JED
"Synesthesia"
(Self-produced; 2006)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
I first took notice of Jed when reviewing a low-budget movie entitled "Kill the Killer." The movie was no big deal, but the hard rock soundtrack caught my attention and I waited through the end credits to find out which band was playing the songs I liked. That band was Jed. I meant to track them down via the Internet but, as happens too often when you have twenty CDs stuffed into your mailbox every week, I quickly forgot abut the search.
Fast forward to 2006 when, lo and behold, Jed's new CD, "Synesthesia," shows up in the aforementioned mailbox. Funny how life works sometimes.
"Synesthesia" (which is almost as difficult to type as it is to pronounce) is a collection of eleven tracks that dole out their individual strengths and power with a driving, crushing intensity that isn't created by furious speed or raucous noise. Instead, each track simmers at its own deliberate pace to create a unique combination of hard rock power and subtle melody.
There isn't a fast song on the CD, but there isn't a slow song either. In fact, if there's any complaint here, it's that too many of the songs on this CD share the same beat. But you'll hardly notice it with the various combinations of guitars, vocals and drums that make this record one of those that you want to hear again immediately after listening to it for the first time. And that says a lot.
My favorite tracks on the CD are "Two Eyed Cyclops" (what a great title) and the 6+ minute "The Singularity."
JED: Erik Heimann - vocals; Mike Carr - guitars; Chad Kunesh - guitars; Mike Henninger - bass; Mike Peterson - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.jedband.com.
"Sanctuary
200"
(Self-produced; 2001)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
Apparently listening to the band's catalog in reverse, I didn't hear Jed's 2001 release, "Sanctuary 200," until after I heard their 2006 "Synesthesia." In all frankness, however, I don't think the order would have made much of a difference. "Sanctuary 200" is nearly as strong a CD as the band's latter material, despite slightly lower production values (probably due more to five year's advances in technology than anything else).
As on "Synesthesia," Jed slow-burns it through "Sanctuary 200." That isn't to say the songs are slow, because they aren't. Instead, they're mid-tempo rockers that depend more on the "simmer" than the "burn." In other words, the band is deliberate and consistent in maintaining a unique sound and, although (like "Synesthesia") many of the songs share the same tempo, "Sanctuary 200" never bores.
Again, like the more recent CD, "Sanctuary 200" is more of a collection of atmospheric rockers than balls-out headbangers ... and that's what makes it unique.
JED: Erik Heimann - vocals; Mike Carr - guitars; Mike Henninger - basses; Mike Peterson - drums.
For more information, check out http://www.jedband.com.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2006 by R. Scott
Bolton. All rights reserved.
Revised: 28 Oct 2024 12:59:32 -0500.
