TECHNICAL MUSIC REVIEW
Hello people of the internet. I have yet another post for you all but in the form of an album review! Forever In Transit is a progressive band of local artist Dan Sciolino. Prodigy might be an understatement. The guy can drum (real damn good, I have to say), play bass, play a keyboard like a lead guitar, write lyrics and ALSO dabbles on guitar! What can’t this guy do? Honestly, the sky is the limit for Dan. If you’re into Dream Theater and Haken you will love this album. Future Mike Portnoy without the ego? That might be a bit of stretch for all we know but this record is worthy of serious consideration outside of Western New York.
The album artwork grabs you right away. It’s very futuristic and focused on layered shapes. It brings you right to the center of attention near the album title. The background is very cool looking as well, adding to the theme of the album and it’s title. Quoting Dan himself (via the FIT Facebook page) “The album is an attempt to integrate my biggest musical influences, combining disparate forms of music into a unique sound that represents who I am as a composer. The lyrical themes explored on the album deal with connection— how we relate to one another, the world, how we define our identities and the seemingly arbitrary lines that divide.” It is a deep album with meaning not just another cheesy or goofy progressive offering.
Well, the music for States of Disconnection is insane to say the least. You can immediately tell a good chunk of his influences right off the bat. There are moments of fusion, a bit of world influence, and some video game influences for the gamers out there. There’s a chunk of harmonies all over the place vocally and musically (between guitar and the keyboards as well) it would take a long time to map them all out. There’s some very good melodies throughout the journey.
The lineup for the album is as follows:
- Dan Sciolino – Keyboards, Drums, Bass Guitar
- David Dickinson – Vocals
- Andrew Huefner – Guitar, Bass Guitar
- James Jagow – Guitar
- Jeremy Schroeder – Guitar
- Dave Scibilia – Guitar
- Amanda Terragnoli – Vocals
There’s some seriously top notch guitar work on this album which makes guitarists like myself smile ear to ear. Not only is there plenty of shred in the leads, but there’s lots of feel in the leads. Too many times there’s lots of generic sweep picking and a race to play as fast as the mighty John Petrucci of Dream Theater. The gentlemen Dan picked to play guitar on his album did one hell of a job keeping my ears filled with beautiful melodies on their leads, and very good riffs that did not repeat throughout the album. One great thing I can draw from States Of Disconnection is all the guitar work does not feel repetitive which tends to happen occasionally with some progressive bands. It’s very diverse and very energetic.
The vocals of Amanda who sang the majority of “Honor is Blind” can not be understated either. Some vocalists sometimes tend to reach back for way too much but I personally think she did not and added lots of great vibrato that didn’t overshadow the great music. The other vocalist David has an accomplished voice as well. I have to say I really liked it when he reached back into his gut and put in an energetic yell on “The World That Never Was” (borderline growl for us extreme metalheads) that was equally as heavy as Robb Flynn or Phil Anselmo. When Dan released that track online and heard it I was thrown off, didn’t expect such a heavy growl it caught me off guard! Both vocalists put in a solid effort and enhance Dan’s music even more.
Dan’s drumming is top notch. You can’t deny he is one of the best drummers in Western New York. I initially had the chance of watching him play at last year’s Drummer Showcase at the Evening Star and that’s how we ended up chatting. He has tasteful fills and very good command of his double bass. What drew me to his playing was how technical he can get, but knows when to chill out and add some flavor instead of just overplaying to show off. His keyboard playing is so smooth it sounds effortless! It’s a serious treat and an inspiration to anyone wanting to start drumming look no further than Danny!
Overall I’m extremely impressed with not just the music but art as well. I fully believe a great album needs great art to compliment the music. All around this is a top notch album that needs to get out of Buffalo. I think it could turn heads if put in the appropriate outlets. I wish him nothing but the best on his artistic journey and what is next for his band. One off shows? Forming a band to play his music? Either way you should not slack and buy this album as soon as possible if you’re into experimental and progressive music.
Forever in Transit links:
Facebook
BandCamp
YouTube
Originally published on Technical Music Review. Republished with permission.
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