Engine of Earth
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Engine of Earth

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"Progressive Rock CD Reviews"

This trio represents the next generation of progressive rock. They borrow only from the masters of each epoch. Their leader, Dan Alexander, is a cross between Keith Emerson, Neal Morse, and Steve Katsikas. Therefore, Alexander plays the keyboards as he sings. I’m not sure how he could do this without a head-mike. So some kudos need to go to the manufacturers of this neat widget.

To provide some history, I saw them play live at the Milwaukee Area Rock Showcase – That would be MARSfest for short. They played among others who were technically astute such as the band members of Dimension X, Far Corner, and Karcius. Yet, these 18 [actually 20 at the time] year-olds stole the show and were the talk of that cramped locality for an entire day. There is no guitar. This doesn’t matter as Casey Nieznanski’s howling bass and Mike Kennedy’s sleight-of-hand on the drums do everything in their power to make you forget about it as quickly as a farfignewton commercial. In their only release to date, they give us these three intelligent and loquacious songs.

Last I spoke to them, they wanted to find a label that would help them go pro. To contact them for a copy, hear a sample or sign them, go to their myspace site.


Track by Track Review

Host of the Fallen

This is catchy, creative, and original. The keyboards are full-on in your face whereas the lyrics are syrupy sweet. If this doesn’t say prog to you, I don’t know what will ever convince you that today’s youngins are still being influenced by yesterday’s legends. On the flip side, these guys certainly put their own twist on the niche genre. Even so, they are quick to reference those who have fallen at the claws of dragons so you know they are authentic.




The Gates
This is more Goth in nature. After the bells toll, there is a creepy buildup. Aspects of this sound like early Flower Kings; possibly “Judas Kiss.” Beethoven and Mozart would be proud of their direction in the bridge. They skillfully and seamlessly urge this classical interlude towards a prominent outro with words.

City of Iron
Engine of Earth continue to keep this fresh. While incorporating styles and tricks that made the first two songs work, they speed up the verses. In a way, this is Alvin and the Chipmunks on crack, and it’s an interesting technique to implore in their final mantra. Hopefully, this is not the last we hear of them.
- Music Street Journal


"Progressive Rock CD Reviews"

This trio represents the next generation of progressive rock. They borrow only from the masters of each epoch. Their leader, Dan Alexander, is a cross between Keith Emerson, Neal Morse, and Steve Katsikas. Therefore, Alexander plays the keyboards as he sings. I’m not sure how he could do this without a head-mike. So some kudos need to go to the manufacturers of this neat widget.

To provide some history, I saw them play live at the Milwaukee Area Rock Showcase – That would be MARSfest for short. They played among others who were technically astute such as the band members of Dimension X, Far Corner, and Karcius. Yet, these 18 [actually 20 at the time] year-olds stole the show and were the talk of that cramped locality for an entire day. There is no guitar. This doesn’t matter as Casey Nieznanski’s howling bass and Mike Kennedy’s sleight-of-hand on the drums do everything in their power to make you forget about it as quickly as a farfignewton commercial. In their only release to date, they give us these three intelligent and loquacious songs.

Last I spoke to them, they wanted to find a label that would help them go pro. To contact them for a copy, hear a sample or sign them, go to their myspace site.


Track by Track Review

Host of the Fallen

This is catchy, creative, and original. The keyboards are full-on in your face whereas the lyrics are syrupy sweet. If this doesn’t say prog to you, I don’t know what will ever convince you that today’s youngins are still being influenced by yesterday’s legends. On the flip side, these guys certainly put their own twist on the niche genre. Even so, they are quick to reference those who have fallen at the claws of dragons so you know they are authentic.




The Gates
This is more Goth in nature. After the bells toll, there is a creepy buildup. Aspects of this sound like early Flower Kings; possibly “Judas Kiss.” Beethoven and Mozart would be proud of their direction in the bridge. They skillfully and seamlessly urge this classical interlude towards a prominent outro with words.

City of Iron
Engine of Earth continue to keep this fresh. While incorporating styles and tricks that made the first two songs work, they speed up the verses. In a way, this is Alvin and the Chipmunks on crack, and it’s an interesting technique to implore in their final mantra. Hopefully, this is not the last we hear of them.
- Music Street Journal


"The First Man on M.A.R.S."

Engine of Earth 1 – 1:40 PM (Scheduled for 12:05 – 12:50 PM)

The biggest surprise was a trio that consisted of 3 twenty year olds. One of them was pretty much Keith Emerson reincarnated. Yes, I know he is still around, but in some cultures, the vessel precedes the spirit, and this guy had Emerson written all over him. The resemblance was more than uncanny; it was scary. This boy wonder was Dan Alexander, and he attempted the vocals of Greg Lake as well. While it was similar in its stylistic sorrow, it wasn’t perfect. The other two, Casey Nieznanski on bass and Mike Kennedy on drums, sang on occasion. Combined, all three would be decent backup singers, but in general, they couldn’t hold a note and would have greatly benefited from an additional person whose sole purpose was to lend his or her own voice.

Like secondary precious gems on a diamond ring, a vocalist would be a valuable asset to the package. The irony to this is that I went to confirm what I heard and Alexander quickly listed Emerson, Lake, and Palmer as his heroes. He was flabbergasted by the fact that I have chatted with Palmer in the past. While he presented Pink Floyd as another favorite, he stressed this was to be considered a distant runner-up. In ever sense, he was literally gaga for ELP, which included their flamboyant and conceptual epics.

The longest song consisted of a hero named Dante in some sort of debate or battle with an articulate giant. It was hard to make out the story from all the hooting and hollering. From what I could tell it was a contest of deliberation and existence. This play-on-words could have been construed as a chapter out of Shakespeare.

By the way, I tried to narrow down the meaning to their name and the closest I came was that it had something to do with perpetual motion and the metaphysical.

That aside, these were very uniquely-talented individuals. The keyboard/singer controlled multiple organs at once, and did so chanting into a head-strapped microphone. With only three members, they had to remain awfully busy to fill in the space.

Beforehand, the bassist was seen hanging around the foyer. When I said hello, he was pensive and silent. I thought he was your average withdrawn guy; not a musician. Looking back, it appeared as if he had butterflies in his stomach. On stage, he was Mr. Cool all the way, so I considered that he might have been arrogant or standoffish. Afterwards, he made it a point to talk with me. He was shy then, and it was obvious he embodied different avatars for each of his roles.

As for their equipment, they had a vintage organ with a spine that was stripped and exposed. This cannibalized instrument complimented the framework of their music.

Aside from ELP, it was impossible for me to pinpoint their other influences. Richard Kolp (who runs the jazz fusion site, RichardKolp.com) described them as Niacin with a voice.

In regards to specific songs, I enjoyed, “City of Fire”. It would have been appropriate shoes for Godzilla to strut around in.

They offered their disc for $3. While it was well worth it, talk about starving artists who will do anything for a buck. With this crowd, it would have sold for four times that amount.

Furthermore, the singing improved in the second song whereas the drummer hit each tom tom and skin within every ten second timeframe. At one point, he dropped a stick, but in a blink of the eye, he recovered.

It was obvious these guys have received plenty of training. This was corroborated when they went into an all-out classical interlude. During this time, they were nonchalant about this abrupt exchange.

Moving forward, “Theory of Road” was Spock’s Beard done punk. The bands of the day proved to be diverse and Engines of Earth left the streak unbroken. This ditty was pleasant to hear, but extremely difficult to play. Regardless, they pulled it off.

I recently saw the latest installment to Spiderman and I couldn’t help thinking at this time that the bassist, Nieznanski, was a scruffy Tobey McGuire. While he wasn’t quite Venom, I could see him as Flea in the way he plucked the bass.

This early on in the show, I yawned because I was tired, but not because they tired me.

On the whole, the vocals were the weakest part. This was blatantly bad due to their advanced abilities on their instruments. Aside from singing, the rest of what they were able to do was extraordinary. For that reason, they should think about concentrating on their strengths if they want to succeed.

This makes me remember advice that routinely came from Piers Morgan of America’s Got Talent. You need to capitalize on your abilities and trash your flaws. Sometimes it’s an aspiration or a person who goes by the wayside. It’s mean, but it’s true. In a business where the crème de la crème is not enough, you have to be better. They were very young for being so polished. I would hate to see their opportunities go to waste.

Nieznanski was the speaker for the band, - U.S.A Progressive Music


"The First Man on M.A.R.S."

Engine of Earth 1 – 1:40 PM (Scheduled for 12:05 – 12:50 PM)

The biggest surprise was a trio that consisted of 3 twenty year olds. One of them was pretty much Keith Emerson reincarnated. Yes, I know he is still around, but in some cultures, the vessel precedes the spirit, and this guy had Emerson written all over him. The resemblance was more than uncanny; it was scary. This boy wonder was Dan Alexander, and he attempted the vocals of Greg Lake as well. While it was similar in its stylistic sorrow, it wasn’t perfect. The other two, Casey Nieznanski on bass and Mike Kennedy on drums, sang on occasion. Combined, all three would be decent backup singers, but in general, they couldn’t hold a note and would have greatly benefited from an additional person whose sole purpose was to lend his or her own voice.

Like secondary precious gems on a diamond ring, a vocalist would be a valuable asset to the package. The irony to this is that I went to confirm what I heard and Alexander quickly listed Emerson, Lake, and Palmer as his heroes. He was flabbergasted by the fact that I have chatted with Palmer in the past. While he presented Pink Floyd as another favorite, he stressed this was to be considered a distant runner-up. In ever sense, he was literally gaga for ELP, which included their flamboyant and conceptual epics.

The longest song consisted of a hero named Dante in some sort of debate or battle with an articulate giant. It was hard to make out the story from all the hooting and hollering. From what I could tell it was a contest of deliberation and existence. This play-on-words could have been construed as a chapter out of Shakespeare.

By the way, I tried to narrow down the meaning to their name and the closest I came was that it had something to do with perpetual motion and the metaphysical.

That aside, these were very uniquely-talented individuals. The keyboard/singer controlled multiple organs at once, and did so chanting into a head-strapped microphone. With only three members, they had to remain awfully busy to fill in the space.

Beforehand, the bassist was seen hanging around the foyer. When I said hello, he was pensive and silent. I thought he was your average withdrawn guy; not a musician. Looking back, it appeared as if he had butterflies in his stomach. On stage, he was Mr. Cool all the way, so I considered that he might have been arrogant or standoffish. Afterwards, he made it a point to talk with me. He was shy then, and it was obvious he embodied different avatars for each of his roles.

As for their equipment, they had a vintage organ with a spine that was stripped and exposed. This cannibalized instrument complimented the framework of their music.

Aside from ELP, it was impossible for me to pinpoint their other influences. Richard Kolp (who runs the jazz fusion site, RichardKolp.com) described them as Niacin with a voice.

In regards to specific songs, I enjoyed, “City of Fire”. It would have been appropriate shoes for Godzilla to strut around in.

They offered their disc for $3. While it was well worth it, talk about starving artists who will do anything for a buck. With this crowd, it would have sold for four times that amount.

Furthermore, the singing improved in the second song whereas the drummer hit each tom tom and skin within every ten second timeframe. At one point, he dropped a stick, but in a blink of the eye, he recovered.

It was obvious these guys have received plenty of training. This was corroborated when they went into an all-out classical interlude. During this time, they were nonchalant about this abrupt exchange.

Moving forward, “Theory of Road” was Spock’s Beard done punk. The bands of the day proved to be diverse and Engines of Earth left the streak unbroken. This ditty was pleasant to hear, but extremely difficult to play. Regardless, they pulled it off.

I recently saw the latest installment to Spiderman and I couldn’t help thinking at this time that the bassist, Nieznanski, was a scruffy Tobey McGuire. While he wasn’t quite Venom, I could see him as Flea in the way he plucked the bass.

This early on in the show, I yawned because I was tired, but not because they tired me.

On the whole, the vocals were the weakest part. This was blatantly bad due to their advanced abilities on their instruments. Aside from singing, the rest of what they were able to do was extraordinary. For that reason, they should think about concentrating on their strengths if they want to succeed.

This makes me remember advice that routinely came from Piers Morgan of America’s Got Talent. You need to capitalize on your abilities and trash your flaws. Sometimes it’s an aspiration or a person who goes by the wayside. It’s mean, but it’s true. In a business where the crème de la crème is not enough, you have to be better. They were very young for being so polished. I would hate to see their opportunities go to waste.

Nieznanski was the speaker for the band, - U.S.A Progressive Music


Discography

Engine of Earth - Excerpts from Inferno

1. Host of the Fallen
2. The Gates
3. City of Iron

Photos

Bio

Since Engine of Earth's lead instrument is a Hammond organ instead of a guitar, we produce a sound unique for rock. The Hammond combined with the prominent role of the bass guitar and the unorthodox drum rhythms allow the mere three-piece band to have a full and often orchestral sound. Although the genre we fit it best is progressive rock, we eschew the so commonly associated bombast and unnecessary quirkiness in favor of straight rock themes that stand out.

During the summer of 2008 – nearly two years after our current demo – Engine of Earth will begin the recording process of their first album tentatively entitled “Project Inferno.” Currently, we are assembling our own studio and rewriting parts of songs while bassist Casey Nieznanski is in California for school. Upon his arrival, Engine of Earth plans on immediate recording while performing numerous shows in order to promote their upcoming album.

The concept behind our first album is derived from Dante’s Inferno. Through our music, Engine of Earth takes the listener to the very Gates of Hell, across the river Styx, into the great City of Iron, and finally to face the very Enemy from Heaven himself. Each song on “Project Inferno” is written with a different style in mind to provide the listener with a diverse array of music, and to prevent monotony. Giants Gallery, for example, will feature a thundering ‘Rock-March’ with live strings and choirs while Back of the Beast will feature Dan Alexander with a dizzying lines of 16th notes backed by Mike Kennedy’s metal-like drumming. Once complete, “Project Inferno” will be a treat to any music lover’s ear.