An Exciting Album - Music To REALLY Listen To!
Robert Cofell | Toronto, Ontario Canada | 01/27/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Anyone looking for a nice danceable beat, you have come to the wrong place.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for music that exists not for commecial reasons, but artistic ones, this is for you.
Fans of modern King Crimson will have lots to enjoy here. There is a definate similarity, but in my opinion, Dark Aether has created it's own music. Well worth the money... it would be worth it even if it cost twice as much!
To those of you searching for your more mainstream music, you should give this a shot. It is quite exciting music!"
File with the other "shelf fodder."
Gregg Lee | Indianapolis, IN United States | 03/26/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"You probably came across Dark Aether Project as a result of searching the web for some new prog to fill out your collection. And, you were probably drawn in by claims that DAP features elements of King Crimson, Mahavishnu, Pink Floyd etc. Well, don't get your credit card out just yet. "The Gentle Art of Firewalking" is the product of a band that has yet to really find itself. Don't get me wrong, DAP are very talented folks - they all know their way around their instruments remarkably well - but - and this is a big but - they don't know how to write a coherent song. All of the songs go around in circles and never end up anywhere. Let me put it this way; Remember those guys in high school who were the best musicians? They would jam in someone's basement every weekend on whatever Crimson or Holdsworth or Ponty riffs they could figure out - and they'd play at some school function and everybody would be blown away by how good they could play? That's Dark Aether Project. But, unfortunately for them - we're not in high school anymore. And even an unsigned, independent group like DAP needs to raise it's standard of songwriting a little higher if they want to be taken seriously within a genre that's notorious for taking itself seriously. I should say that the CD itself is good. It's quality far exceeds most of the other independently produced albums I've heard. And the band know when enough is enough - they keep the songs and the cd to a manageable length. But, its rank with problems. Jennifer Huff's vocals just aren't a good fit here. Her range is almost non-existent - and even seems off-key in some places. One of the problems with home recordings (which this is) is that things like vocals are incredibly difficult to capture properly. And to my ears, Ms. Huff's vocals may have been better had they been recorded off-site. The cd has no bottom - the bass is effected ala John Wetton almost to the point of non-existence - and leaves the entire cd flat. The instrumental tracks simply meander through meaningless, repetitive riffs that never evolve. As far as the comparisons to King Crimson - a few songs are based around riffs that are reminiscent of mid-70's KC but that's as far as it goes. Stitching together a couple of arpeggios with a few changes does not a Crimson make. So, nothing exciting or marvelous here. Good musicians, wrong singer, under-developed songs, middling production. Maybe next time.Cheers
Gregg"
Lots Of Variety On This One
Steven Sly | Kalamazoo, MI United States | 01/09/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"D.A.P. is back with a very different lineup for their 3rd album. Project leader Adam Levin remains, but there are no other carryovers from the previous album. The vocal duties are handled by Jennifer Huff which lends the album a very different feel from the more gruff vocal work by Ray Weston on the previous disc. Overall I think this is a better album than the previous one. The addition of John McCloskey on guitar really makes a difference on several tracks. The almost metallic "Sparks" Fly" features a McClosky and Levin guitar duel that serves as one of the most energetic tracks that this band has done. New vocalist Huff sings on 4 tracks and 4 are all instrumental. Levin's Warr guitar and Huffs half sung half spoken vocals work in tandem on "Night Embrace" to create a well done moody atmospheric piece. The final track "Embers" works in a similar fashion. This album covers a lot of musical ground and should appeal to a wide variety of progressive rock fan."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1