The unpretentiously-monikered Parallax Method are hyped as an ‘emerging modern instrumental prog rock’ act. The trio began life as hard rock band Isolysis’, before transitioning to a majestic progressive rock beast and emerging, reborn, last year. They’re armed with a bucketful of punny titles and an apparent fixation with owls. None of which is especially witty or humourous, and as for the music, well… There’s some decent guitar work here, taut, mathy segments that chug along solidly.
But at times, things get out of hand, and the solos go on and on. There’s only so much fretboard wizardly required to show off your skills, lads, and a particularly good skill to learn is knowing when enough’s enough. Less is more and all that.
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Structurally, the tracks lack any real sense of movement, and lumber from one section to another without providing any real excitement: a track as lengthy as the seven-minute ‘Honey I Shrunk the Squid’ needs a lot more to hold the attention, and even more concise tracks like ‘Can Mango Take Me Higher?’ are predictable in their juxtaposition of chugging riffs and noodly lead work.
And what the hell is that band photo all about?
Parallax Method Online
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