beat, every cymbal, every hi-hat tap. Someone wanted to make sure that every aspect of this band was heard, and the mission was accomplished ... what a treat for the ears to hear a disc that sounds so clean, yet raw.

THE SINGER:

I make no bones about telling it like it is when it comes to singers ... happily for me, the singer in this band is one of the many highlights ... to first give you a basis for comparison as to what he sounds like, if any of you know the Sanvoisen singer, then you are right in the ball park. For those of you who don't know Sanvoisen, then try to go back in time and if any of you remember the great Rik Emmett of Triumph, then you have a real good idea of what this singer sounds like ... he has one of those tones that make you wish someone gave you the same vocal chords that he has ... he has a very high-pitched tone, yet he never strays too high, altough it is apparent he would have no trouble doing that ... he seems more content to "sing", than he does to show off his voice, which shows that he not only has talent, he has knowledge about what singing is all about ... a big plus in my book ... another note, he sings with a passion, as if he is totally into the music, and he doesn't want the music around him to pass him by, he is bent on "being" an instrument, part of the band, not just the singer ... this guy "believes what he is singing ... he fits this music superbly ...

THE BAND:

Twin guitars, bass, drums, keyboards ... every member of this band stands out, each one is well schooled in their particular instrument, and each one plays with a driving passion ... I can't say that one stands out more than the other, because it seems as thought they are either perfectly in sync, or they are each driven to out play each other, and it ends up sounding like one, powerful blast of music pouring out at you all the time ... of note, due to the cleanliness of the drum sound, it will be a treat for drummers to listen to this guy play, every single note can be heard, and it will be easy to analyze what he is doing on every beat ... the guitarists must have played together for quite some time to get a sound so powerful and seemless as these two are ... they excel in double solos, which remind me a lot of the Elegy twin guitar attack, one of the better twin attacks in prog metal ... it'ss even easy to hear the bass, note for note because of the clean sound of the disc, and how he manages to keep up with the guitarists is amazing in itself ... The keyboards add a great sense of warmth to this powerful duo, but it never takes away from the power of the sound, and this band is made of power...

THE COMMENTS:

What gets me about this band, is that they sound like seasoned veterans ... it sounds as if this type of music comes so easy to them, when it actually is quite intricate ... those twin guitars are ALWAYS going at it, and they only stop for a song or two, then kick in in to high gear again ... they pull this off so effortlessy, it sounds like they have been doing this for years and years, and they just needed to get something off their chest ... and that they did, only with a vengeance ... it appears that this band wanted and needed to make a statement, and when they were turned loose, they pulled out all the stops and created this disc ... If you like your prog metal intricate yet delicate, powerful but controlled, melodic. passionate, and serious, then this band is for you ... I don't care where a band comes from, as long as the music is good, but it's nice to see a band of this style coming out of America for a change ... oh, one more thing ... if you think The Room is Quiet, don't get this disc, you will be very disappointed ...

Tracklisting:
A Different Scene (4:44) / Grudge (5:02) / Second Time Around (6:23) / Altered Past (4:46) / Drowning (5:29) / Laughing At Your Expense (3:53) / Holding On (4:31) / Extramental (3:22) / Suspended Seconds (2:32)

Musicians:
Chadd Castor - vocals
Josh Luebbers - bass
Jason Boudreau - guitars
George Glasco - guitars
Mike Rice - drums
Jeff Janezcko - keyboards

Discography:
Introspect (1997)
Reconceive (2000)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin US

Added: July 25th 1999
Reviewer: Larry "LarryD" Daglieri

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Language: english