The Custodian - Necessary Wasted Time

For a custodian, this guy sure has a hell of a mess lying around his office. Seriously though, this is some damn fine 70s era prog, so check it out!For some reason no prog is better than old school, English progressive music. Bands like Genesis, Marillion, Yes or the Flower Kings always put a smile on my face during those times when I want to mellow out to unique and sophisticated compositions without the heaviness of distorted guitars and machine gun double bass beats. And now I have new material to enjoy in The Custodian's debut album, Necessary Wasted Time.

The brainchild of lead singer and keyboardist, Richard Thomson (vocalist for progmetal band Xerath), The Custodian indulges his love of 70s era prog, and quite effectively recalls the sounds of the aforementioned bands that set the template for the genre. I'm not familiar with his metal band, but Thomson's voice is perfectly suited to The Custodian's sound, much like Neal Morse in Spock's Beard.

Those who prefer a heavier flavor of prog can still enjoy a mild crunch at times, as heard on Other People's Lives, but most of the tunes on this excellent debut fall squarely in the realm of the aforementioned 70s era progressive sound - particularly in the extended jam sessions that such music tends to become during its longer-than-radio-prefers run times. For me, it's the interaction of crystalline acoustic noodling with the warm thickness of a Hammond organ's chording and rich, syncopated percussion that really makes 70s prog such a good jam. And it's all here in spades.

The Bottom Line: Old school prog fans can indulge their musical proclivities with The Custodian's debut album - which may be considered necessary, but certainly not wasted time.

Tracks To Play On A Cool Sunday Morning With The Windows Open: The Man Out Of Time, Other People's Lives, Persona and The Sun Is God

- Genghis wishes it was cool enough to have the windows open these days...

Zed - Desperation Blues

"Oh no, it's another retro bar bad" I hear you saying, but give these guys a chance and you find a new favorite drinking soundtrack.In keeping with the trend of retro bands of all sorts, Bay Area rockers Zed are coming at you with their brand of bluesy rock music in the vein of venerable icons Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, or AC/DC. Not to place them on that level, but Zed's sophomore effort Desperation Blues is a damn fine way to pass the time if you're in the mood for some old school rocking.

Interestingly, Zed defies expectations by turning out more than just butt rock dressed up in yesterday's rock recording technology. Tracks like Please (a ZZ Top meets Led Zepplin romp) and Killing Machine (sporting a monster main riff) belie a sincere respect and admiration for their influences without sounding like straight rip-off artists.  Pete Sattari and Greg Lopez handle guitar duties ably, with Pete providing lead vocals that effectively incorporate Robert Plant's warble, Kevin DuBrow's wail and Brian Johnson's meaty growl. But the highlight of the album is the title track which sounds like magic, from the killer main wah-kissed unison riff, to Pete's mournful lyrics (Hey, what would you say/if all you love's sinkin' away?/Say, say it ain't so/I plant my seeds, but they won't grow), to the heavy bridge at 2:30 where things get dirty. It's classic rock and roll; steeped in beer, wreathed in smoke, and drowning in the blues.

Tracks to Select Off the Jukebox at Your Next Bar Brawl: Killing Machine, and Desperation Blues

- Genghis wishes he'd been in just one bar brawl in his young life...

Extrema - The Seed of Foolishness

Apparently, Mr. Political Goat is not happy about the current state of affairs in this country.My thrash itch needs scratching every now and then, but damned if Extrema didn't come along and do it wearing a sandpaper glove by way of their new masterpiece, The Seed of Foolishness.  Admittedly, I feel a little sheepish saying that I've never heard of this band considering the fact that they've been around over 25 years. Perhaps their relentless touring is why they have so few albums out, but if this is the kind of material they've been making for a quarter of a century, it's crazy that they aren't more widely known.

The Seed of Foolishness is only the band's sixth studio album, but they've clearly been honing their craft to a razor's edge. Their thrash opus screams with moral outrage in all of its crunchy metal fury at the evils of modern society - particularly about the well-worn subject of government malfeasance. And I can't stress enough my satisfaction in the delightfully heavy rhythyms reminiscient of 80s era thrash legends like Testament or Anthrax. Toss in the occasional Blue Murder-esque harmonized vocals and you've got metal that's right up my alley. 

The Bottom Line: If you're an old school thrash metal fan, you're smack dab in the middle of this album's target audience. So, squeeze into those skinny black jeans and lace up those Chuck Taylors, cuz it's moshin' time. [Note: Skateboard is optional.]

Tracks That May Make You Want to Buy a Jean Jacket: The Politics, The Distance, Again and Again and Ending Prophecies

- Genghis is ready to get back to normal now that school's finishing up...

Soen - Cognitive

Just looking at the cover of Soen's debut album makes you think "Lateralus". But this is a great album in its own right.First off, Tool fans are either going to love Soen or possibly hate them. I'm not in either camp really because - full disclosure - I never really listened to much Tool. So this either disqualifies me from making an accurate comparison, or it may just provide me with a bit more objectivity in reviewing the progmetal band's debut album, Cognitive.

Hailed as a progressive metal supergroup, drummer Martin Lopez (ex-Opeth, Amon Amarth), bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Testament, Death, Iced Earth), vocalist Joel Ekelöf (Willowtree), and guitarist Kim Platbarzdis have crafted an album that sounds fantastic if very...familiar. A Tool fan friend of mine remarked when he listened to this, that while some bands pay homage to their favorite bands with similar riffs or themes, "Soen seems to want to ride in the same limo [as Tool]."

Don't get me wrong, this is a really great album and I'm loving its thrilling mix of Opeth-y vocal arrangements and use of dynamics, Tool's rhythmic power and diversity with a touch of Sevendust's heavy, aggressive sections. Music is sometimes best when it takes separate elements of previous efforts and transmogrifies them into an exciting new experience that starts with the comfort of familiarity, leading into the excitement that comes from challenging your expectations. Nobody's splitting the atom here, but they are making some great music.

The Bottom Line: Tool lovers shouldn't be offended, but embrace the music of Soen as one of the better forms of a particular sound. It's great music in and of itself, and I look forward to more of it.

Songs to Make You Say "This sounds awesome...and familiar": Fraccions, Oscillation, Canvas, and Slithering

- Genghis needs to check out more Tool...

Be'lakor - Of Breath and Bone

I really like this band and this album, but I absolutely *love* this album's exquisite cover art. Check it out.So I don’t know if it’s been this way all along and I just haven’t noticed it, or if the youth of today are being slipped some sort of government-sponsored superdrugs, but there seems to be a spate of new bands with an impressive degree of talent and musical maturity. Bands like Cinema Sleep and Australia’s Be’lakor are putting out freshman and sophomore material you’d expect from more seasoned outfits – often with members nearly twice their age - in their respective subgenres and I couldn’t be more happy about it. Fittingly, it reminds me of the story of Athena springing fully formed (and armed) from the cleft head of Zeus, shouting a cry of war.

The Melbourne band, established in 2004, took the name of a demon from the Warhammer games (Non-nerds: To the Google!) and have been steadily impressing people in the melodic death metal community with each album getting better and better reviews. And now, they’re coming to America with their third effort, Of Breath and Bone. I have to say, this is some damn fine melodeath right here. If I had my druthers, there would be much more shredding solos – or any at all, for that matter. But, considering the great use of dynamics in establishing atmosphere, it’s a small disappointment as the album is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to “wait, it’s not over is it?”

The Bottom Line: Ignoring how young the members of Be’lakor are to be making music of this depth, Of Breath and Bone is an impressive example of melodic death metal from down under. The only disappointment subgenre fans might experience is the absence of shredding solos, but everything else on this album is fantastic, and I can’t wait to see these guys on a stage in the near future.

Tracks Prompting You Investigate the Ingredients of Vegemite: Abeyance, Fraught, Absit Omen, and The Dream And Waking

- Genghis would tell these kids to get off his lawn, after they finish a tight 30-minute set…