PROTOTYPE

Trinity
(World War III)

You know, for every band that sounds like another band, there are talented bands that never get the attention that they deserve. After numerous demos, appearances on 13 compilations, including their stellar cover of "Trapped Under Ice" on Dwell Record's Overload - A Tribute to Metallica, plus their title track "Trinity" released on BallBuster's Ball One Strike Two on Sinbad Recordings, I certainly am pulling for this band to find a way onto a major concert festival or major tour with someone that will put this band in front of your eyes. There are acoustic guitar introductions, like on "Pure" that remind me of classical Spanish guitar. There are virtual drum solos, like in the opening minutes of "Dead of Jericho" where drummer Pat MacGrath pounds with a precision that Neil Peart would admire. With tasteful cymbals and an ear for dynamics and the ability add new colors to the guitar riff of guitarist Kragen Lum and vocalist/guitarist Vince Levalos that defy what has been done before in the progressive metal genre. At the 1:58 mark of this song, the band shifts into a more straight-ahead thrash riff that allows all of the musicians to weld their parts into a collective voice of defiance. This is music that makes you want to stand up and cheer, not because it's a retread of "We Will Rock You." Rather, you want to rejoice that this band has got it. This band has so much musical talent that it practically oozes out of them for the 43:52 minutes of this release. I hope only for the best for this band. There are no stand-out tracks as each track is its own roller coaster ride of expertise. Even bassist Kirk Scherer gets into the act, setting up the guitar solo at the 4:04 mark of "The Dead of Jericho", similar to what Cliff Burton did for Kirk Hammett in "Orion," by laying down a slow, melodic, melody upon which Lum can expand upon. This release is, by far, one of the best of the year 2002. (Paul Hanson)

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