Gracepoint “Echoes” review (by Droll)

Gracepoint “Echoes”

An old Indian proverb says: “if the horse is dead, dismount”. 16 years of silence for the band is quite enough to put it to “dead horse” category. However, there are always exceptions , and Gracepoint with their new album Echoes is exactly an exception.

Gracepoint was formed in late 90’th at Minnesota. In year 2000 their first longplay Science of Discontent, and since then there was nothing from the band for the long decade and a half. Nevertheless, on April, 8 their sophomore album Echoes will be released.

I would like to start telling about this album with two facts; release itself and producer. Echoes is a self release. I.e. an album was recorded and will be released by musicians money. Sometimes such albums are boring reiteration of famous bands, or a low quality – as music material and the record. I’ll tell about music a little bit later. To the record itself: it was produced and engineered by Neil Kernon, producer who worked with such bands as Queensryche, Nile and Nevermore. Neil is a master of his business, so the record sounds very worthily.

Now about the main thing – the music. If we’ll take hard rock, metal and thrash, add to it progressive lavishly and give all these ingredients to the professionals for mix, that’s what can be heard in Echoes.

If we’re talking seriously, the music is very powerful, catchy, and for a wonder, understandable. Let me explain myself: progressive metal was always that kind of music, which is hard to understand and accept. It is enough to compare Dream Theatre and Symphony X to any rock band from the radio station, and everything becomes clear. Custom music signature, technically hard playing and all the rest, inherit to the genre makes it quite hardly acceptable for the average listener. All of this presents fully in echoes: guitar lines by Stefan Radizilowski and Lon Kunze are very diverse, even polar sometimes. From the technical “Animal” and “Bittersweet” to lyrically melodic “July, 4”. Gorgeous Sam van Moer’s bass work also should be noted. His bass lines are beyond praise.  Lance Reed’s drums are on a par with entire band. Well, what about Matt Tennessen’s vocals, it reminds me the early Creed (as it turned out while writing this review, not only to me). I don’t know is it good or bad. On one hand it was expected for something more, and on the other it matches the music well and it’s catchy not least because of vocals.

I admit that I overused the word “album” and album’s name. But there is a reason for it: Echoes became very solid work and it perceived as organic whole. Mainly because of every song is so versatile that I really don’t want to headlight any one certain.

Resuming it can be said that Echoes is a very interesting and distinctive work, which, I’m sure, will be liked even by listeners that not progressive metal fan. And we will hope that the third album will be released not in 16 years, but much earlier.

(c) Droll (www.dailymetal.com.ua)