Originally forming in Caracas, Venezuela in the wake of family tragedy, Los Angeles based prog rock band Sifting have been enjoying a fair amount of success in the lead up to their latest release and first album for Eclipse Records titled “Not From Here”. While dubbed as a progressive rock album, there’s a strong combination of modern groove and classic rock which runs through most of the tracks on offer which creates a unique and interesting sound for themselves.
Recorded and produced by award-winning producers Ryan Williams (Velvet Revolver, Pearl Jam, Rage Against The Machine), and Steve Evetts (Suicide Silence, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Sense’s Fail) has allowed the band to create a very streamlined sound that works both on the progressive and straight edge rock styles on the album. A cinematic intro leads the charge before the first couple of tracks, the melodic rocker “Alone” and the subdued proggy “Blowing Fire” introduce the album and give some sense of what the band are sonically about.
The first half of the title track meanders along before heading into an energetic and uptempo passage, tight riffing really giving some much needed muscle in an otherwise stock standard affair. The classic ballad sounding track “Blurry Paintings” brings some dynamics into the tracklist as does the melodic rocker “Nothing But Us” but sifting save some of the best in the latter part of the album.
“Things Change” sees some female vocals incorporated into the intro before making way for some groove tempo parts with a subtle prog touch. The instrumental “Epsilon” has to be a highlight of the album with it’s Symphony X inspired dazzling array of frenetic guitar work and even more dazzling displays of drum patterns. It does settle down midway with some atmospheric mellowness but comes straight back up with brilliance.
“Gloom” ends things with a bit of a Dream Theater-ish feel, it’s softer classic rock sound much more vocal oriented than most of what the album has to offer which is a bit of a let down of you are looking for more guitar oriented stuff. But overall “Not From Here” is a dynamically sound effort even with a few misses spotted here and there, it flows up and down to give that prog feel but ultimately remains a more modernised rock album that should give the listener enough to remain interested.
TRACKLIST
Agents of Chaos
Alone
Blowing Fire
Not from Here
Blurry Paintings
Pledge of Our Generation
Nothing but Us
Things Change
Epsilon
Gloom
