Divine In Sight - Sorrow & Promise



1. Black River (12:45) 2. By Leaps & Bounds (8:39) 3-11 Sorrow & Promise I. In a Box (4:40) II. Sorrow & Promise Overture (4:33) III. March of the Damned (5:03) IV. Waltz of the Plastic Dolls (4:14) V. Viper's Brood (6:28) VI. Sleep (8:07) VII. Into the Abyss (7:40) VIII. Soul of Mine (2:43) IX. Make Me More Like You (9:31)

Total Running Time: 74:23



Progressive rock is a genre of music that certainly spans a wide array of lyrical subjects when the members of its vast dominion are considered. Politics, fantasy, science, society, and the like have all at one time or another popped up in progressive rock albums, and religion is definitely no exception. So when Divine In Sight's debut album Sorrow &Promise arrived at Progfreaks.com's headquarters with an annexed letter describing the band's approach as "Christian progressive rock," there really wasn't a reaction of shock, although perhaps there was one of curiosity in seeing just how the American act would deliver its beliefs to the audience.

Not badly at all. Consisting basically of three pieces, one of which is easily the band's most ambitious in its "Christian progressive rock opera" nature, Sorrow & Promise is an album that shows that, when all is said and done, preaching Christians can rock just as hard as the next one. And while it is true that those reticent of listening to an exposition of the band's beliefs and tales of being reborn in the Lord's faith will probably choose to pass, those who are interested or just don't care will certainly find something to sink their teeth into with Jonathan Dexter's excellent bass playing. Reminiscent of Geddy Lee's at times and always present at the foreground, it is the band's main distinctive token, in conjunction with Bartholomew Bogue's female-like vocals.

Unfortunately, however, Bogue's vocals are more than just a distinctive feature; they also constitute one of the record's lowest points due to the fact that they're mixed in too low and are sometimes the carriers of uninterestingly dull vocal lines. One point of curious observation though…Bogue's voice really does sound like a woman's. Not in the Geddy Lee sense where one can actually figure out that it's a man singing, but in the sense that made me wonder if a parent could be so cruel as to name one's girl Bartholomew! The Rush references don't end there, however, as sometimes the chord progressions and harmonic interplay displayed throughout the record's duration ring a certain Canadian bell.

That bell, however, is more a similarity than a shameless rip-off, so Divine In Sight gets away with having a favorable comparison and its own style, the latter of which will probably appeal the most to Rush fans. Particularly recommendable to them would be the instrumental "By Leaps & Bounds" and some of the brightest moments of "Black River," to which Dexter's impressive bass style gives an added tone of coolness. Not entirely recommendable, however, is the band's nine-part "Sorrow & Promise" suite, which does in all honesty have its moments but ultimately fails to keep the level of interest that its predecessors raise. Generally speaking though, Sorrow & Promise is a good debut, and one that shows a band with promise, potential, and a good starting reference point.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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