SHIP OF THESEUS – The Paradox

Italy’s Ship Of Theseus is a project band “…in which every influence of the musicians involved has been free to flow through their instruments…” They state “the music is defined by a modern sound, in which the listener can easily taste the flavor of influences that goes from Nevermore to Devin Townsend, from Bring Me The Horizon to Dream Theater melting in a powerful modern metal.”

On first listen, it’s apparent the freedom to flow may challenge the listener due to the shotgun blast of vocal styles. They are sung, crooned, warbled, whispered, screeched and growled. It’s a whiplash listening experience akin to a high speed automobile rollover accident.

The best songs are early. “Reborn” leads with guitar tone and riffs lifted straight from Nevermore. It’s a chug fest of Modern Heavy Metal laced with Prog Metal touches: abrupt changes in tempos and a complex architecture. The sing along chorus provides the necessary hook immediately snagging the listener. “Time Has Come” manages to overcome the vocal histrionics with unique percussion combined with guitar and keyboard doing the melodic heavy lifting.

Quality takes a precipitous nose dive after good openers. “Hear Me Out”, inexplicably chosen as the first single, lays bare a weakness of the vocalist; his difficulty stretching syllables. His warbled effort is cringe worthy. “Blue” is a male/female duet crafted to be another single. Rather than switching leads throughout the song, they compete against each other eschewing artistry and subtlety.

The remaining six songs chug along without creating anything memorable for the right reasons. “Like A Butterfly” features a chorus sung so sweetly you might believe there’s been a change in vocalist. “The Promise” follows with coma-inducing crooning. “Reflections In The Mirror” marks a return to an aggressive sound which gets smothered with non-stop lyrics. “The Cage” brings keyboards to the fore but are shackled to a single repetitive melody.

The Modern Metal gladiatorial arena is crowded with heavy hitters. Unfortunately, the majority of songs on The Paradox aren’t strong enough to compete. A strong producer was needed to reign in the stylistic vocal excesses for focus and impact.

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TRACKLIST (Highlights: 2, 3)

1. The Paradox
2. Reborn
3. Time Has Come
4. Hear Me Out
5. Blue
6. Suspended
7. Like A Butterfly
8. The Promise
9. Reflections In The Mirror
10. The Cage
11. Wounded
12. Ending
13. Time Has Come

LINEUP

Michele Guaitoli – Vocals
Marco Cardona – Guitar
Alessandro Galliera – Guitar
Giorgio Terenziani – Bass
Paolo Crimi – Drums

GUESTS
Gregg Bissonette – Drums
Alessia Scolletti (Temperance) – Vocals