HARDWARES

The debut from something of a super quintet, although some of its members have worked in virtual anonymity for close to two decades! Who? Fred Marshall (singer, Zero Hour) joined bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Death, countless others) and drummer Jon Allen (Testament, Sadus). That’s a Hell of a start! Recently performing their initial gig at ProgPowerUSA, in Atlanta, the energetic music is a mix of high end vocals, crunchy guitars and the odd prog moment (particularly when it comes to keyboards. The aptly named ‘Relentless Chaos’ opener features something of a mini-solo for each instrument within its 7:06 running time. Acoustic guitar heralds ‘Inner Self’ which suddenly breaks from the Kansas inspired fold to something more akin to current fleet fingered Symphony X. The ballad ‘Beyond Despair’ also contains acoustic guitar, plus synthesized orchestral strings. Something of a concept album, there are voice-overs and brief recorded bits that link the actual songs. Infectious little melody running through ‘Terrors Of War’, which kicks off with military gunplay, while NOLA rhythms invade the otherwise cheery ‘Remembering Tomorrow’. Speaking of Maidenish titles, first editions of the disc will include a closing, bonus track; a cover of ‘Powerslave’.