Surface Tension Breaks Prog-Metal Boundaries!
Joe White | Layton, Utah United States | 03/05/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Clockwork, unlike many so-called progressive bands, is vital, alive and kicking--at least to my ears. They don't seem devoid of good musical ideas and they aren't limiting themselves like many prog bands do. They do have many similarities to other prog bands, but they seem to realize that they'll only go so far copying their prog brothers. A look at the songs on Surface Tension:1. "Secrets of Centuries" - The opening is eerie and grandiose. It reminds me a bit of "Fire Blossom" by Vanden Plas (from the CD The God Thing) and maybe a bit of Eternity X's "The Edge (Introduction)" (from the album The Edge). When the vocals do kick in, we are treated to Douglas Gillin's incredibly beautiful voice. He sings in a higher range more than most progressive metal vocalists do. And he never sounds like he is out of his natural range. His vocals remind me a bit former Extreme and Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone, only much smoother. Douglas Gillin is one of the best vocalists I've ever heard. And Gillin's vocals fit this engaging, mid-paced Dream Theater/Eternity X-type song perfectly. The vocal melodies throughout this song are gorgeous. 1. "One Wing" - Track two is much more quirky than the opening tune. Guitarist Chris Poland's post-Megadeth band Damn the Machine comes to mind. This is a fascinating and wonderfully rich and unusual song. The vocal harmonies are a treat. This is bizarre prog at its best.3. "East of Knowing" - A Spanish guitar (or something very much like one) is the foundation of this instrumental. This is an engaging, dynamic mid-paced song.4. "If These Walls Could Talk" - I've heard very few bands over the years that sound anything like Eternity X. And though I appreciate Clockwork's originality and efforts in sounding uniquely like Clockwork, they do a lot of things that remind me of Eternity X. Clockwork's ability to sound dramatic without sounding overemotional make comparisons to Eternity X easy. Though their vocals and vocal melodies are more reminiscent of bands like Yes, Shadow Gallery and Vanden Plas, intentional or not, there are still strong Eternity X similarities present.5. "The Guardin' of Eden" - This is another very weird song. I don't know how to describe it except to say it is all over the place musically. Out of control at times, the song is still interesting and the second half of the song is amazingly beautiful as it slows down a bit. It picks up and becomes weird again toward the end. Not my favorite on the disc, "Guardin' of Eden" still has its moments.6. "The Convolution Box" - This is a wild instrumental as the band moves all over the place musically. The music comes off a bit too chaotic. Don't get the impression I'm anti-instrumental because I'm not. This song is just to over-the-top for my tastes.7. "Smile Under Sad Eyes" - This is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. The vocal melodies are stunning. Only Shadow Gallery comes up with vocal melodies more breathtaking. The song soars on the strength of vocalist Douglas Gillin.8. "Design of Enlightenment" - Here we have a song that never seems to pull it together musically. Too many musical ideas make this track come off as messy. I'd try and describe it, but it moves around too much. No description would be adequate. The length of the tune (it's a long one) makes it even more difficult to digest.Clockwork are comprised of excellent musicians that know how to write good songs and give great performances. Unfortunately, I think they try and jam too many ideas into some songs. Many of the songs on this CD would have been better served had not so many musical ideas been competing for space and--dare I say--had those same songs been shorter. Still, they've put together a darn, good CD here. "Secrets of Centuries", "One Wing", "If These Wall Could Talk" and "Smile Under Sad Eyes" are not just good songs, they are fantastic songs. Douglas Gillin is a gifted singer with range and emotion. Chris Pignatelli and M. Thomas Gammarino are outstanding guitarists, together they remind me of former Eternity X and current Exhibition guitarist Jeff Shernov. Chris Pignone (bass) and Anthony Sciamanna (drums & percussion) provide a solid rhythm section. Vocalist Gillin and guitarist Pignatelli split keyboard duties and do a great job--together they give us some very atmospheric and fanciful moments on the keys. This band really plays well together. Perhaps more focus and tighter songs (like tracks 1, 2, 4 & 7) would serve the band well in the future. Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate Clockwork's seemingly limitless musical ideas. The band doesn't seem bound by typical prog metal conventions. And even with tracks that left me wanting, Clockwork has still put together a good debut."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1