Event
Scratching the Surface
5.5
Sometimes an album just never clicks. You force yourself to listen to it a few times, trying to grasp what the band was going for, but it just doesn't happen. As is the case with New England's Event and their new work, Scratching the Surface. It's not really metal at all, more of a modern rock album with substantial prog elements and industrial influences. According to their bio, the members of the band joined together at Boston's famed Berkley School of Music, where prog masters Dream Theater were schooled, so you know that they've got chops. The band I could best compare them to would be King's X in terms of the vocal delivery and song flow. The guitars use quite a bit of different effects and distortions to sound more electronic. The production is clean with a diverse range of vocal effects employed, and when the guitar and bass lock in, the tone is crisp and pleasing to the ear. Make Your Way is a pretty solid song that evokes memories of Stabbing Westward and Lenny Kravitz. The main groove riff is pretty unique, and unlike most modern songs where the guitars drop out and the verse is sung over a grade-school-level bassline, here the bass is played with ability. One Simple Fall is loaded with industrial flavor and electronica beats. The last track, Too Much, has a cool Nine Inch Nails feel to it. In conclusion, there's nothing wrong with Event, their music just doesn't move me. The industrial twists don't always make sense to me, and I was hoping for some flashier guitar work, but that's my personal bias. I have no doubt that they'll find their audience with Scratching the Surface, but don't count me in that group. I'll give Event some mid-level scores because there's nothing glaringly bad about it, and I’ll advise our readers to check out the free mp3 at their website before making the decision.
