Given the right exposure, Sine Star Project could be a really massive band.
This highly charged, emotional and arty album gives a huge nod to some of the
greats including Led Zeppelin, Queen and more recently Muse. Its creator,
Peter J Croissant and co, which also includes 35 guest musicians, have unleashed
a freewheeling monster.
It's not all blood and thunder as you might imagine, but a clever fusion of rock,
classical overtones, jazz and electronica, which curiously blend together. It
opens with the power-pop Bleeding Like A Dog. This is the kind of killer
hook that most bands would die for. Its impact holds you instantly, boosted by
a romping chorus and wailing guitar solo, rounded off by neat piano tinklings.
This shows the band is acutely aware of dynamics that surface again on Brown Bread,
a whopping rocker that features ear-piercing solos and thumping riff.
Further classical influences surface on the divine soft-rocker Eternal Sadness Of Man,
a lazy ballad, showing they’re a very adaptable and versatile band. Shades of
classic Led Zep permeate Chine Drag Queen. A slow and deceptive build-up
eventually leads to a riff sequence on the scale of Kashmir, though not
as sustained.
The pace and intensity drops on the next two – Glitter Ghost and Little Bird.
The Temptress would make a cracking single. It’s lightweight enough to
make most radio playlists. The thump and grind of Post Human surely has
shades of Red Hot Chili Peppers, but with more sophistication, and edge.
In true bombastic fashion, they end on a high – Cathedral. This is their
unforgettable opus: riffs, angelic vocals and big production bring back memories of
Emerson Lake and Palmer, and its wonderful stuff.
1. Bleeding Like A Dog
2. Brown Bread
3. Eternal Sadness For Man
4. Chinese Drag Queen
5. Glitter Ghost
6. Little Bird
7. The Temptress
8. Posthuman
9. Christmas Carol for The Dead
10. Cathedral
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
