Assignment

There were a sizable number of bands in the early 1990s groove/half-thrash explosion as well as the mid-90s progressive metal scene that I wanted to like because of past works but couldn’t because of the severe lack of quality in the material they were putting out. Two of these acts were Nevermore and Fates Warning, the first of which was the continuation of the powerful 80s US power metal act Sanctuary, while the second had elected to go into a very quirky avant-garde style after their last solid release “Inside Out”. Somewhere along the line it became commonplace for vocalists who had previously sung in strong, captivating voices to engage in a muddled hybrid of poorly executed Hetfield or Schuldiner imitations, while writing songs emphasizing technical ability at the detriment of songwriting/stylistic coherence also became the norm.

The underlying issue with both styles for me was that they emphasized the groove and progressive aspects of their style while largely scaling back the metal characteristics that had defined the precursors to these respective sub-genres. Warrel Dane’s 90s vocal work, in particular, suffered immensely due to his voice being entirely unsuited for extreme metal. When you compare him with similar vocalists like Geoff Tate, Michael Kiske, and John Arch you will note that none of the others ever even attempted to sing in extreme styles, and for good reason. Likewise, along with Fates Warning, Nevermore didn’t really seem interested in putting a whole lot of hooks into their material, resulting in something that tends to frustrate the ears, especially those who are not into progressive styles.

The reason why I brought this up is because Assignment’s “Progressive Changes” represents everything positive that I sought from those bands. You have a vocalist that sounds remarkably similar to Warrel Dane during his Sanctuary years, ergo without all the pseudo-macho toneless shouts and out of tune half clean vocals. You’ve also got a song style fairly similar to Fates Warning’s “Perfect Symmetry”, but with a really strong emphasis on hard edged guitar riffs, discernible melodic content, and a balanced approach to technical display. Most of the stereotypical mixed meter sections, sudden turnarounds, and frequent lead fills that characterize Dream Theater’s music are mostly absent. The music itself is very much progressive and evolves very rapidly within each individual song, and the musicians do make time to display their talents, but all in a way that comes across quite accessible.

The only aspect of this album that might be lost on the average metal fan is the extremely deep and complex subjects that the songs delve into lyrically. In some respects you might say that the underlying themes of all these songs represent a realistic reinterpretation of several famous yet philosophical films/books such as 1984, Brave New World, and The Matrix. Certain songs like the war and patriotism critique “Act Of Resignation” and the more generalized anti-propaganda piece “Noisegate” tend to be a little easier to grab onto thematically, but most of the material on here remains in the realm of macro sociological discourse and thus will seek out an extremely savvy, thus limited audience similar to more musically technical acts in the progressive realm.

As far as specific songs go, the stylistic constancy of the band proves to make the bulk of these songs of equal size and quality. Some tend to exhibit a balance of jazz and rock influences such as the mid-tempo and heavily drum oriented “Crimson Poison” or the syncopated and atmospheric “When Words Have No Meaning”. Others like “Noisegate” and the title track display active keyboard lines and a slightly more technical flavor, but maintain a lot of the jazzy beats and harder edged riffs found throughout. But all of these solid songs take a back seat to the opening and closing songs. Most of the strongest riffs and heavier parts are found in them, as well as the most gripping atmospheric elements. The vocal interchanges between Markus Brand and the guest female singer, each seeming to advocate differing views regarding the state of society, are also a highlight of the album.

As far as progressive metal releases during the time this came out, this is almost as intricate, thought very different from Pagan's Mind’s sophomore effort “Celestial Entrance”. It doesn’t have quite the same level of commonality with “Images and Words” era-Dream Theater as the aforementioned album does, but the balance of catchy songwriting and technical display is very similar on here. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on in a genre that has had a fair share of specialization in sound, which tends to go away from the implied meaning of progressive. - Metal Archives

Oho, I got this masterpiece with one year delay. Better late than never because ASSIGNMENT from Westphalia are a true secret tip! Everybody, who digs on true US-Metal a la FATES WARNING, SCREAMER or LETHAL with a dash SOUL CAGES/JESTER’S MARCH, pay some attention. These guys know how to play and they know how to attract aforementioned genre fans.

The powerful voice of vocalist Markus Brand (also known from his works with GB ARTS) plays a big role in this operation. There are not that much German singers, who can compete with him. The other musicians are as well convincing. Please don’t take the term “Progressive” in the title not too serious as the band is (thank God) far away from being progressive: their aim is pure Metal and despite using keyboards and acoustic guitars, the band gets never into Prog Metal! They have little Prog parts but the songs are true, melodic Metal songs and no series of breaks... Maybe the first two songs could be better developed but with the third song, ASSIGNMENT got me!

Everything seems to fit perfectly, it’s technical impressing, it carries you along and it contains much class. With a better production and a capable record label behind them, there could be much improvement! So let’s wait and see! But the 10€ are worthwhile, get this CD via assignment@freenet.de (Online December 16, 2004) - The Metal Observer