(progressive power metal) Lethal - Poison Seed - 1996, FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Poison Seed is a slick, well written, well performed album that shows a surprisingly diverse range of sounds. In general, average prog-metal songs tend to be either fast grooves with time changes intentionally placed where you won't expect them, or "ballads" that mainly serve to showcase the band's keyboardist. But Lethal takes the high road, and writes songs that stand on their own.

The album starts off with "Down", a funky, memorable song that is a perfect slice of what the band is like. There is a tendency in this style of music to overdo the jerky, choppy starts and stops that make a piece seem "syncopated", but Lethal avoids this temptation and keeps the songs flowing smoothly. Also very memorable is "Born", a beautiful slower piece that deserves some radio time.

As I have said before, progressive metal is still in its infancy, and many such bands are working out their salvation with fear and trembling. Lethal is here to stay, if this album is any indication, and I can't wait to hear their next.

Sea Of Tranquility

Tom Mallicoat - vocals
Eric Cook - guitars
David McElfresh - guitars
Glen Cook - bass
Jerry Hartman - drums and percussion