Nascent are an independent progressive rock band formed around the core duo of Jeff Briggs (guitars/ synths/ vocals) and drummer Libor Hadrava. The project initially began to take shape when Briggs, who had already familiarized himself with the basics of sound recording and had a studio of his own, was looking for a way to get some of his musical ideas across. He began to seek out other musicians who shared his same vision and eventually hooked up with native Czech Republic and Berklee music student Hadrava, and the rest as they say is history.
Briggs and Hadrava are not only highly accomplished and extremely skilled musicians on their own, as any listener can discover by isolating their own individual performances, however when you put it all together and listen to them as a whole, that's where you really discover the true magic in their playing. One would think that with their combined technical prowess that this would turn into a veritable shred fest but they forgo the obvious and serve the song first and foremost. Briggs paints on a vast musical canvas as he alternates between monstrous power chords, short melodic solos, introspective atmospherics and delicate synth textures. Hadrava's playing is reminiscent of greats like Virgil Donati and Terry Bozzio and keeps extremely busy behind him, sliding in and out of the various time signatures with ease, almost like he was born with this ability. Through the varying tempo changes it's as if they are building the song up to a point and then knocking it down only to start over again. Elements of King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Dream Theater can be heard in the music, but a few of the tracks "Suburban Mornings", "Without Virgil" and "Heraclitus Was Right" are also augmented with electric piano (courtesy of Justin Francos) which allows a nice jazz flavor to creep into the mix.
This release is a fantastic opening statement from a band that already sounds like they've matured musically by leaps and bounds in the relatively short time they've been playing together. The songs are so skillfully arranged and the musical chemistry between Briggs and Hadrava makes listening to this disc a guilty pleasure. You'll find yourself reaching for it time and time again in order to find that special something you may have missed within the music on the first few spins. One can only imagine what they'll come up with on their next effort but if it's anything like the music here, it will be well worth the wait.
Track Listing
1) Suburban Mornings
2) Beyond Logic
3) Without Virgil
4) Synesthesia
5) Heraclitus Was Right
6) Swallowed By The Sea
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