Useless Concept – Mysterious Impact (2012)

Led by the strong vocals of Sandrine Humbert, today we have Useless Concept and their latest release “Mysterious Impact”. Combining Hard Rock with some Metal and Progressive elements and a few jazzy/funky hints, this release delivers twelve tracks of excellent and catchy music. Being originally and instrumental, and then a Progressive Metal band, Useless Concept has come a long way to their current shape, but it sure works for them and to the advantage of the listeners.

Opening with “Emphatic Experience”, the band starts on a high note thanks to Sandrine’s vocal and the excellent music behind this track. The heavy Rock vibe is quite enjoyable, but the little progressive elements are what makes the music standout even more. The riff centric “Live and Learn” keeps things rolling, but the atmospheric elements of “Amy” really give the band that extra depth that many inexperienced bands are lacking.

Our favorite track in this release comes under the name of “Vain Prayers”. In this ballad-esque song, the band showcases Sandrine’s vocals to perfection providing a very mellow and effective mood thanks to the acoustic guitars. The progressive elements of “Highest Mountain” reminded us of Yes and such bands, but ultimately what makes this song quite catchy is the hard rock vibe that prevails through it.

The drumming is quite interesting in this release since it features a wide variety of different patterns, ranging from traditional Rock ones, to heavier almost Metal-esque sections, and some quite nifty Progressive sections. The guitar work and solos, particularly on “Alone”, is pretty solid throughout the release. “Alone” also features pretty nifty bass guitar work, and while not mixed to high, it still shines through this release.

There are definitely some tracks that Sandrine sounds like Amy from Evanescence, but her vocals seem to have a better range, making her better than Amy in our opinion. “Vain Prayers II” closes this release with the vocals a bit high, but sounding like Kari Rueslåtten, giving us instant chills.

Overall, we have to say that “Mysterious Impact” is one of those releases that you will keep enjoying for quite a while due to the diversity of the songs. There is almost something for everybody, and the band’s ability to merge genres and create cohesive songs is excellent. We hope that this band has better luck with their current sound and line-up than before, and they can get recognized for their hard work and persistence.

Release: 2012

Genre: Rock/Metal

Country: France