Prototype- Trinity

Alright, let me try this again. My original review went down in flames after I neglected to save anything when my computer crashed a couple of hours ago. Did I have any magical words about PROTOTYPE in my first fatal draft? Well, I’d like to think so. Everything flowed so smooth. It was fresh and uncontrived, like I had just written my first review and was elated like a brand new junkie just recently addicted to crack. Okay, not the best of analogies, but I think you get my point.

I believe I started it like this though:

First off if you happened to catch my review of PROTOTYPE live you will know that I will probably have nothing negative to say. If you want to see a negative review of bands, I’ll more than likely be writing that later. Believe me when I say the notes I have on stinker bands are vast. Anyhoo, on to PROTOTYPE’s new CD “Trinity”!

I said it before, this is a very progressive, but heavy band. I know what you’re all thinking (I know your secretly in awe of my precognitive powers) “How in the hell can progressive and heavy even be used in the same sentence King Master Coax??” Well it’s possible so stop being so goddamn close-minded!! I won’t delve into every song on the CD… have I mentioned the new PROTOTYPE CD that is out on WWIII Records is called “Trinity” yet? Oh yeah, I have. But I will dig into the first song (my favorite track) and dissect it for you so that you might have some idea as to what you’re getting into once you BUY the CD, yeah? Eh? How’s that for salesmanship? No commissions here by the way.

The first track on a CD is usually a band’s most popular song, or the attention grabber. They want to pull you into this CD from the first song so you will stick along for the ride and hopefully take a gander (don’t ask me what a gander is) at the rest of the musical selection. On “Trinity”, the first track is titled ‘Live A Lie’ which immediately rumbles into a steely metallic riff which will grab you by the back of the skull and proceed to beat your face into a cinder block. Already upon hearing this riff you know you’re in for the ride of your life. If I may for a moment go on a tangent, I would like to say that I am a total riff man. If I hear the smallest fraction of a guitar/bass/drum riff in a song that suddenly rubs me the right way, I will back up that CD and listen to it over and over. I will enjoy the pleasing heaviness of it no matter its complexity.

So back to the song, it’s not long afterwards that Vince Levalois enters the heavy guitar laden fray with his unique vocals, and sings so eloquently:

“I hang my head in sorrow

Angered by fate’s design

This world with no tomorrow

Why does it live a lie?”

Vince doesn’t have a screaming alto power metal voice (ala Daniel Heiman of LOST HORIZON) or a low gruff bass voice (ala Tom S. Englund of EVERGREY), but sticks to a definitive style that the music seems to carry. It fits the progressive feel and nature of this type of music. I won’t say he is the best vocalist in the world, but I do think that he pulls off playing guitar and singing quite well (although I know he doesn’t do both at the same time in the studio, I’m not that ignorant! Or am I? *shrugs*). Kirk Scherer (Bass) fleshes out the background vox with a nice slightly off octave backup that fits perfectly.

The musicians, as I probably mentioned in my live review of them, are consummate professionals and you can tell by the way this certain song is orchestrated. Around the 1:22 section, there is a quick stutter as the whole band does a quick military march in place which disrupts the seemingly endless forward movement of the song. Remember my little riff obsession? Here it is again. It’s a brilliant riff executed with precise timing and agility, which eventually segues into Kragen Lum’s first guitar solo of the CD. While the solo is nothing extravagant and doesn’t come embroidered with lots of tinsel and fancy trimmings, it still is very thought out and written with every single note heard with utmost clarity.

Around 3:11-12 a small spoken sound clip is inserted as the original, ever handy and useful intro riff comes into play again. I can’t make out a single word of course, but rest assured that I will eventually find out where it’s taken from fearless metalheads!! Like you care! Anyways, hidden in the back of this entire tune, you’ll hear the drummer Pat McGrath laying down complex percussion drum beats that sometimes seem so chaotic that you wonder if there are several different drummers playing all at the same time. The man is amazing. I heard recently he’s not with the group anymore which is a bummer, but I’m sure some other lucky band will snatch up Pat in a heartbeat.

Well that’s it! That was only one song too! If you’ve read this the whole way through then good for you, you’re not a slack jawed yokel. Me? I am and freely admit to being a slack jawed yokel, but it might be due to the loud constant guitar wailing that I submit myself to every week. Who knows. You’ll check out PROTOTYPE’s new CD “Trinity” if ya know what’s good for ya! Don’t make me track you down and force feed it down your throat. Go to the website and download some samples if you don’t want to take my truly honest and non-biased opinion. Here it is: http://www.prototypeonline.com I’m watching, I’m checking! GO! LISTEN!






BY Coax- August 20, 2002