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Band:Pathosray Album:Pathosray Record Company:Sensory Records Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

The band starts out sounding like Dream Theater's ugly step child. The singer at times sounds frighteningly like James LaBrie. The song structures are complex and just about as heavy as Dream Theater. On the song "Lines To Follow" they show that they can be a little more heavy than the band they are most influenced by. it also is when they start to show that they might have a few more inspirations to draw from than their obvious heroes.

About 1:45 into the song "Faded Crystals" the singer shows his love for all things James Labrie, but what sets him apart is that he sounds better than James has sounded in a very long time. This continues to be the case through much of this cd. Although the production does sound thin at times, for the most part this band seems to give me what I am always wishing I could hear with Dream Theater. They are more prog metal than power metal, but with just enough thrash to keep my interest. Now don't for a second think that this band is nothing more than a Dream Theater clone. I think this band's greatest asset is that they can go from sounding like a Journey ballad one second to Dream Theater, and then sounding like Nevermore. All of this without sounding unfocused.

"Lines To Follow" kicks in with more energy than I think Dream Theater has the capability to offer. This is where the band borders on an almost thrash style, but without sacrificing their prog credibility. "Scent Of Snow" may be one of the more wimpy songs, but is is very well done and makes for a good contrast to the more thrashy elements the band has at times. On "The Sad Game" the vocalist uses a more gruff style than on the rest of the cd. It works so well in fact, that it made the song my favorite on the cd.

The cd is not without it's weak points though. "In Salicis Umbra" sounds like something Journey threw away for being too wimpy. Out of the entire cd this is the only song I have to say I hate.

For the band's first full length, this is very impressive. With the right producer I think this band could very easily take the world by storm. They have a dynamic songwriting style that has sadly become rare for this style. To call them prog-metal misses so much of what this band has to offer. Unlike most so called Prog bands, these guys are actually a little progressive! Will I listen to this cd again? I can pretty much guarantee it. My wife even mentioned that it was "Car worthy", so she will be spinning this while she drives to her cubicle hell in the morning. It did Rock My Monkey at times and if you are into the heavier side of prog, you should get this cd right away.

Band:Pathosray Album:Pathosray Record Company:Sensory Records Writer: Mark Carras Media: MySpace Click Album Cover To Buy Now

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