Background: In the world of instrumental Prog / Fusion, Arch Echo have risen to kick us in the collective balls with an obscene amount of talent in a considerably short period of time. Their first release struck a mere 3 years ago and they’ve been ripping through the scene ever since, planting a flag for themselves. It would appear they’re about to embark on an odyssey of EP releases with “Story I” being the first… So, let’s give a read and see how this goes…
This EP Sounds Like: A bunch of geeks decided to calculate how to reach and subsequently melt a test subject’s heart using nothing but prog metal / fusion sounds. This is like drinking a test tube full of joy with considerable potential for an overdose.
Some Favorite Tracks: Well… Let’s see… There are four tracks here… So, yeah… They’re all great. Just start from the top if prog is your thing.
Positives: The existence of this EP is certainly a positive. The disgusting level of talent exhibited here is borderline overwhelming. Every moment counts as the band delivers a high end performance largely worthy of the prog gods. The sound is quite crispy as this makes for a bite size taste of greatness to be eaten by our ear holes. It’s ultimately another testament to how advanced this troupe is.
Negatives: The usual EP complaint… It leaves my ears wanting more once the ~21 minutes dry up. Objectively speaking, this could be viewed as wanking and some of the sound choices may be a bit… cheesy (I’m looking at the keyboard in particular). But, ultimately, it all fits with what Arch Echo is going for. There are spare moments that feel a bit copy / paste like 1:35 on “Measure Of A Life”. Other than that, I will say I felt like I was listening to a Plini record at times.
In The End… Got damn! Arch Echo does it again. Talent and taste are just oozing out the orifices of this release. To no one’s surprise, it’s great… Like, really great! For that reason, I can easily give this effort at least an 8.5 out 10 without breaking a sweat. I anticipate where things will go with sequels to this particular story. In the meantime, give her a spin through any of the assorted streaming links on this page or wherever you like your music most!
Links: Facebook // Official Website // Bandcamp // Merch
