mellotron_

When Tony Piccoli, leader of the band Mellotrön, told me that their goal is to melt the face off everyone in the crowd at their concert, I originally thought, yeah right, but then I put on the CD. After listening and having plans to go see them shortly, I thought it might be a good idea to check where the local burn unit is!

From the first moment when the massive guitar sound of this band hits you full force on the opening number "Driving Home", it becomes abundantly clear that you are in for a rock and roll hell ride! While the pounding of your skull is accomplished by their six string duo of Tony Piccoli and Scott Thompson, there is an undercurrent running through the song that is a bit of serenity amidst the rising storm. Pete Hopersberger and his keyboard playing keep your feet on the ground while your head is banging hard! This 9 minute plus opus is an opening song that takes you from massive metal moments to melodic sing-along chorus then builds to a dramatic finish that could very well leave permanent 3rd degree damage to your body parts! The different movements within the song are stunning examples of master musicians applying their craft. You, as the listener, are the one that gets the benefit though.

Tony told me that his favorite song off the disc is "With Death This Story Ends". It is hard to argue with him after giving it a try. Taking you from a slow churning piece, you are brutally smashed right between the eyes with a hellish metalcore scream section. These guys can be as fierce as anyone, yet they retain the musical ambience that makes them unique. I am reminded by another thing that Tony told me. He describes the band as Genesis if they went metal. That is a very apt description for the talents they showcase. Soaring guitar work with delicious keyboards layered throughout makes this a lush but still metal dazzler.

The other three songs on this debut disc are all just as lavish and rich with the instrumental "Swamp" leading the way with it's in your face guitar work. "Sick" follows with even more metal chaos. Then the guys take a little different path to end the disc. With a very jazz oriented intro, the band turns to the epic piece that is anything but what the title suggests. "Complacency" is as bold a statement by the band as any on the disc. Once again, the band takes you across so many genres of music in the span of about five and a half minutes, you are holding on for dear life by the time they build to the smashing climax.

This kind of music needs a very solid rhythm section. This band, with Bryan Paxton performing some amazing bass work and Pat Deleon keeping everyone on track with the diverse nature of the music on drums has everything under control.

Coming from one of the major markets in America, Mellotrön is poised to put Detroit on the progressive metal map. They have produced a work that will be sought after by anyone who really appreciates fine musical ability and great songwriting. While a trip to the burn center after one of their concerts might be a bit much, flame retardant suits upon entering just might not be a bad idea!
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Added: November 9th 2008
Reviewer: Scott Ward
Score: 4 stars
http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=6980 - Sea of Tranquility

Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider (MI)

Mellotrön headlines Concert for a Cause on May 29
Show proceeds will benefit Sabrina Black Foundation
MARIA ALLARD C & G Staff Writer
Published: May 28, 2008

If you were going to create your own progressive metal rock band, you'd make sure you found musicians that were skilled, polished, talented and dedicated. Catchy hooks, memorable melodies and an entertaining live show that impressed its audience would be a bonus.

And if the musicians got along with each other without any band drama, then you'd be all set.

That must have been what band manager John Kotzian was contemplating when he put five seasoned musicians together to form the band Mellotrön.

Together for just one year, Mellotrön has carved a bass-induced, guitar-laden niche in the metro Detroit music scene. Fans can check it all out when the band headlines the Concert for a Cause event May 29 at the Emerald Theatre, 31 N. Walnut, in downtown Mount Clemens.

Show proceeds will benefit the Sabrina Black Foundation. The foundation was established in 2006 in memory of Sabrina Black, who passed away after fighting Hodgkin's disease for six years.

The foundation raises money to help pay for cancer patients' hospital bills.

Black, who was married to Steve Black of WRIF, was a regular at the local clubs.

"She was really into metal and hard rock," Mellotrön drummer and Sterling Heights resident Pat De Leon recalled. "I used to see her at all the concerts. I remember her always being happy. She always had a smile. She was always really cool."

Which is why Mellotrön will rock out in her memory. Tickets are $10 each at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m. Silent Lapse, from Lansing, takes the stage at 8 p.m., followed by local rockers Tiles at 9 p.m., with Mellotrön at 10 p.m.

Steve Black will emcee the show, and door prizes will be available.

Earplugs are optional.

During rehearsal last week in Ferndale, Mellotrön reflected on the band's first year together.

Sprawled out on worn couches and drinking Mountain Dew, the band members - who knew each other long before Mellotrön formed - agree their sound is very ambitious.

"We are a wall of energy coming at you," described Bryan Paxton, a Dearborn Heights resident who gives the band its heavy bass lines and background vocals. "We are so focused on stage."

The band has progressed more than anticipated, and the music, written by guitarist and lead vocalist Tony Piccoli of Westland, is considered complex by the very musicians who play it.

"Right now, we're playing stuff I wrote," Piccoli said. "The sound is dense, heavy and though-provoking."

"You have to pay attention to the songs. There's a lot going on," Paxton said.

The band hits the stage with a collection of slow heavy songs, acoustic bits, four-part harmonies, screaming vocals and a bit of growling. The band pretty much covers every aspect of metal.

"It's ridiculously heavy," De Leon said. "If you listen to a lot of Dream Theater and listen to their heaviest stuff, that's what our stuff sounds like."

"I think what sets us apart is every song has a hook," piped in guitarist and backup vocalist Scott Thompson of St. Clair Shores. "It has to be catchy. People want to hear melodies that are stuck in their head."

"The hooks, I think that is the main reason we all agreed to do this," said keyboardist and background singer Pete Hopersberger of Clinton Township.

Mellotrön has performed throughout the area, including gigs at I-Rock, the Ritz, the Token Lounge, TNT's and the annual Toxic Bash in St. Clair Shores.

Mellotrön were all introduced to music as kids.

"My mom was really into music," said DeLeon, raised on Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Rush and Ted Nugent albums.

"I got into Rush," he said. "I saw (Neil Peart's) drum set and I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. And then KISS came along."

Speaking of KISS, Thompson admitted he wanted to be Ace Frehley. His dad owned a music store and taught Thompson his very first Rush guitar riffs.

For information on Mello trön, log onto www.mellotronmetal.com.

Tiles can be checked out at www.tiles-music.com. For more information on Silent Lapse, visit www.myspace.com/ silent lapse.

You can reach Staff Writer Maria Allard at allard@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1045. - Roseville-Eastpointe Eastsider (MI

When most people thing of progressive metal they thing of two bands, Dream Theater and Fates Warning. But in the post-prog metal boom beyond records such as Images and Words or Parallels, which brought the two bands commercial success in the commercial vein, the music has gone under the radar in the mainstream world to be replaced by the hard sounds of everyone from Slipknot to Nickelback – yet that does not mean the sound of what is known as thinking man's metal has fizzled out completely in the first place, as we all know.

Led by Tony Piccoli and hailing from Detroit come Mellotron, a Motor City supergroup comprised of members from Tiles (Inside Out Records mainstay) as well as many other area musicians who have purveyed the rock/metal answer to the Motown sound have now unleashed their first offering. In 2007 they released their demo The Umlaut Doth Spake; an introduction that proved that these guys weren't out to be the next Dream Theater, Marillion or Flower Kings – simply because they didn't want to be.

Five tracks encompass And Go, with being extended, clocking in at nearly nine minutes, long, but not too long like dinosaur oriented concept pieces. The music drives with the heaviness of Audioslave and Seether - a modern metal feel is present with all the overtones of technical metal here and there (keyboards, odd time signatures, etc…), even lyrically, the themes are more down to earth.

"Driving Home" opens the record on a belligerent note, mixing the sophisticated with the hostile – keeping everything melodic; but it is with "Sick" where all hell breaks loose in the hostility department, all for over eight minutes. Rounding out the rest of the record, "With Death" sounds as if it were homage to the 80's hair band's days with harmonies executed in anthemic fashion, "Complacency" is a highly relevant to what is known as neo prog, emotional, skillful, and keeping the focus on the song, while "Swamp" is the token instrumental for the record offering interplay between the guitar and keyboards.

There are a lot of shred worthy solos and all other elements that would put this in it's pace with progressive metal – but it goes beyond that, whereas And Go is not as harsh sounding as many of those releases with long drawn out solos, multiple solos, and storytelling about oddball ideology – the focus is on the melody instead of an egotistical musicianship mentality, as Mellotron understand the importance of it all –The Songs. Vocally, Piccoli doesn't sound as brash as most progressive metal/rock vocalist do, he pertains more to the indie/college rock meets aggressive style rather than trying to sing out some wild falsetto or be a Gabriel/Collins clone, making And Go much more accessible beyond the prog realm.

Certainly helping the genre move away from the dinosaur rock stereotype, Mellotron are an entity unto their own in the world of what is known as thinking man's metal, and the good thing is, there isn't too much thinking when it comes to the melodic approach that these guys purvey.

Tommy Hash, Ytsejam.com - Ytsejam.com - Tommy Hash

Mellotron is a fledgling Prog Metal band from Michigan. This, their debut EP, is loaded with some accomplished musicianship, tight changes, nice ambience and good variation. Don’t let the EP tag fool you, these 5 songs clock in at right around 35 minutes. With songs ranging from just over 5 to just over 9 minutes, there is a lot to soak in. Is it worth the half hour you have to invest?

Well, in short order, I’d say yeah. But, if I stopped there I would not be doing my job as a reviewer, now would I? This is a good band with lots to offer musically. I hear hints of Pantera, Tool, Dream Theater and even lesser known bands like Dali’s Dilemma and Digital Ruin. The guitars are huge and the solos are quite good. The band is not afraid of going from a crushing riff to a harmonized bridge to an acoustic passage…they also do it well. The vocal arrangements are very good, but (and you knew a “but” was coming) the vocal performances are a little bland. They range from clean melodic passages, sometimes harmonized, to full on Killswitch Engage-like screams (occasionally). They’re in key, and the melodies are good, but the singer could stand to “get up under it”, as I like to say, a little more.

Again, this is a nice slice of Prog Metal from a band that promises to do nothing but get better as they go. Anyone into this style will no doubt find lots to latch onto. So, back to my original question; is it worth your hard earned money and 35 minutes of your time? Yes…yes, it is.

Written by Shawn Pelata
March 6th, 2009

http://teethofthedivine.com/site/reviews/mellotron-and-go-ep/ - Teeth of the Devine