But that changed recently. See, I was working on something and I found myself wondering about something which I'd downloaded a while ago. So, I went back to bandcamp, downloaded it again and, while I was there, decided to glance around to see what I could find. And, while one project got my interest very quickly, I didn't find anything at first that I was definitely wanting to get.
So I decided to give it another, more detailed search. And this EP popped up in that search. Being curious and noticing it was available on a pay what you want basis, I decided to pick this up!
And boy, was I in for a surprise!
The Deadstation. are a progressive metal band from Boston, Massachusetts who are made up of three musicians: lead vocalist and drummer Greg Murphy, guitarist Ryan Mattheu and bassist/guitarist (he provides both on this EP) Shjon Thomas. I'll admit, I don't know a huge amount about the band (I've not found a lot of information about them beyond what I've just told you), but I don't think I need to say a lot more about them anyway, as this is only their debut EP and, from what I've heard, they have only really been around since 2011 (although I'm sure someone will be able to correct me on that one if I'm wrong). The band describe themselves as dystopian progressive metal (I don't think that's actually a thing, but sure, whatever you want to believe...) and, on their Facebook page, mention influences of 90's Dream Theater, post-rock, Metallica's first five albums (Kill 'Em All to Metallica), the effects done by The Edge (the guitarist of U2), the vocal harmonies of Layne Stanley and Jerry Cantrell (from Alice In Chains), depressing Radiohead videos, Born To Run by Bruce Springsteen, nerdy prog rock (which I'm GUESSING includes early Muse and Spock's Beard, but don't quote me on that one!) and Yngwie Malmsteen.
So, a surprisingly varied range of influences, dystopian themes and progressive metal? Consider me intrigued...but is it actually any good in practice? Well, let's see!
First up, the cover art. I have to admit, I actually really like it! It's got a feeling of being cold and emotionless which is actually really quite appropriate for the band's style of metal, but there's a human element to it that helps you to realise that there's something more underneath it all which shows that it's not all it seems to be at first glance. Maybe I'm reading too much into this and finding a bit of optimism which the band did not intend, but I personally find that what makes a dystopian future so interesting is not necessarily the hopelessness of the future, but how humanity copes with this dystopian future and strives to overcome the worst of it. Even when they fail, you start to notice the flaws in this future system and realise that there will eventually be a revolution to topple the corrupted system that has been put in place, even if it's not created by the characters we know from the story. I feel that The Deadstation, whether intentionally or just through me reading far more into it than I should have, have managed to capture this perfectly.
(Incidentally, random thought for you: how come there have been so few stories from the perspective of someone who is actually trying to protect the dystopian society they are part of? You know, a story from the perspective of one of those government agents who we always see getting overthrown in these types of stories and giving a viewpoint of it from the side of the oppressors as opposed to the oppressed? After all, we see enough stories where the rebels are always shown in the right, so why not tell a story where the viewpoint is actually from a person who is on the wrong side and is only fighting to defend what they know? Any writers who are reading this, get onto that, I'd really like to see more stories like that myself!)
Anyway, onto the music!
One of the things that strikes me is that the band were not kidding about their influence from Dream Theater. I am strongly reminded of the band when I hear this, but I wouldn't say The Deadstation. are necessarily ripping off Dream Theater or actively trying to sound like Dream Theater in the same way a lot of progressive metal bands do: they have their own twist on progressive metal that happens to have a healthy dose of Dream Theater's sound in it. I'll admit, I would prefer more progressive metal bands to take cues from Queensryche and Crimson Glory when it comes to progressive metal (if you will, do a more tasteful type of progressive metal where the focus is not on instrumental virtuosity, but on writing strong songs that are complex in a subtle way that is actually part of the songs), but I cannot deny the talent of progressive metal musicians who do the more typical approach to progressive metal and, well, there is always a part of my grumpy heart that wants to hear a band show off what they can do...although I wouldn't want them to do it to the extent of harming a song in the same way a lot of progressive metal bands do! The thing that I think gives The Deadstation. an advantage is that they seem to understand that less is more: the songs might be busy and rather complex, but they don't pack that into songs that are really long, focusing instead of keeping the songs to a length that doesn't feel excessive. The ONLY song that I think might have overdone it a bit is "Like Peering Into The Deepest Ocean Abyss: Drugs For Pain Inside.", a near eight minutes long song that, while still good, goes on just long enough enough that I cannot help finding myself being surprised to notice it is still going when I put it on in the background. However, it still works nicely, so maybe I'm being a bit harsh there. For the most part, the only thing that I think the band could have worked upon with their sound is to maybe add a few more different influences to their sound, as the strong focus on Dream Theater's sound will be off-putting to a lot of people who aren't fond of Dream Theater: other than that, I have no real complaints about the band's sound! Great work, guys, now you just need to work on making your own twist on the DT sound a bit more noticeable...
Moving to the performances...well, it's all technically very good, I have to say! However...yeah, you knew the words "Dream Theater" were coming up again, didn't you? The drumming, despite being good, does still seem a bit too influenced by Dream Theater: you have rather complex drumming along the same line as that of Mike Portnoy for most of the album, which is nice to listen to, but does feel a bit like it could have done with the occasional bit of dialling back due to how present the drums are throughout the album. The guitar manages to avoid sounding too much like Petrucci's playing style (although does still contain some influence from him), which is a rather good sign due to the fact that it indicates that the band are making steps towards find their own sound. The bass feels suspiciously quiet across the album, for some reason, but that could my ears failing to pick it up. Regardless, a bit more bass presence in the mix would be much appreciated! Greg Murphy's voice, while surprisingly reminiscent of that of James LaBrie, also manages to remind me a bit of that of a pop punk vocalist at points, although it's more a case that his voice just happens to have that same kind of tone than out of any presumed real influence. So, you have some great performances on this album as well!
Moving to the production, ignoring my previous comment about the bass mix, I think the EP might be a tiny bit loud with the mastering at points (and, ironically, too quiet in others: I literally have to put my speakers on maximum to hear some of the stuff properly, which is concerning when you consider that I can hear the rest of the EP fine on less than half volume on these same speakers!). It's not exactly badly done (it's mostly fine if you ignore the mixing issue), but I would have preferred a slightly more even mastering job due to the fact that might have improved the EP a bit (yes, I am actually saying that I would have liked a less dynamic master for this album for once: the quieter parts of the album are too quiet and the loudest parts of the mastering are a bit too loud, so I feel a more even mastering job might have benefitted the EP more!).
So, my thoughts? Well, one song overreaches itself a bit too much, the bass feels suspiciously quiet in the mix, the mastering is a bit loud at points (and too quiet in others) and the influence from Dream Theater can be overwhelming at points if you don't like Dream Theater much...and that's all that I really have to complain about! I kid you not, I have very little with this EP that I can complain about! Technically brilliant performances, great songs, great vocals, mostly good production...heck, the lyrics are pretty good as well! Frankly, I'm surprised this is available to potentially download for free: I'd have happily paid full price for this EP if they'd been charging a minimum price for it, as it's just that good! I would honestly say that, if you have ANY interest in more technical styles of metal music (not even necessarily progressive metal: power metal will do fine!), you should go and check this out! If you're not into more technical brands of metal, then you should still give this a go, as you'll probably still find something really good on this EP (most likely "Substance Defined."). If you aren't interested in metal at all...erm, I don't think this'll be your cup of tea at all, but, if you want to listen to this, then, by all means, give it a go!
Final Rating: 9 Out Of 10
A flat out brilliant EP with a few minor flaws that stop it from reaching the heights it really should. If you are a metal fan with some appreciation for more technical brands of heavy metal, then you have no excuse for not picking this up: it's available on a pay what you want basis on bandcamp, for crying out loud, you could pick it up for free if you have no money to spare!
Personal Favourite Tracks: all of them, but my highlight is "Substance Defined.".
(Link to the band's bandcamp page, if you wish to download the EP: http://thedeadstation.bandcamp.com/)
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