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Fountain
of Tears review in Sanctuary
International Webzine
(self
titled)
By Casey J. Payne, 1999
I am honored
to highly recommend this CD to you. The debut release
from Fountain of Tears is a true piece of art. This
five-member band from Pennsylvania has made the term
"progressive" their own by creating a truly unique sound
for themselves (something I could only say for maybe
a handful of other bands). While it's hard rock, it's
so much more. It's musical art, blending elements of
heavy rock/metal, jazz and rock opera style keyboards
and piano.
It is interesting
to note that most of the band has musical history in
heavy/thrash/death metal territory. Some of you will
recognize drummer Joe Daub from Believer, bassist Erik
Ney and guitarist Mike DiDonato from Sacrament and keyboardist
Jeff King from Sardonyx. While those bands have created
some of the best metal for that style of music, the
guys have moved on to tread new ground in the progressive
arena.
Vocalist
Anna DeRose is a touch of class to the FT sound. Female
vocals are rare in this genre of music. It is a welcome
addition, in this case. Her voice is pleasing and seems
powerful enough but, at times, gets almost (but not
truly) buried in the mix. This would be my only complaint
about this CD. However, do not let this minor thing
stop you from getting your own copy.
The FT sound
comes off as heavy, but this isn't brutal or even "metal",
in the traditional sense of the word. To hear a great
keyboard or piano riff backed by a well-produced rhythm
section and electric guitars is heavy indeed (and oh,
so glorious!). FT pulls it off so well because the riffs
and arrangements are fresh. The music is a true compliment
to the lyrics, which are poetic and, at times, introspective.
From the
Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Sleeper" narrated and set
to music to the glorious "She Wants To Be" to the somber
"Carousel", the music is tight and intriguing. "The
Sleeper" contains some great use of dissonant guitar
work and chimes that make it a very creepy tune (in
spirit with the poem). I must say that I've never heard
this much of a diversity of keyboard sounds on a rock
CD and liked it until I heard this band.
The CD is
just over 60 minutes in length and contains 10 tracks.
Tracks 6-10 are the instrumental versions of the first
five tracks, in order. The instrumentals kind of take
on a life of their own, reminding me more of a soundtrack
to an epic movie. They are a nice bonus!
Overall,
I would describe this as a five-star band doing a 4.5
star CD. The vocal mix did seem a bit soft in some parts.
That having been said, YOU MUST GET YOUR OWN COPY. FT
is passionate, poetic and progressive. Bands like this
are few and far in between, and that just makes the
wait so much sweeter. You can order it directly through
their website, which is one of the best band websites
I've seen in a long time. Why not go there right now?
www.fountainoftears.com
CJP
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