Review Summary: Lucid Planet is an ambitious and talented band, and this album embodies that passion and ambition. The band takes a lot of cues from progressive rock bands like Tool and Rush, but also adds their own unique take on the genre, using complex song structures
Since I was eleven years old, I've been a fan of progressive rock, especially the works of Tool, Rush, Pink Floyd, and Fates Warning. However, I've felt that modern progressive rock artists are not really progressing rock at all; so when I hear that there's a band that sounds like "Tool and Closure In Moscow put together," from a friend, I give it a listen.
Lucid Planet will immediately draw comparisons to Tool in more ways than one, but I honestly don't see them as a clone like many others do. As far as artistic direction, absolutely, but there are clear differences that can be spotted by careful ears. This album is a good listen, and definitely an album that is diverse and complex. Would I say innovative? Not really.
The instrumentation isn't overly complex like Tool, but it is layered and dreamy, and it can even be heavy at times. The vocals are reminiscent of Tool and System of A Down. I believe that the overall sound is very similar to Fates Warning and Porcupine Tree. The musicians are certainly talented and have insane ambition.
That being said, I like the album. It's good. Progressive rock fans will definitely like this album, and I believe it has crossover appeal to alternative rock fans. There are a few flaws in the album, but it sounds good and I believe that the band is very ambitious and talented. The flaws can all be summed up as the album was rushed and the songs needed more time to be written. It's hard in our day and age to have a good progressive rock album, since consumers want content to be consistently released, but if these guys take their time, they'll make some amazing content in the future.
Favorite track: Requiem
Least favorite track: Grey Feet
