OK, OK, everyone knows the story. No, not the one involving Arrowhead and the sheep. The one about former members of Killswitch Engage, Shadow's Fall, Medium, and Overcast joining up in a new band. Instead of the expected frantic mix of metal/hardcore, Seemless released something a little out of left field. It's more Queens of the Stone Age than Killswitch, more melody than metal, you have to imagine that the failed experiment of nu metal never happened.
Anyone that is a fan of early nineties grunge will get this. Yet it doesn't feel old or outdated, but more of a natural progression from bands similar to Soundgarden and STP. By merging spacey 70's rock with alt rock, they blur a lot of genre lines. However, to call them any one of those is a real injustice to the band. The mellow bluesy groove of guitarist Pete Cortese matches the downtrodden melodic vocals of Jesse David Leach to a tee. Lyrically, Leach delivers graphic tales of love, loss, and other life experiences and not in that overly cheesy Puddle of Mudd way. The ambience filled track, 'Endless' even toes the line of power ballad but manages to steer clear of the corny rock cliches. Along with all the inspiration from Zeppelin and Queens of the Stone Age, there are metal roots present as well. Heavy, blasting drum beats and gritty rhythms pound out most of the songs.
This is a mature release from a band who knows what they want to accomplish. By writing with a high degree of musical integrity, Seemless constructs songs that reflect both their musical experience and the heart they have for this project Add the top notch production and you have a feat most bands don't achieve throughout their entire careers, a good CD. Have you ever looked in a metal friend's CD collection and saw that 1 CD that sticks out from the rest? Something you wouldn't expect, but you can understand why it's there. This is one of those CDs. Definitely not metal, not totally space rock, it lies somewhere in the grey area of good ole rock and roll.
Honestly, it is refreshing to hear this disc. A huge breath of fresh air from a band that is creating music the way they want to instead of allowing trends to dictate their songwriting. Even though nothing revolutionary, Seemless could have easily released a CD with rehashed metalcore riffs similar to bands they were originally known for. The hype around these guys was big (as it should be with all the talented musicians in the group), and they deliver a solid outing with very few small gripes. Definitely a band to watch out for in 2004.
RATING: 8.0/10.0 on my rock and/or roll scale
