*. Elf Project .*

Album: The Great Divide (2012)
Genre: Prog Rock (Heavy Prog)  /  USA

New York proggers Elf Project return with their latest collection of hard hitting and melodic rock titled The Great Divide. I almost hate to bring up Rush so early in the review, but damn if the trio doesn't channel all those glorious sounds that the Canadians conjured up during the Moving Pictures, Signals, and Grace Under Pressure period. Opening cut "We Pay the Price" busts out of the gate with thunderous bass lines, textured guitar riffs, atmospheric keys, and Carl Schultz' high pitched, melodic vocals. It keeps going on strong from there. "The Sirens Call" is a remarkable song, again driven by Schultz and his thick bass grooves and vocals, with fantastic guitar riffs from Mike Cappadozy and Dave Wayne's rock solid drum patterns. "Love For Sale" mixes prog with Def Leppard styled arena rock, with some heavier riffs and nice use of keyboards, while "Illusion" again screams '80s Rush, chock ful of catchy hooks and muscular arrangements. In fact, the bands ability to create memorable songs cannot be overlooked, as sometimes progressive rock bands tend to overplay at the expense of the song, but not Elf Project. " Pull Me Under" is a perfect example, as musically it's quite adventurous with some nifty guitar work from Cappadozy, atmospheric keyboards, and more of those lovely Schultz bass lines, but the song contains some catchy melodies and a great chorus. Schultz' slippery bass grooves provide the intro to the exceptional "No More Monkey Business", a short instrumental that lets the band strut their stuff musically, complete with some nimble stick work from Wayne and layer upon layer of complex guitar riffs and patterns courtesy of Cappadozy. The band approaches prog metal on the heavy yet melodic "Reach Out", which features some great vocals from Schultz. "Heaven Above" continues on with the heaviness, and textured riffs and haunting keys permeate the moody "What I Believe". The album closes with the poppy "Any Other Day" , complete with shimmering vocal harmonies, thick bass lines, and soaring slide guitar. The Great Divide is infectious from the start, one of those modern prog albums that just has so many feel good moments, upbeat arrangements, catchy hooks, and crisp instrumentation. It comes highly recommended, as once again the folks at 10T crank out another winner! Review by "Pete Pardo" (www.seaoftranquility.org).

RATING:  8.25 / 10   *GREAT*

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