Andrew Danso

Progressive music isn’t defined by track length and how many riffs tend to edit and cut between the other; it’s more importantly been about whatever’s inside of the pool, which the lengthy tracks tend to swim in. Everwood are known as a progressive rock outfit, but would dare to dream to live in the same proggy habitat resident to King Crimson, Dream Theatre, and King’s X, as they tinker through their eclectic sound of distortion and neo-synth’d keys with little substance. To batter the point further: this is music built surrounding the vocal, ergo, it needs to carry strong vocal performances, which must be kept interesting throughout an entire playback. On both accounts, Everwood are far off the mark.

The band feels wooden, trying to play a brand of rock, perhaps unnatural and beyond their abilities. The eastern styled synths on track “Desert Sun” certainly plays on the correct scale, but sounds without depth inside of the mix. The melodramatic vocal on track “Free” doesn’t convey any sense of drama because, vocalist Matyas Haraszti, struggles with the choruses’ higher range. “Without Saving” cries for a kind of leadership, to guide each track through the mazes, but it falls flat when the musicians start scratching their heads.

5/10 Powerplay #139