Review by VA staff writer: John Madric
From the opening riff, Deception comes in hard and on point. It’s the title to both the opening track, and the name of Engineered Society Project’s 7-track EP’s. This band is straight to business. And that’s how I like it. A guitar driven hard rock act without compromise. Guitar where it should be – up front and center, with bass and drums fighting for attention. That’s what makes rock. It’s a competition for those who know. It’s not a team effort. It’s a fight to earn the right to be there, and that’s what makes a band rock! The challenge as always, is standing out in a maze of endless releases. It’s not for the faint of heart. Cutting through an endless wash of metal-based rock is challenging, but essential if you want traction. And from a musical standpoint, the band has achieved that! On vocals, Kris Keyes delivers emotion first of all. That’s what stood out on the first listening - which to me is the only listening that really counts. That’s where fans are made. And anyone giving this EP a first hearing is going to find themselves ensconced in Keyes’ delivery, with urgency and authenticity seeping from every vowel and consonant. That’s because being the vocalist, is not only about singing the words. It’s about living them. Expressing them in ways that mean something to the listener.
ESP, like all bands comprised of guitar, bass, and drums, will always face a higher mountain. As important as is a frontman’s role, the musical component of a 3-piece band is absolutely critical. Drums and bass here have achieved that wall of driving rhythm where called for, without losing the nuance of the more delicate subtlety of tracks like Fade Away, featuring Glenn Hughes on vocals - the legendary one-time Deep Purple singer and bassist. Because as much as this band rocks, they know how to pull back the reigns and let some air into the spaces they create. I went beyond listening to studio recording and watched and listened to some live cuts. I like a band to reproduce what they achieve in a studio setting, and these guys here have done that in spades.
The key when performing live is to infuse the performance with fire. It’s the only way for fans to really connect. And it’s not something that is just visual. It has to be dynamically achieved in the music too. So how do I describe ESP and this EP? It’s definitely about the guitar up front, trading licks with vocals. Each giving the other space. I confess it is exactly how I like my rock, regardless of genre. And in this department, these guys don’t miss!Of course nothing is ever perfect from a critical point of view, no matter who you are. If there’s something here. I’d have liked more of, I’d have to say it is color. The mood is at times oppressively dark, and because the material is strong already, it doesn’t always need to be hidden behind a grinding veil. And that bugged me a little. Rock, be it heavy, metal, or grunge, always benefits from shading. Because crescendos are more difficult to build up to where the starting point is already intense. But there’s plenty to work with here. The riffs are good, solid, and original. The guitar is adventurous and not shy of slipping into modes we’re not expecting, and that’s where the magic lies. I’d like to see more of this brought into focus, where a greater space will allow tonality to breathe some. But all in all, this is definitely a band I’ll look out for. Live or recorded.
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