Sonically, there's something different about Opensight. Something about the way the guitar and bass are mixed here, a very in-your-face sound that caught me off guard the first time I spun it. And in all honesty, I kind of feel like I just now "got" the CD, after having listened to it several times and then left it alone for a couple weeks before coming back.The five tracks on The Voice Of Nothing EP take their prog metal influences -- citing such big names as Devin Townsend, Opeth, and Cynic -- and wrap them up in neat little packages. Who ever heard of five prog metal songs clock in at 21 minutes? That's barely enough time for one song for some bands, right? I kid, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting in and getting out, but I think that's one of the flaws here: sometimes there's just not as much as I was hoping for, and sometimes the transitions are really jarring.
Take, for instance, the middle of album closer "Skeptic's Creed." The song has a fairly majestic intro, a good groove in the verse, and a nice shift for the chorus. The verse riff is quoted, and then there's a sudden jump from the distorted guitars to a jazzy interlude that starts off with the upper frequencies rolled off. There's plenty of possibility in the interlude, once you get adjusted to it, but it only goes on for about a minute before a diminished arpeggio leads to clicking the crunch back on and going in for a second solo. Transitions are fine, but do something with them, make it seem like they have a reason for existence!
In general though, there's a lot of good material on here. I still think the mix is a little different from their similar artists, but that's fine and it ultimately works for them. There are plenty of other interludes in songs that work well, like on "Absolute Truth," some nice atmosphere from strings, and some really catchy riffs and melodies on songs like "Former Heroes" and "Deleted Scene." I would put this on the list for fans of proggy hard rock bands like 3, Fair To Midland, and Karnivool. I'll be interested to see how they continue to develop; maybe next time they'll give me more than 20 minutes to sink my teeth into!
