MELODRAMUS — 1+1=1 (review)

Album · 2019 · Progressive Metal

3/5 · 2019-08-03
siLLy puPPy

MELODRAUMUS is one of those bands that has found a second coming. Formed in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2005 and disbanding in 2012 after releasing two albums titled “30 Silver Pieces” and “Two: Glass Apple,” the band reformed in 2014 in the new location of Seattle, WA and a completely different lineup with only founding member Zakkary Hale (guitars, vocals) taking the band into its new formation. The newer members on board are keyboardist / guitarist / vocalist Sierra Rae, bassist / vocalist Samuel Hopkins and drummer Max Dail.

This is one of those bands that strives to find a middle ground between progressive rock, alternative metal and indie pop and the third album 1 + 1 = 3 is the purest example of the strategy following in the footsteps of the previous albums. Like the previous albums MELODRAMUS somehow walks the tightrope of sounding a bit like Dream Theater without really venturing too far into progressive metal, carries the atmospheric prowess of heavy prog bands like Porcupine Tree and the compositional fortitude of many an indie rock / pop band alongside a more nuanced modern version of certain prog bands.

In many of the vocal harmonies and counterpoints of the instrumentation in relation to the vocals, MELODRAMUS comes off as a more alternative metal form of bands like Spock’s Beard and other Neil Morse projects. The symphonic touches are mostly pushed to the background while the chunky distorted guitar riffs in the vein of bands like OSI dominate the soundscape but often the metallic elements are completely dropped and more ethereal space rock paradigm is implemented instead. When this occurs there are echoey guitar sequences and groovy bass elements that conspire to emulate many a Stephen Wilson project only with a more developed progressive rock oomf that tackles more complex time signatures and a tad bit more experimental.

The strengths of this album are the strong vocals of Zakk Hale and the accompanying female vocal charm of Sierra Rae with Hale taking the lion’s share of the vocal spotlight however the album overall comes off as way too safe to satisfy in many arenas. Firstly the metal is just enough to give the album a bit of bombast but doesn’t really delivery on the prog metal goods with only some riffing often making this sound like a more bombastic version of Riverside’s often airy fairy approach to a vocal driven musical melodrama. (Hmmm could the moniker offer some hints?) The album comes off as a bit overconfident as well extending past the hour mark and offering a basic pattern of one recycled riff after another with little variation in the compositional flow. It all becomes a bit samey and safe.

This is the type of music that takes things up to a level of metal that many who don’t enjoy metal can feel like they are actually metalheads but in reality this is basically just a progressive rock album that includes some heavy guitar riffs which makes it feel insincere for me. I find the band excels most when it eschews the metal altogether and focuses on the more melodic clean passages that allow the vocals and the intricacies of the softer elements to weave a tapestry of atmospheric rock with some jazzy elements. Other than that this rubs me the wrong way however those who can only want to encounter proggy rock with some metal elements may like this more than me. My main problem with MELODRAMUS is that this sound has been done to death and this album certainly offers nothing new to either the progressive rock paradigm nor the metal universe. Not a bad album per se but nothing that jumps out at me either.