One for lovers of heavy progressive rock to investigate.

In 2010, Jim Matheos (Fates Warning and OSI) and John Arch (former vocalist of Fates Warning) teamed up to form the new progressive metal band, Arch / Matheos.  The band lineup is completed with Joey Vera on bass, Bobby Jarzombek on drums and Frank Aresti on additional lead guitar. The debut album, ‘Sympathetic Resonance’, also produced by Jim Matheos was released late last year to critical acclaim.

The first track, ‘Neurotically Charged’, is lengthy and goes through numerous changes of tempo and theme. Starting with a solo vocal full of sorrow before going headlong into dropped D mayhem. The song continues with segments of fast and slow, light and shade and patches of lightning fast guitar work. Vocals are clear throughout and the song is well thought out and worked, a clear homage to Metallica epics, especially with the fuzz box closing guitar passage. ‘Midnight Serenade’ commences with a haunting theme interspersed with a punchy riff before launching into a more commercial and mid paced main theme with plaintive vocals.

False ends are always great on this type of album and we are treated with an example on the closing lap of this song before the vocals go up a gear to close the song in a stratospheric way. The third out of the long six tracks on this album, ‘Stained Glass Sky’ has a lengthy and fast paced instrumental section before the actual song starts. Another song of mixed tempos; shades of a jet propelled Rush come to mind as I suspect there were unusual time signatures used. There are also distinctive guitar riffs which define the various passages and flashes of great solo work.

‘On The Fence’ is a brooding track again kept together by Jarzombek guiding the band through the now trademark tempo changes. The vocal this time tries to push a bit too hard on the more frenetic parts and only get backs on track on the quieter moments. ‘Any Given Day’ is more epic with interesting punched out guitar riffs and an almost jazz based interplay between the guitars. ‘Incense and Myrrh’, the last track of the album, has a flowing and soft start rising to a faster and stronger main chorus but under total control.

One for lovers of heavy progressive rock to investigate.

Rob McKenzie