Unified Past: Observations

Unified Observations is a Syracuse, NY band made up of Stephen Speelman, on vocals, guitars, bass, and keys; and Victor Tassone, on drums, percussion, and vocal chants. Vinny Krivacsy contributes keys on tracks 1,3,4 & 8.

Observations is the band's first album for Melodic Revolution Records. This is a cool album filled with 'Rush – like' sounds. Speelman has a Geddy Lee like voice and the drums from Tassone bring back memories of early Neil Peart. The rhythms are similar without being a copy in any way, and that is a huge compliment. The opening track 'I'm Not Answering', took me right back to late 80s Rush. 'Mr. Extravagant is another standout track full of great chimes and excellent drums. Oh, did I mention keyboards and guitar? The keys, bass, and guitar work is simply amazing and provides some of the highest moments on the album. The lyrics failed to draw me in on many of the songs, but the music more than made up for them. The bells, effects and sirens on 'Insulated' are just fantastic! There are great examples of acoustic guitar and vocal harmony throughout the album, and they use special effects well to capture the feeling and concept of the tracks. 'Mesmerized' is another of the standout tracks on this album, with some of the best keyboard, bass, guitar and drum work on the album.

Overall, an excellent debut for Melodic Revolution Records from this band. Give them a try, if you like Rush, Yes, and some of the prog bands from the 70s and 80s who were able to mix strong guitar and bass with excellent keys, you will enjoy this.

Track Listing:

1. I'm Not Answering
2. Mr. Extravagant
3. Insulated
4. Crushed
5. Exploratory Observations
6. Painful Observations
7. The Move
8. Mesmerized
9. Faithless
10. Remember When
11. Here They Come

Added: August 17th 2011
Reviewer: Mark Johnson
Score:
Related Link: Unified Past
Hits: 2910
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]