This trio of brothers from Milwaukee, WI delivers an interesting amalgam of hard rock, metal, and prog influences on this self-titled CD. Combining bits from such bands as Soundgarden, Tool, classic Rush, Deep Purple, and even Captain Beyond, the Walczak brothers have put together fourteen melodic rockers which contain precise instrumentation and intelligent lyrics.
Crunchy rockers like "Leaving the Desert Behind", complete with ultra-tasty guitar riffs from Scott Walczak, and atmospheric ballads such as "Living in the Cracks" show the real talent of this band. The bass/guitar/drums approach here has a really full sound, and is fleshed out by additional keyboards. Not since the days of Hemispheres by Rush has a hard rock trio had this BIG a sound. Songs like "Thorn", "II", and "Down" offer up the alternative hard rock stance, with thick, almost doomy guitars, and vocals from bassist Chris Walczak, who sounds a little like Chris Cornell. Other tracks such as "Transformation", "Worlds Away", and "Planet Walker" have more to offer the progressive rock crowd, and feature complex rhythms (thanks to the effective drums of Marty), angular guitar work, and nice backdrops of keyboards. All the while the band retains a high sense of melody, which gives these songs a lasting impression. A track like "Once" for example, is a catchy little number about not letting an opportunity slip away, and features lovely vocals and keyboards. A good change of pace from some of the more hard rock stylings, and helps add a nice variety to the CD.
The Walczak brothers are on to something here. This CD has lots of potential to a more mainstream audience, and deserves a listen.
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