Deep Rising

Deep Rising
“Shards”

By Kate Donohue

Don’t be fooled by the sound of breaking glass in the title song, “Shards,” by rock band, Deep Rising. The second CD by these finalists in the 2004 Long Island Music Festival shows that the songwriting styles of Nick Kerzner and Glenn Burgos “have morphed into one.”

Their vocal harmonies, guitar and piano arrangements, and overall production on “Shards” will remind you of the ingenuity of the Beatles. But undercurrents of a mellow Alice in Chains mixed in with the sensitivity of Elliot Smith help keep the sound contemporary.

The lyrics of both Burgos and Kerzner focus on honesty, trust, love, betrayal, childhood, and growing up. They know that people want change even when others say “stay the same.” Artists thrive on it -- enter Deep Rising.

“Would You Even Listen” opens with acoustic guitars strummed easily. The bass line keeps the melody buoyant. Nary is a syllable wasted by Burgos as the lyrics are pruned perfectly to convey his meaning with clarity and impact.

“Should I tell the story or the fairy tale?
Do I let the glory or the truth prevail?”

Both “Sheep A-Go-Go” and “Unfamiliar” portray people who yearn for freedom but resist because they are afraid to change. In “Unfamiliar,” Burgos relates the tendency to play it safe even if it means being unhappy.

“To live in fear of what’s unfamiliar
You close your eyes so you can’t see … what can be.”

In “Kitesfly,” Kerzner demonstrates that we do not have to sacrifice the childlike qualities of hope and imagination upon the altar of adulthood.

“When I leave the weight behind
I feel the breeze and then I start to rise
And all the dreams they said would die
They form the wind on which I fly.”

Kerzner explores the idea in the song “Autumn” that when life or love reach their full ripeness, they are bound to die or fall from the vine. This in-between time, as the poet Emily Dickinson wrote about, has its own unique power imbued with pain and joy.

“No one can stop the violent cold
Today’s ashes feed tomorrow
Sometimes the twilight falls
Before you’ve taken in the day … in autumn.”

The songs on “Shards” are nicely embellished by Brian Green on bass and Scott Levy and Heath Cohen on drums, and Kristin Burgos, Christine Chiarelli, and Eric Hayden on group vocals. You can check out more about Deep Rising at HYPERLINK "http://www.deep-rising.com" www.deep-rising.com. - Aural Fix Magazine

DEEP RISING - "SHARDS" (What Else? Music, www.deep-rising.com)
Deep Rising are an American rock band consisting of Nick Kerzner (vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar), Glenn Burgos (electric and acoustic guitars, backing vocals), and Pete Smith (drums), plus they're currently auditioning bass players, so if you're interested go to their website or check out their MySpace page.

This album, Shards, the second by the band, was recorded a couple of years back with a slightly different line-up (Nick and Glenn, plus Brian Green on bass and backing vocals, and drums split between Scott Levy and Heath Cohen), but it never really got a proper release. In 2006 it's finally getting a real push, hence why I'm reviewing it here and now.

I find describing the musical style of Deep Rising to be relatively easy in the sense that their sound is a comfortable amalgamation of contemporary US rock (think grunge and alt. rock – the band cite Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, King's X, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, and Incubus as some of their influences) with more progressive rock stylings (again the band cite Peter Gabriel, early Rush and Led Zeppelin).

The band also admire strong, interesting vocalists and hence like to think of themselves as Peter Gabriel or Seal fronting Stone Temple Pilots or Alice In Chains. That's not really an accurate way to describe Deep Rising, though, as they are neither quite as grungey as STP or AIC, nor are the vocals particularly like those of Gabriel or Seal. That's not an insult, just an honest reflection.

The band straddle the grunge, classic rock and progressive boundaries, perhaps coming closest to sounding like a cross between the more recent sound of Incubus and the Echolyn spin-off group, Always Almost. The progressive edge to the band is fairly minimal, partly reflected in the length of the songs – amongst the 14 tracks on the CD there's nothing close to what you might call an epic. In fact, the longest track on the album is the closing number, "Liberty", and that's not even five minutes long.

What there is of a progressive edge comes more in the band's song arrangements, vocal harmonies, and choice of instruments, including occasional use of keyboards and programming. This so-so proggy edge to the band may not impress fans of out-and-out symphonic prog, RIO, etc. but for those people who like more mainstream rock with just a bit of complex edge to it (e.g. Kino, Spock's Beard, and the aforementioned Incubus and Always Almost), Deep Rising may just fit the bill nicely.

The album's 14 tracks are, perhaps not surprisingly, a little on the variable side, but there's a generally very high level of songwriting quality, with none of the tracks standing out as particularly weak or below-par.

The band offer some outright hard rockers (e.g., "The Big Stupid", "Unfamiliar", and "Eyes Closed"), but generally it's the more progressive and/or quieter numbers that appealed to me most. This is partly because Nick's vocals sometimes sound a bit strained on the harder rock tracks and seem generally much better suited to the other material, and partly because the rockier tracks just seem much more conventional and by-the-numbers.

This latter point is largely just a matter of taste – I usually prefer material that is more variable in terms of tempo, timbre, and mood, rather than more standard rock fare, but others may well adore the uptempo three-minute heavy numbers that appear sporadically on 'Shards'.

But I do genuinely believe that tracks like (but not limited to) "Shards", "Autumn", "Up To You", "Would You Even Listen?", "One For The Road" and "Liberty" are genuine examples of more mature, eclectic and interesting songwriting, helping to elevate the album beyond the average and the ordinary, while some of the shorter and rockier numbers can feel a bit like fillers in comparison.

Of the album's strongest tracks I particularly like "Shards", a great opener that offers some very impressive vocal harmonies, "Autumn", which has an especially fine guitar solo, the rousing "Up To You", the acoustic "Would You Even Listen?" which has some of the album's best lyrics, and "Liberty", an effective, anthemic closer to the album that combines many of the best elements of the Deep Rising sound.

Deep Rising are not going to win any major awards for their originality, but their ability to pen good tunes, and combine rocking riffs with soaring vocals and some interesting lyrics, should be more than enough to see them widely appreciated. Shards is not an absolute classic of an album but it is an impressive sophomore effort by an outfit with a lot of talent and even more potential.

Best tracks: "Shards", "Autumn", "Up To You", "Would You Even Listen?", "Liberty".
- Proggressive Ear

These two CD's from New York based Deep Rising will appeal to all lovers of melodic classic rock. Shards is the band's current release whilst the second CD is a collection of demo's which are scheduled for inclusion on their next album.

The band are certainly a cut above much of the usual AOR Americana which makes it's way across the pond and although their sound retains much of the melodic edge and slick production inherent in the genre, they also have a defined progressive rock edge which adds bite and inventiveness to the undoubted quality of the songs. Two fine pieces of work bristling with melodious creativity. - Steve Ward - Classic Rock Society

Shards is the new CD by local modern rock band Deep Rising. It's a full-length effort, and a strong one. There are 14 tracks, with something to offer most rock fans of the new millennium.

The sound is hard to describe. They can rock pretty heavy, but there's also some nice keyboard work and a concentration on melodic vocals.

There are a number of strong songs here, including the slow, pulsing title track; "Would You Even Listen?" which has a cool double-lead vocal, and a memorable chorus; a wistful mid-tempo number called "Autumn"; and an eerie song named "Kitesfly."

The CD is also smartly packaged - it has some excellent cover art and a complete set of lyrics. - Good Times Magazine

"In addition to Kerzner's strong vocals and wide range, he also possesses a likable stage presence. As the front person, he makes it a point of maintaining eye contact with the audience but not in a forced "Long Island Rock Star" way."

"Autumn" is the epitome of distortion pedal poetry. "Up To You" is the CD(Shards)'s ballad, which features resplendent falsetto vocals and unfaltering guitar work from Burgos and meticulous cymbal work from drummer Levy."

"...the band played a high-spirited solid set and is definitely worth catching live and picking up the CD." - Good Times Magazine

"Amidst a night of working a late night at Stony Brook, I happened to notice that the University Cafe had a few bands loading in gear. Hearing a band start it's set, I was coaxed and sat down in the cafe's gorgeous decor. I sat through a band's performance, named Deep Rising and was thoroughly impressed by their cohesive sound."

"Deep Rising is a LI band with a new, refreshing hard rock style. Their mix of EBM keyboards and eccentric chord movements to a sound not that far removed from modern bands such as Cursive makes DR an entertaining live band. The eyebrow-raising element of the band is clearly the Peter Gabriel-esque vocal gymnastics of the singer Nick Kerzner, instantly giving a floating quality to what would be already competent hard rock songs."

"...the group's sound is unique." - The Stony Brook Press

"This solid four-piece favored moody but radio-friendly rock, sometimes with unusual, evocative chords. Nick Kerzner...was best when he sang straight and let his emotions show. My pick for Fourth Place."

Note: Deep Rising placed 4th out of over 100 bands. - Newsday