Creation’s End A New Beginning
by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer
Aiming at an epic feel and heroic, larger-than-life atmospherics, this New York City quartet presents a curious mixture on their debut record: that of Pantera-inspired heavy grooves, retro synth parts channelling early Yes, 80s shred-style guitar leads, and generic power metal vocals delivering plain, easy melodies.
The end result is far from becoming one of those cases where combination of well-known genres suddenly gives birth to something new and unexpected. All paths Creation’s End walk on this album are well-trodden, and occasional flashes of brilliance are always down to instrumental brilliance (lead guitarist Marco Sfogli is a shredder to keep an eye on) rather than compositional ingenuity or individuality.
One notable exception is “World Holocaust” – a compelling, balanced track with laconic melody and an atmosphere of its own, where the band doesn’t pretend to be anyone else, despite the obvious influences. Inventive breaks, expansive guitar leads are balanced and juxtaposed against the verses and the chorus perfectly, making you believe that there could be more to this band than prosaic rehashing of familiar clichés.
In the end you realise that instrumental prowess, knowledge of rock’s history, and even strapping ambition can never substitute an ability to write a melody. It will take more study of this indispensible skill, more learning about tension and release, and simply more experience for this band to finally find its voice.
Pastiche, appropriation, and collage do work, but only when artist is detached enough from his sources to be able to manipulate them with shrewd precision. Creation’s End are not calculating enough to pull through such a post-modernist feat yet, nor do they have much of their own to say to be able to abandon old models and props and venture into true self-expression. Fan fiction in music is one way you could describe this act, and just as fan fiction it has its merits – its naivety (which is never a bad thing in music), sincerity, and, hopefully, willingness to learn.
Band:
Mike Dimeo – vocals
Marco Sfogli – lead guitar
Rudy Albert – rhythm guitar, keyboards
Joe Black – bass
Dario Rodriguez – drums
Track Listing:
1. Of Shadow and Flame
2. World Holocaust
3. Hollow
4. Dissociate
5. Still Life
6. Forsaken
7. Relic
8. Creation’s End
Online:
Label: Sensory
Hardrock Haven rating: 5/10