Torman Maxt - The Foolishness of God (2001)
This is a great progressive art-rock cd. Torman Maxt has been around a while having released a cd titled "Just Talking About the Universe... So Far" a few years back. This time around I think the band has a strong chance at making a name for themselves in the Christian metal scene. The new album is stronger in every way. Musically this cd can't be directly compared to anyone I have ever heard before. There are many evidences of prog-rock and metal giants such as Shadow Gallery, Zebra and Kansas but Torman Maxt has a distinct flavor all their own. The guitars are crisp and brilliant with lead work that compliments the songs. The guitars are mostly rock based (ala Rush) but at times take on an aggressive metal edge. The overall structure of the music makes this sound more like a metal album than a rock album, if that makes any sense. At times the music can take on a "70's" vibe. My wife was sitting listening to this with me and said that at one point in the song "The Stage" it reminded her of The Who's "Tommy"! The vocals vary from mid-range to higher pitched, bringing on a tone remnicent of Geddy Lee from Rush. Now, in my opinion this is a good thing to be compared to bands like The Who, Shadow Gallery and Rush as all those bands were innovators and their music will be long remembered after they are gone. And I believe the same can now be said for Torman Maxt. The lyrics are incredible! Deep and passionate showing a heart for God. The are presented in a "concept" format showing the struggle man faces from denial and vanity to realizing the truth (foolishness) of God. Although I wish this would have had a bit more of a metal sound (ala Dream Theater "Awake") it is overall a great disc and I highly recommend it to all prog fans. -- Review by Norm