| Over the years we have received a lot of
reviews from magazines, newspapers and websites. Here are some
excerpts from a few of them...
A Breath of October "... "Empty
Shell" draws lyrical composition design from excellent artists such
as This Mortal Coil. "Tea for the Sleepless" captivates
with a steady melodic flow and matching vocals approaching darkwave /
ambient minimalism. "Pure" introduces more passionate, exuberant
vocals, unleashing more aggressive lines of emotion over syncopated guitar
accompaniment. "On with the Show" opens with more of the
beautiful guitar work characteristic of A Breath of October." "...Summerlin's bass
propels most of the compositions which are rounded out quite nicely by
Holly Williams' guitar, keyboards by Brandi Byrum and the steady drumming
of Soumen Talukder...The band really hits stride on "Pure," a
macabre 12-minute masterpiece that could have come straight out of
Scandinavia where this sound thrives." ...(Cobweb Strange) has finally hit jackpot...the band’s third album is not only its best effort by far, but also the one that sees this recently restructured unit finally hit the right path with confident stride. Forsaking any stylistic deviations, Wade and crew have created a moody and often stark album which nevertheless is never overbearing. Not quite very metallic, and as usual only obviously progressive in certain key spots, the band’s style has found new focus in a sound that almost comes off as an opiate slumber of midtempo mystery and sleepiness. It is far from darkly depressing, dragging and slow, or too atmospherically inclined, coming more across as well-focused rock with what is often a whimsically dreamy approach, not counting the occasional foray into heavier and more direct territories. Not only that, but the excellent swing of “Giant” off the band’s debut has been brought back, Summerlin’s vocals have been improved to fit the music better, and the new inclusion of keyboardist Brandi Byrum has subtly given the band a whole new lease on life with enhanced arranging and dimensional capabilities... "Unlike both of the previous albums by the band, and especially their debut, "A Breath of October" is free from any obvious influences at all. Furthermore, even the sound of this album differs from that on any of its predecessors and that quite radically..."October" just breathes with,
a mysterious atmosphere...With Evening Falling (8) is a little masterpiece. Instead of rhythms, it consists of passages of acoustic guitar and has that mysterious feel to it, which is one of the central hallmarks of this album, even though the vocal part is very brief here. Also, it's really hard to imagine any other song on track 8, and not With Evening Falling, which, IMHO, is a really great ending for this album. It needs to be said that the parts of vocals are excellent and highly original (mysterious!) on most of the songs here. Though, on average, they cover no more than about one third of the CD's playing space. Which, above all, is because there are only a few of the vocal parts on the longest track on the album, Pure. Giant and Tea For the Sleepless (2 & 4) are excellent songs of the Classic Art-Rock genre and feature all the possible progressive ingredients. However, the winners on this album are The Drowning Pulse of the Cold Green Sea, Pure, Currents of Nightshade, and On With the Show (1, 5, 6, & 7). (Though With Evening Falling (8), described above, I like very much as well.) Three of them (1, 5, 7) are the most complex, diverse, and intriguing compositions on "A Breath of October". But while the arrangements on Currents of Nightshade aren't as intricate as those that are featured on the songs that I've just talked about, it is just filled with wonderful flavors of the music of the East and is marked with signs of a real musical magic. As well as the album's opening track, Giant, and Tea For the Sleepless, Currents of Nightshade is the work of the Art-Rock genre. While Pure and On With the Show are about a blend of Symphonic Art-Rock and Prog-Metal. Well, finally, on keyboards: Although the parts of synthesizer, organ, and piano play mainly a supporting role on the new Cobweb Strange album, their presence is more than merely justified: new CD - new sound! You will be amazed with that highly specific atmosphere, which reigns over this album." Sounds From the Gathering "Cobweb Strange has
matured considerably with "Sounds From the Gathering"".
Stylistically, they take a refreshingly accessible approach to
psych-influenced rock, adding a very slight touch of jazz...I really dug
how the 11-minute "Sometimes the Shine Just Fades Away" shifted
directions over lengthy instrumental passages, with Derik Rinehart's busy
drums and Wade Summerlin's loping bass lines always in the foreground...Summerlin's
vocals adopt a Jim Morrison-like inflection ("Solitude & the
Hollow Promise") when he favors the lower registers, enhancing the
band's darkly impressionistic lyricisms." The Progressive Rock Radio Network has included a page about Cobweb Strange. Most of the information and all of the photos there can also be found on the Cobweb Strange site, but PRRN has audio from "Sounds From the Gathering" that is not here. To visit their site, click here: Progressive Rock Radio Network "The only fair
comparison that could be made is King Crimson, complex music with
fascinating vocals, rhythms and melodies, changing constantly. 'Sounds
from the Gathering' explores new directions within the progressive genre;
it has a mellow feel to it and often slides into long almost psychedelic
parts. The album consists of eight songs with a total playtime of 50
minutes, performed by this trio. Producer is Wade Summerlin, who also does
the bass work and vocals. The brothers Derik and Keith Rinehart plays the
drums and the electric guitars. The 10-minute long 'Sometimes the Shine
Just Fades Away' seems like 6 songs in one, amusing, taking unexpected
turns. The rhythm section, especially the bass-lines, never follows a
single pattern, as progressive as it can get. 'I'd Give Everything',
'Thirteen', '…As the Sky Crumbles', 'Solitude & the Hollow Promise'
and 'A Cup to Catch the Silence' follows, all great songs. This disc
brings you back to the seventies progressive rock but in a new outfit, so
to speak. Cobweb Strange is a band we will hear more of." "Cobweb Strange dish out an intriguingly dark album with solid helpings of both metal and prog styles.
'Taste of Ash': Featuring metallic structures with an off kilter sort of feel, this cut showcases some nice riffs and a general twisted prog texture at times. The vein is similar to Darkest of the Hillside Thickets and very early Alice Cooper.
'Sometimes the Shine Just Fades Away': Considerably progish, offbeat and dark, this feels a bit like older rock (ala Cream) with wonderfully twisted psychedelic textures. This is a killer cut. "I feel the night consume me now, So smooth and soft,
I'm lost inside". 'I'd Give Everything': Another very quirky composition, at times this one feels like the mellower side of old Rush, with an almost alternative bent.
"I'd give everything I have, To see the light that floods your senses, And overpowers everything you feel."
'Thirteen': This hard-edged ballad also shows some elements of prog and early Rush (especially the drum work). The chorus is a solid hard rocking hook, and the song features a quirky almost bent instrumental break that seems to imply a metallic Crimson sound.
'The Color Of': A good slow, dark rock number with Doorsish psychedelic guitar sounds, this one features considerably effective bass work. There was an obscure band in the early `80`s called Belfegore who seemed to combine a dark almost Goth sound equally with metal and punk tendencies. This song really seems to call to mind that band.
'...And The Sky Crumbles': This high energy Sabbathesque metal cut seems to really rip out.
'Solitude and the Hollow Promise': A slow and quite moody intro builds into a prog metal arrangement, with the emphasis on the prog.
'A Cup To Catch The Silence': A ticking clock and beautiful acoustic guitar combine with the gentle sound of a thunderstorm to begin this composition. The number continues in this manner after the vocals enter. "Outside, the clouds shift constantly, As if not sure what to say, They flow, and they break, And they slip away, But they never look back on today." The vocals end, the guitar fades away and the storm continues by itself for a time. A new section of the number emerges as effects laden textures takes the fore in a moody progish instrumental segment. Eventually, this also passes and the storm ends the piece." The Temptation of Successive Hours "...Cobweb Strange showed what a great
and talented trio they are... I was most impressed with the complexity of
their music and their ability to recreate live what they have achieved on
their album..." "On Atlanta Based Cobweb Strange's new
CD, The Temptation of Successive Hours, you can hear traces of Pink Floyd
and Dream Theater...The three-piece band's instrumentation of guitar, bass
and drums conjures up comparisons to other "Power Trios" like
Rush, with the bass used as a primary instrument, not just rhythm." "...intricate, lyrical, progressive
psychedelia influenced by King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Rush, Pink Floyd and
Yes." "Eric Johnson immediately comes to
mind with lead guitarist Burke's phrasing
approach..."Temptation" is well mixed...Rinehart's drumming is
crisp with concise emphasis placed on the top part of the set... Vocally,
Wade is somewhere between Lou Reed and Randy California... The masterpiece
on the disc is the seven-minute-long 'Astral Projection' divided into four
parts with the ending section and 'The Nothing Beyond Time' as the
denouement of the disc. In summary, Cobweb Strange aren't really strange,
dark or creepy. They just have a different angle of direction than any
other modern musicians seeking to establish their own identity." "...Cobweb Strange, a power trio that
knows how to jam." "Cobweb Strange is a promising new
band from Atlanta that plays alternately fiery and haunting psychedelic
rock, suggesting a head-on collision between the Doors and Iron Maiden...Summerlin's
bass and Burke's guitar are tightly arranged, lending a semi-symphonic
foundation to the dark forebodings of Summerlin's lyrical fare... An
effective piece of neo-psychedelia from a young group that should go
far."
"...progressive art rock
& jazz with a modern edge." "I have seen few bands
with the instrumental dexterity and songwriting ability of Cobweb
Strange." |
