STATUS MINOR – Dialog

Status Minor. Is that the wisest choice for a band name? No, but at least the status of this group is slightly above minor. If modern or Prog Metal is your thing, you just might like these guys. It seems like the group is gearing themselves for crossover success. They tackle mostly commonplace, angst-oriented lyrics and couple that with Progressive elements.

When you listen to Markku Kuikka, (vocals) it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he’s Finnish. Right from the very first vocal lines, he sounds rather similar to Timo Kotipelto. He doesn’t hit the high notes TK does – in fact, he doesn’t come close – but the accent and influence is very much there.

Status Minor seems like they’re intent on showing their chops where musical aptitude goes. Listening to this stuff, Sami Saarinen sounds like a technically skilled guitarist. The same goes for Jukka Karinen’s (Thunderstone) keyboard work. There’s a fundamental difference between the two, though.

Karinen seems like he’s trying too hard to flush things out. His presence is a little overwhelming. Saarinen provides an interesting counterpoint. He seems to have a pretty firm hold on the reigns throughout this recording and keeps himself in check at all times. As for what the rest of the band sounds like, just imagine a band like Evergrey, but on a bit of an off day.

If there were any one song that stands out on Dialog, it’d be the title track. It takes up more than a third of the entire album and features a dialogue between an overprotective mother and her fed up daughter. The voice acting is far from perfect, but the interaction between guitars and keyboards is pretty pleasing.

The end result for Status Minor isn’t a bad one, but it’s not much better than average. If you’ve been a Prog Metal fan for a while, you won’t find a lot that’s new here. One fascinating track (“Dialog”) doesn’t make for a great album. These guys need to try and forge a sound all their own. The tools are certainly there, they just need to be used more effectively.