TREASON — Code of Silence
(Waterstreet, 2001)
Country of Origin: USA
Format: CD
Catalogue #
Time: 49:26
Info: www.treason.net
Tracklist: Last Stand (4:09), Cycles (5:49), Supercool (3:40), Spinning (4:26), State Of Grace (3:53), Deff Bendir (3:48), Kali Ma (4:20), Holy Water (4:22), Visual (4:24), Cold Tears (6:06), Lethal (bonus track) (4:32)
I hadn't heard of Treason before, but this album rocks. Treason came together in 1996 when keyboard player Ted Stockwell formed the band out
of an original based studio project. Bass player Jim Dixon joined Ted after already playing together in several bands, followed by Karl Haug (guitars)
and Pete Stern (drums & percussion). Recently Jason Saunders was recruited as their new singer, who in several songs reminds me of Ritual singer Patrik Lindstrom.
The Seattle based band has contacts in the music industry. On their first production, simply called Treason, they were accompanied by Alan White, Billy Sherwood
and Igor Khoroshev from Yes. This new album contains contributions of bass player John Giblin (Phil Collins, Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel and Simple Minds to mention some)
and singer Ann Wilson of Heart. Lyrically they collaborate with Sue Ennis, also known for her work with Heart. Ron St. Germain mixed and contributed additional production
to the CD. In the past Ron worked with bands like Soundgarden, U2, Creed, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Living Color.
The sound of Treason combines the Seattle grunge scene (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden) with hard rock and progressive metal (Voxen, King's X,
Queensryche and Dream Theater) and additional features of progressive rock (Spock's Beard and World Trade). Overall based on a very American vein, although
the musical direction contains the spontanity and the power of the first Ritual release, very recognizable in a track like Kali Ma.
The result of the above is very powerful album, featuring eleven tracks, which likes to bring the listener in a state of amazement. It blasts off with the powerful
and very energetic track Last Stand. Layers of keyboards are combined with the great guitar contributions of Karl Haug. Already in the second track the gas is
pulled back with the ballad Cycles, a beautiful piano and acoustic guitar dominated song, with King's X similarities in the vocal parts of Jason Saunders and strong
hammond additions in the chorusses. It carries the strenght of a good Queensryche release, during their highlighted years in the late eighties early nineties. After
an Arabic alike outtro the song runs into the pumping Supercool, which leads straight into the second ballad on the album Spinning, that opens with very atmospheric
keyboards in an almost Tangerine Dream alike vein.
Other strong songs, which come straight to the surface by first listening, are the duet with Ann Wilson in the Whitesnake alike Cold Tears, the atmospheric Visual
and the guitar dominated Holy Water, which probably is the best track on the album. Also the Arabic orientated instrumental Deff Bendir needs to be mentioned.
Strange enough this band doesn't need the name dropping at all. Their music is mature enough to stand on it's own. I've got the feeling this band rocks on stage
and has potention to grow on future releases. This album grows on you the more you're willing to give it a listen.
Conclusion: 8 out of 10.
Wilco Barg
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Progressive Rock Newsletter (Germany)
TREASON — Spinning
(Waterstreet, 2001)
You can get as crazy as Professor Vorabexemplare and seem terribly self important when you have the dubious pleasure of getting CDs weeks or even months before
the general public. You can also go crazy if a new CD has a note attached to it saying that this album will be renamed, the artwork will changed and some songs added
and some removed. One such song omitted completely is Mephisto which features guest musicians Alan White, Billy Sherwood and Igor Khoroshev - half of Yes - because
apparently that offering didn't make the cut. Hey, why not go the extra step and press the music backwards and add a Turkish prison choir from Surinam or Bahrain in the final pressing?
All right, enough whining. Treason follows up it's self-titled 1997 debut with Spinning (pre-release title Code of Silence, which it is still called, but enough of that already).
On their debut they had Alan White and Billy Sherwood of Yes guesting - this time guest musicians John Giblin (among other things Phil Collins, Simple Minds, Kate Bush) and especially
Ann Wilson (Heart - and still a great voice after all these years) give this album a high profile.
Stylistically, Treason moves easily between hard rock, AOR and progressive music. It's a typically American production: fat sound, professional arrangements, great
voices - hard rock, which hits you in the gut and knocks you out. The speed of the album is mid tempoed, however tempos are pushed slower in the urgent ballad Cold Tears
(with Ann Wilson), and toyed with in the unusual instrumental Deff Bendir.
A hard-edged, mainstream album, rich with good ideas, though not exactly progressive. Overall, wonderfully interesting straight ahead rock. KS
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Flash Magazine
(Italy)
