SceneS - Call Us At The Number You Provide


Year of Release: 2005
Label: Escapi
Catalog Number: AUD009x (EU) / nms017 (US
Format: CD
Total Time: 55:22:00

SceneS' debut album, Call Us A The Number You Provide, is on the edge between progressive metal and melodic metal, and the strongest comparison that can be made, at least vocally, is to Queensryche? (on, for example, "You Walk Away"). But at times it is of Evergrey that I think, and most especially on the crunchiest of the tracks, "I Will Stay," which reminds me of material from In Search Of Truth on. I'd have to say this is my favorite track (even with the soundbyte of Bush's famous quote after 9/11, standing on the rubble declaring that those responsible will be "hearing all of us soon.")*

Now, you may be scratching your head, thinking "Debut? Didn't they release A New Beginning a few years back?" Well, yes, observant reader, they did, and that little itch should be telling you something. Not that you need a different shampoo, of course, but rather that A New Beginning was a self-released demo with a vocalist that, at least on their website, the band never name. I'm not sure why they don't, but I'll tell you: It was Hubi Meisel. But Hubi left; Nektarios Bamiatzis joined, but then he left as he was finalist in a "Pop Idol" competition; the person next taking over vocals and whom you can hear on Call Us? is Alex Koch, ex-Powergod and Winter's Bane. The band landed a contract with Swedish label Escapi and released last year (2005) Call Us?, an album mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton whose c.v. includes Helloween, Conception, Elegy, Kamelot, and dozens of others. Bamiatzis does sing lead on "My Own Life" and "Save The Light" and Dirk Thurish (Angel Dust, Mercury Tide) and Markus J?rgens (ex-Brainstorm, Pump) contribute background vocals on "I Will Stay."

Here's my take on Koch: sometimes he sounds good? sometimes he doesn't. He mostly doesn't when he's trying for that operatic style of Geoff Tate -- he sounds more like Peter Garrett (Midnight Oil) trying to sing like Tate. When he doesn't try, he sounds better? but not great. Oh, he's not wincingly awful mind you. My second barometer is whether the cat gets up from sitting on my desk and walks out or starts caterwauling; he's done neither today (the first he's heard SceneS, though I've played this several times over the last several weeks). But compared to the "great voices" of progressive, melodic, power metal? he just doesn't quite measure up. To our -- erm, my ears, at least.

Anyway, what you get overall is melodic progressive metal that also has a few prog rock elements to it. Bass (Jan Ebert) and drums (Hendrik Edelthalhammer) throb and rumble and boom and chug, percussion snickers, keyboards (Florian Wenzel) swirl and parp, and guitars (Chris Lorey) trace out sinewy and trim phrases? There is an instant familiarity to the music, a comfortable familiarity, and that does make this musically appealing, even as you get the feeling that you've heard it before. Part 'n' parcel of the genre, but that throbbing bass -- or maybe it's the toms? -- have a closed in and hollow sound to them? I imagine it is like strumming one of those super thick rubber bands. ("You Walk Away" is an example). The exception is the short ballad "Deep Inside My Heart" which features vocals and piano? and it's the kind of piece that you think will become a power ballad, but doesn't.

"My Own Life" is densely layered, and perhaps too much so. The bass is playing one thing, the guitars something else, the two elements meshing together but not altogether comfortably. And that doesn't even account for the occasional guitar flare that flicks out like tongue. And there are other textures thrown in - some piano-like keyboards that at the outset seem out of place, like a second audio source is playing, but sound more incorporated for their solo. Actually, there's a lot of awkward moments on this track, that edges close to late 90s Marillion, if only heavier. I do like the vocal harmonies on this track and what it's trying to be, however. The other track that Bamiatzis sings lead on is "Save The Light." Though he sounds a bit nasally, I find this one of the vocal highlights, and probably why I've seen others mention Threshold in connection to this CD. It's as heavy as anything else here, chugging along and at times verily loping along (though not quite like Iron Maiden). Here guitars and keyboards seems to really get a lot of attention, the former getting its first chance to break out and really solo (not that they haven't soloed elsewhere, but here? it just pops). It's my second favorite track here.

"Such A Shame" is, I've read, a cover of a Talk Talk tune? and while I've not heard the original, this cover suffers mainly from trying to sound too much like 'Ryche. The arrangement seems more designed for a prog-pop, 80s-synth arrangement. Put in a metal context? I don't know.

Middle-eastern motifs; crunchy guitars; heavy, Hammond-like keyboards; and throbbing bass almost lead you think of instrumental prog-metal trio Ars Nova or even Mastermind in "Nothing Left To Say (Unforgiven)," but then all this aggression and classicism falls away for the vocals and returns to the awkward arrangement heard back on "My Own Life," where the keys are too prominent and too ? sweetly clear and oddly placed or too parpy for prog metal. Actually, it reminds me a lot of The God Thing-period Vanden Plas? mixed with pre-Empire 'Ryche? and not as appealing as either.

On the whole, Call Us? is better than average progressive metal release. But it's not "scene" one band, you've "scene" them all (she cheekily writes). It is enjoyable to listen to, despite my feelings towards all of Koch's vocals. Maybe I'm too particular. Musically it is stronger, but not the great work that surely lies ahead for them. If they get a stable line up (bassist Ebert left in September 2005, replaced by Hannes Farrenkopf) and Koch finds his own true voice (or does better with the Tate-like one he has), then SceneS might just make a positive scene on the progressive metal scene.

*Driving me nuts is that this piece sounds so very much like something else that isn't even prog anything and yet what it is exactly escapes me. All I know is it isn't a prog metal song?
Tracklisting:
So (Father) (5:07) / You Walk Away (3:48) / My Own Life (6:40) / Start Again (10:27) / Deep Inside My Heart (2:56) / I Will Stay (5:14) / Save The Light (7:37) / Such A Shame (4:26) / Nothing Left To Say (Unforgiven) (9:04)

Musicians:
Chris Lorey - guitar
Alex Koch - vocals
Jan Ebert - bass
Florian Wenzel - keyboards
Hendrik Edelthalhammer - drums

Discography:
A New Beginning (demo) (1999)
Understanding (never released) (1999)
Call Us At The Number You Provide (2005)

Genre: Progressive-Power Metal

Origin DE

Added: January 1st 2007
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.scenes-band.de
Hits: 2319
Language: english

  

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