Reindel (USA) - 2000 - "The Dominant Theme" / Detailed Reviews / ProgressoR

Reindel (USA) - 2000 - "The Dominant Theme"
(49 min, "Fossil Rec" / "MP3.Com")

This is the debut album by brothers Jim and Tim Reindel, and as I heard (and read), they have been preparing their material to release for quite a long time. As for me, it doesn't matter how long some musical material was in work, if only that material is good, and so, the time, spent on it hasn't been wasted. First off, trying now to be honest to the limit, I will tell you, at last, the next: I consider myself an honest reviewer, and I hope the majority of my readers, ie visitors of Progressor, have read there some significant themathic reviews and articles to confirm my words or to be in agreement with them, at least. So, having a habit to put my true thoughts into words, I do want to let you know, dear readers, "The Dominant Theme" is, on the whole, a very good progressive rock album, whatever some of our "brothers in pen" might say.

Also, I read (and heard) the debut album by Reindel is compared to Rush. But why? Maybe just because Jim Reindel himself tells about Rush as the band he was very inspired with for the first time in his life (Jim tells about this in the Reindel's band Bio at their homepage)? I think so, as I have one more habit - don't be searching (to find at any rate!) for some comparisons where nobody has left them, not to mention a "methodical exploration" of any album I listen to with the same strange purpose - idee fixe (in that case please read the following Key Reviews: "Clones, Clowns, Strangetudes" here and "Not a Textbook for the Novice Reviewers" here). Oh, yeah, both Rush and Reindel are lovers of science-fiction lyrics, and what's more, they both play within the framework of the same genre, called Progressive Rock... So, there is "a lot of similarities" between them, as you see. Also, I've noticed (just for the second time in my "progressively aggressive" activity as Progres(sive aggres)sor - the leader of Asian Invasion into the world of Sleepers: we'll come back once more, though, to that by far not dominant theme in our story of "The Dominant Theme"): all the Rush and Reindel musicians each have one head, two hands, two legs, etc. So, it is obvious, they're nothing else than representatives from the same planet... Conspiration?

Yes, that is a "conspiration", called Progressive Rock Movement, and "The Dominant Theme" in reality purposes some abstract yet, at the same time, specific object - to wake up some Sleepers that are just sleeping to the accompaniment of some rap'n'pop or pop'n'rap (in short - dead!) music... Some Sleepers speculate that Reindel(s) pursue some specific targets, but most likely Sleepers are just losing their way in broad daylight, ie in synonyms. Many progressively aggresive (sometimes, even simply yet very aggressive) musicians have the same missions, but it seems, the problem of Sleepers will remain in Earthly Division of the Musical Universe the same... forever. So, as you understand Reindel play a kind of progressively aggressive music, ie Prog Metal, but, to put it more correctly, the purely progressive elements dominate in their music rather than aggressive ones, in spite of such a powerful tool as a riffing electric guitar that plays dominant themes quite often.

So, it's really turned to be that the Earthly Musical (progressively aggressive!) Mission of Reindel, called "The Dominant Theme", is quite different from all the others I am familiar with. As I (rightly!) supposed, even their dominant, basic theme in reality consists of 16 different parts, with each, at the same time, comprising various thematical variations, with all the original structures, arrangements, interplays and solos. That Star Crew of only two men is, probably, really happy, as one of them is a multi-instrumentalist, easily working with arsenals that are usually destined for a crew of four to five men, and the second one is a real (live!) shooter who sees the "targets" to hit the mark always, whereas we know that some of contemporary Crews are completing just with robots that have no impact quite often.

Even stylistically I am not able to show you some direct similar progressive objects for you to have some obvious comparisons with Reindel. But do you really need it? Is it really not enough for you to know that another new Progressive Crew appeared on Earth with quite a distinct original Mission, playing a soft kind of really progressively aggressive music (ie soft Prog Metal) with many elements of what we call Classic Symphonic Art Rock, with interesting arrangements of a moderate level of complexity and excellent musicianship? For those of you who can't live without comparisons (ie buy some really original CD by a new band, or maybe just by a band you have still never listened to), I promise to use them always, in case I've really found them...

VM. August 4, 2000