What is it that makes bands like Tool, Elder and All Them Witches stand out from the crowd when that crowd is made up of very adept bands full of equally adept and skilled musicians? The answer is risk! The bands mentioned at the top of this page possess a fearlessness that sets them apart from the following herd simply because they are willing to experiment, to take chances and steer their music down unexpected avenues that may take them down cul-de-sac's but could equally open up whole new musical horizons.
Chicago's REZN are not quite yet in the same league as those bands mentioned above but the quartet of Rob McWilliams (guitar/vocals/oud); Phil Cangelosi (bass/vocals/bağlama/rainstick); Patrick Dunn (drums /percussion/ sitar) and Spencer Ouellette (synthesizer /saxophone/flute/percussion) are certainly heading in the right direction if the bands latest album "Chaotic Divine" is anything to go by.
Opening song, "Emerging", does exactly that ...it emerges out of a combination of North African/Middle-Eastern acoustic instrumentation then morphs into a grinding low slow and heavy doomic groove replete with swathes of dark reverberating guitar and bass refrains that are driven by ponderous thundering percussion and decorated with soaring clean vocal harmonies. We spoke earlier of REZN being one of those band willing to take risks and so it comes as no surprise that around the songs three quarter mark the band suddenly jettison the doom and head into quieter, tranquil waters to take things to the close, those waters laced with a hazy lysergic dynamic. A ringing, heavily echoed, guitar motif introduces next track "Waves of Sand" a heady psychedelic workout with a strong eastern feel beautifully enhanced by swirling synthesizers and free flowing saxophone. For next track "Garden Green" REZN look to the Caribbean for their inspiration the band jamming a rootsy groove that is more dub than it is doom and boasts an absolutely delightful sax solo. REZN partially revive the doom for next track "The Door Opens" an atmospheric tome that sees the vocals taking on a more grizzled dynamic over dark resonating guitar textures, huge growling bass lines and pummeling drum patterns, however this being REZN it is not long before the band fall into a hazy laid back and languid groove for the songs mid-section before just as suddenly redialing in the doom for the songs finale. The rest of the album is just as eclectic, ambient instrumentals ("Clear I" and Clear II"), hazy psychedelic doom workouts with undulating dynamics ("Optic Echo", "Inner Architecture", "The Still Center"), full on frenetic fuzzed out stoner metal ("Scarab") and Floydian experimentation ("Mother/Forever Time"), each song a departure from the previous one and each a mesmerizing mixture of shifting dynamics enhanced by an interesting blend of traditional and modern instrumentation.
As we said at the start of this review taking risks and daring to step off the the well trodden path is what sets the "great" bands apart from the just "good" bands and in Desert Psychlist's humble opinion REZN, with "Chaotic Divine", have more than cemented their place in the former category.
Check 'em out ....
5/10
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