Persona Non Grata
Quantum Leap

Unwanted greeks are back with their second album which is called Quantum Leap which is either a science fiction television show with Scott Bakula or a physical term in the field of quantum physics. Progressive metal? Well, according to press information it is, bands like Poverty’s No Crime, Vanden Plas, Dream Theater, Fates Warning and Symphony X are all mentioned in relation to this band. From that it wouldn’t be more than a quantum leap to deducing that we are dealing with a progressive metal band and looking at the cover artwork added to all the prior fact the evidence of such a thing is rather compelling I would say and you wouldn’t even need to have an imaginative mind to think in those terms.

I guess when describing how this band sounds a lending hand from the fine art of namedropping is well placed. Think Poverty’s No Crime and you have a general idea and then think a Ray Alder rather than James LaBrie as vocalist, then think dominant keys and atmosphere, atypical song structures, changes in tempo and tone and then we have the typical soloing and masturbation that is obligatory for most progressive bands. In general though I think one can say without incurring evil feelings that this is in style a rather typical progressive metal album. Production is competent and the album has eleven tracks and reaching a playing time just in excess of 57 minutes.

If you are looking for a progressive metal album that is imaginative and breaks new ground I think the 9 AM News is a better option as despite the greatness of the first three tracks it does not redeem the sins that seems to be so easy to make for up and coming progressive metal bands. The album tends to become static, it looses tempo and energy and this is due to it becoming too complex which these bands seems to think is the progressive way but none of the great progressive band is overly complicated, they instead create captive rhythms and makes complex music seem easy, this band makes complex music seem dreary at times. In a sense I grieve for this fact as the soundscape is so very good, it is exactly that first strokes of the canvas that I want but when adding diversity this band instead takes it away and the painting becomes more and more lifeless with every stroke as they paint so much that the original idea vanishes, maybe the inertia of the brush was too great to stop in time, stop when the music still made sense.

With this I am not saying in any sense of the way is that I think Quantum Leap is a bad album, rather the opposite. I think it is a good album but it has a few flaws like the way too long journey to journey’s end, and also the predictability of the album is unfortunate I would say that this album is in a sense like a Volvo: a predictable quality product that is safe and good but you don’t really want it.

I should also add though that I think the first three tracks are really good, they have flow and energy and a great performance. The rest of the album has a very good sound but the songs are too predictable and lack too much identity to really capture my mind and my interest in a genuine way which is why I conclude that this album is in many ways a good progressive metal album but that what we hear on it has been done many times before and it has also been done better several times before so if you think about this album buy A Dramatic Turn of Events by Dream Theater, this album will not make you unhappy but the one I recommend will make you happy and this one probably won’t even if it is good.