Easy Mo Bee

With the resurgence of progressive rock bands making the complex sound easy and the poetic and beautiful seem natural, it is inevitable that the clones will follow. Many think that they can do it as well (or even better) than bands like Tool, and Earshot is one of these clones, albeit one of the better ones. Wil Martin is vocally robbing Maynard James Keenan with each slight sucking in of breath (no better example than "Get Away"), while the lyrics of the songs are emotive but fall short of the painfully beautiful. The diverse upbringing of the band members - coming from France, Austria and the Midwestern U.S. - adds an international consciousness to their songs, but the repetitive stereo guitar riffs of Mike Callahan and Scott Kohler don't make up for the missing bass beat. Not to mention drummer Dieter Hartmann, who is lost on his own.