When it comes to supergroups, expectations can always run high, whether we have this ability to mend out our idea of the way a particular group is going to sound and that it is going to be somewhat of an over-the-top project that is supposed to exceed our expectations; anything else isn't acceptable, right?
Without any need for "supergroup typecasting,"
Vox Tempus is comprised of ex-Millennium vocalist Dan Reed,
Takara keyboardist Eric Rango, as well as former Equinox Members, guitarist Ray Mantor and bassist Jim Turba; and together over the past two years, these guys have generated a buzz in the saturated world of prog-metal, a fairly big feat in this type of music, but one listen is all the proof you need.
There is no doubt that these guys are seasoned in the musicianship and songwriting vein, basically bypassing the evolution phase, making
In the Eye of Time not only welcome, but almost like a familiar voice/face or whatever you want to call it. It brings out the sounds of mid-period
Fates Warning (ala
No Exit through
Parallels),
Dream Theater (
Images and Words and
Awake) as well as the songwriting of later period
Rush (
Test For Echo comes to mind) and the past endeavors that these guys have been involved with, to the table.
Within the nine tracks represented here, the band itself offers diversity among the cuts, being more of a collection of songs, rather than following a conceptual vibe. Opening with the aggressive
"For Every Life," filled with key and tempo changes, dense arrangements, balancing the guitar and keyboard solos together along with it's catchy chorus, the obvious tone for the rest of the album is set.
With cuts like
"Escape" and
"Voice of Time" following up the dark grinding thick riff crunch among the technicalities, tracks like the moody atmospheric
"Revelations" and the dark emotional groove of
"What About," round out the record's edgier material. The thirteen minute opus
"Love, Lies, and Treason" follows the
Operation:Mindcrime vibe going from a more eased back ballad like opening with its glistening chorus laden guitar evolving into a heavier track that eventually turns into a piano/synth pad soundscape, ending with the sound of thunder and rain. Two ballads are featured within the record, one encompasses the emotion in mysterious pastures titled
"Broken" (complete with a U2/The Edge type guitar interlude against and eventual acoustic guitar/piano backdrop) while the other, the piano ballad,
"Steal the Moment," conceives a more stripped down approach, bringing
In the Eye of Time to its close.
Filled with all the aspects of musicianship, production skills (very discrete, at any given time, besides the vocals, drum, and bass, you might hear synths, piano, acoustic guitars, several different electrics layered, and being able to pick each individual instrument out sonically), and songs that fuel Reed's high tenor (easily comparable to Styx's Dennis DeYoung) and guest drummer Greg Bissonette's percussive skills,
Vox Tempus has exceeded the expectations of the prog-metal community.
You can't really say they are keeping it simple, due to the fact that their musicianship is extremely tight and technical, but they don't go into the symphonic territories, bringing it all sort of to a more down-to-earth setting, completing the standard that was set by some of progressive and technical metal's forefathers, standing out in this genre simply as
Vox Tempus, and for all of us who were treated to the demos sent out on these guys over the past years, the wait was worth it.
Written by
Hashman Thursday, November 4, 2004
Show all reviews by HashmanRatingsHashman: 8.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
This article has been shown 5944 times. Go to the
complete list.
