District 97 – Trouble With Machines (2012)

Making Progressive Rock/Metal look easy, today we have the highly skilled District 97 and their latest release titled “Trouble With Machines”. Featuring Leslie Hunt (American Idol Top 10 Finalist), this band is far from your usual Idol produced musical AIDS. With some killer musicians behind her, District 97 delivers seven mesmerizing tracks that showcase the band’s skills in a very playful and direct manner.

“Back and Forth” opens the release with a playful intro section that is followed by a weird-at-first Progressive vibe with female vocals. While the band is not the first one to attempt this, they are the first ones to really make it work and sound fresh in the process. In tracks like “Open Your Eyes” the band does not stray away much from regular Alternative Rock until the brilliant progressive details come into play. These details allow the songs to be a lot less linear and quite engaging since they seem oddly placed, excellently executed, and for some reason we can’t get enough of them.

The straight-up Prog tracks like “The Actual Color” are very well enhanced by Leslie’s vocals, but still maintain the musical integrity fans of the genre expect and have some very adventurous passages that nicely enhance the overall experience. Our favorite track is the epic “The Perfect Young Man”, with its magical keyboards, excellent guitar work and perfect drumming. It also helps that this track has a vocal appearance by John Wetton of King Crimson and Asia fame.

The short but sweet “Who Cares?” features more Progressive magic that perfectly continues the flow of this release. The dramatic combination of piano and cello in “Read Your Mind” makes this track a very emotional journey that changes tempos several times and delivers a very unique experience. Closing with the magical “The Thief”, the band has done a great job creating intricate songs that delivers powerful vocals and brilliant progressive sections with grace and playfulness. If you are looking for a Progressive Rock/Metal release that will keep you engaged with excellent music and instrumental craftiness, “Trouble With Machines” is the release for you.

Release: July 17th, 2012

Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal

Country: USA