Album Review: "Chain Reaction" by Distorted Harmony

Chain Reaction

Today's album review is another one submitted directly by the artist. There is still nothing as cool as the actual artist contacting me. I will admit that most of them are overseas and I wonder where the Americans are at?

So, today's featured artist, Distorted Harmony, is from Israel. You may recall the other Israeli band to appear on these pages, Ferium.

Like their fellow countrymen, Distorted Harmony is also progressive, but they make their changes in a single song, whereas Ferium changes from song to song.

Here's where things start to get a bit more interesting than your standard how the band formed story. Distorted Reaction was started by a Jazz keyboard player, but please keep reading. I suppose, it makes sense that a jazz artist would want to switch to progressive the metal...?

I should also mention, as a total nerd, I think that this cover art is just awesome. I feel like I should check the molecule to make sure it's a real one though...but I'm not a chemistry nerd anyway.

Distorted Harmony

Now, let's take a quick look at what progressive music is.

I think of it as a musical journey or a parade. Over the course of however many minutes the band deems appropriate, the listener will be pummeled with at least 15 distinct types of music and no less than 45 separate parts to the song.

I think this about the coolest thing in the world, but some people are a bit turned off by it. Ask Rush and Dream Theater fans about that.

I have always enjoyed complex music and music that changes significantly, and Distorted Harmony certainly have that going for them.

This band is the epitome of the term prog-metal. Periphery, The Dillinger Escape Plan, etc has nothing on this band from Israel.

I could now blather on for 2,000 words about the distinct parts of music they used, how the sensitive arpeggios gave way to blast beat drumming, the melancholy keyboards into death metal riffing, into everything under the sun.

But let's explain a bit more than that.

Distorted Harmony does something no other prog band, that I've heard, has ever done. The music, when written about, looks as though it would fall off the edges of buildings, but they have integrated their parts so seamlessly that not only does the song flow like a standard rock song, but the extreme changes make sense.

After hearing the title track, you'll look back and think, well where else could those sensitive piano chords go except into thundering, death metal styled, blast beats?

They have excelled not only at progressive music, but making progressive music accessible for people who don't need to know the time signature.

I'm going to mention, that only Animals As Leaders can hold their own with Distorted Harmony when it comes to seamlessly changing, but they're a very different animal, pun intended.

Release: 7/9/14
Genre: Metal, Prog-Metal
Label: DIY
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