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Drummer Jake Fowler started MAD AT GRAVITY almost exactly one year ago with bass player Ben Froehlich and guitarist/keyboard player Anthony "Bosco" Boscarini. Guitarist James Lee Barlow left "Pigface" to join next and was soon followed by vocalist/lyricist J. Lynn Johnston. With the lineup complete, the band entered the studio for 5 to 10 hrs. a day and recorded three acoustic tracks to MP3 - "Walk Away, " "Stay" and "Burn" - that ended up in a mass e-mail to industry professionals. In the space of just 4 months, these seasoned So-Cal musicians completed this process and two gigs later signed with ARTISTdirect Records for their debut album, "Resonance." 

"Don't let that timeline fool you," laughs Fowler. "We've each been plugging away in different bands for years. We worked really hard for this." Creating what's been called a ". . . genre smashing approach to writing . . . breaking preconceived notions of what a modern rock band is supposed to sound like . . . gives them a sound that's theirs alone," (obviously I didn't write the flowery description of the band's music) I discovered that there 's definitely more than meets the ear on the first listen. Influences are quoted as being from such diverse bands as U2, Led Zepplin, Tool and King Crimson.

Band founder Jake Fowler says "For starters, we've got a vocalist who can actually sing - and that's a rarity these days. Then we have two guitarists, each playing distinctly different parts and that's also atypical. Most two-guitar bands don't need an extra player, because they each do the same thing. As far as rhythms are concerned, we often change time signatures, while keeping the melodies and hooks accessible enough for anyone to grab hold of." Vocalist J. Lynn Johnson notes "You want to create music that's challenging to play, but doesn't demand work on the part of the listener and that's not easy. In the beginning, we were concerned that people wouldn't understand what we were doing, but you can't worry about that stuff. This is what we want to be."

Johnston's lyrics - which cover topics ranging from the symbolism of smoke in various cultures and religions ("Burn") to the fear of being misunderstood ("Walk Away") - also have little in common with the usual aggro culture. Says Johnston, "Instead of using words as filler, I try to give the listener something to chew on." And if you're wondering about the "big words" in the band quotes and song lyrics, all five members have college degrees in a variety of disciplines.

The album opens with 24 seconds of weird, spacey sound called "Primer," then immediately crashes into the first song, "Walk Away," which is also the first single and is featured in the film "Reign Of Fire." This song definitely leans in the direction of hard rock/progressive metal with the instrumentals, while Johnston's vocal sails clear and strong through the verses and emphatically rules during the chorus. In numerous places on the internet where listeners expressed their opinions, "Walk Away" is the undisputed leader of favorites from the album. Another favorite, "Historypeats," is up next. This one starts with an unusual time signature and rather jerky delivery in the verse, then smoothes out during the chorus with some great guitar licks backing it. There's a lot of different things happening in this song, which makes it one of the more interesting tracks on the album.

Slowing things down just a bit and using the instrumentals in a most entertaining fashion is "Time And Time Again." The vocal is good, but the instrumentals are the star of this song. "Find The Words" is a rather average track in keeping with aggro rock, while the rhythm laden "Run For Cover" delivers another instrumental punch. Next up is "Burn," the other MAG song featured in the film "Reign Of Fire." This is another fan favorite. The unusual use of the guitar and time signature from the drums back a vocal from Johnston that flows like honey - quite in contrast to the lyrics.

A short, interesting, instrumental interlude is provided by "Corlescence," followed by "Letter To Myself," a song that's fairly typical of several others on the album. Going back to more of a progressive metal mode is "This Collision." Johnston has some vocal effects happening on this track and it's a bit above the average song on the CD. "In Vain" slows things down again and has really good melody and harmonies in the verses, while the chorus is extremely intense. This is one of the better songs, especially if you like to hear the range a band has - which is one of my top criteria in reviewing any artist - and "In Vain" does it extremely well.

"Kerosene" and "Say It" are back in average mode for this band, but the final song, "Undefined," has a real "grab you" hook that's hard to explain. I wasn't even sure I liked this song the first few times I heard it, but after a few more listens it grew on me big time. It has a great melody, smooth vocal, interesting instrumentals both backing and during the bridge, and very thought provoking lyrics. "Undefined" has ended up as MY favorite song on "Resonance."

I have just a few comments to add here. It's more than evident that, although this band has only been together for a year, they most certainly paid their dues and learned a lot from their previous band experiences. I don't know exactly how all five members found each other, but together they' ve created a chemistry that's hard to beat. MAD AT GRAVITY, in my opinion, has a very wide appeal. They're not genre specific, which is a good thing, even though they tend to be slightly on the harder rock side with the instrumentals. I really can't think of a music fan interested in any kind of rock not liking this album. It's got all the right ingredients, and if this quintet continues down the path they've begun, expect to hear a lot more about and from them in the future.