I have been hearing music like this for the past few years. Not in abundance, but it reaches my ears every once in a while. Metal that is actively influenced by videos games, and in particular the video games of the 8 bit variety, brings back good memories. In this small sub genre of "video game metal" (self-proclaimed sub-genre of The Brotherhood of Ellipsis) it turns out the music is never intriguing enough listen to on a regular basis. It's possible the reason for this is that more times than not, it's an aimless kid playing with music software and attempting to re-create his favorite tunes from his ancient video games. Fortunately, this Sacramento based five piece musical crew nailed it. So, what sets The Brotherhood of Ellipsis apart from those frequent two song samplers we hear on band camp and think, "that's cool" and then thoroughly dismiss the following day?
Regrettably, after receiving the entire album of Legends Unfold and reading about the band on Facebook, I was extremely skeptical. From the goofy looking art, to the miniature bios where the band describes their "characters" that they place shamelessly on their cover. My doubts quickly dissipated as the opening song "And So It Begins…" commenced. Its epic sounding intro opens up the album admirably and delivers a clear prognosis of what's to come. The following track "Abduction" not only incorporates driving guitar segments, but throws in a quack or two from the Duck Hunt game. "Hot Pursuit" starts off with the Mario Kart beeping count down, but also has a melodic power that is rarely found even in so called "melodic bands". Do not think the incorporation of the videos games Duck Hunt and Mario Kart are gimmicky. One is rapidly lost in the meat of the song seconds after these occurrences, and they do not subtract from the seriousness of the song writing which is obviously very intentional and craftily performed.
"Clown Syndrome" and "Tower Struggle" are other highlights that will quickly grow on the listener. "Tower Struggle" incorporates a magnificent groove section at minute 3:00 and continues to 3:50. The bass is a major component throughout the album, which seems to be a growing trend with more experimental bands. This attribute is refreshing and the balance from all instruments is positive. The synth is fairly abundant, although is often shuffled to the side when the leading guitar segments present themselves.
The last song on the album "Legends Unfold" is an excellent closure. The high paced flow of the song, and the closing that starts at 3:45 and goes to the end of the album leaves a distinguishing impression of what was just related. The final chapter, the conclusion, is almost a separate song in itself which book ends the album perfectly with their opening track "And so It Begins…"
In the closing minutes my thoughts of composing this review was much less of a chore than what was initially perceived. The music is well composed, and solid for what it is. The music pulls from several influences, but remains "video game metal". By the end, the feeling is that of something more fun than anything. A journey that was successful, a boss that was defeated. It's not mind blowing talent, or ridiculous composition. It's an unwavering performance by a bunch of guys who are passionate about what they do. The new album is released on December 2nd. Check out their Facebook to learn about their characters and future online comic that incorporates them.
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