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DIVINITY COMPROMISED
DIVINITY COMPROMISED
Report and Photos by Jose Salazar.
The last thing you think about when you think Chicago is Prog Metal and the bands of that genre that are currently active in the local scene can be counted with one hand.... you wouldn't even need to use all 5 fingers to do so either.
So where does a Chicago fan of metal with progressive elements go to find what they are looking for? The answers are very few, but one of them is a new band to hit the scene. That band is Divinity Compromised.
Having seen their first show a couple of weeks back in an open air setting I was really looking forward to a more intimate set by this band. The place where this event was to take place was JJ Kelly’s in Lansing IL as part of this year’s edition of Midwest Metal Anthem.
Their set was supposed to start at 9:45 and at 9:50 things got rolling, for rock standards that's like being just in time!
Vocalist Lothar Keller's delivery has been impressive ever since I first heard his singing in Sacred Dawn, another band he is currently in. He can sound as dark or mellow as it he wants to and still hit the highest of notes if need be, a talent that does not go to waste on this band.
Guitarist Vito Marchese holds it all together like I have known him to do so on his other band Novembers Doom. But this is far from doom. It's great to see guitar players that are able to play any style of music and still make it sound good.
Guitarist Jeff Treadwell is a monster lead player. His solo compositions are an attraction in itself. You can tell he spends hours working on technique alone and I haven't seen arpeggios like that since my last Symphony X concert.
Drummer Mike Mousel was hitting those drums as if his life depended on it. I could actually hear him louder than the PA. Always keeping in time with everything and just solid as a rock. As the night progressed, song after great song just kept on coming. Being a brand new band they are currently working on their debut album so it is almost a tease that we can’t have these songs just yet. As stated earlier I had only seen this band once before and I found myself humming along to the chorus of "The Way Home". The keyboards are something that just gives this band that "full" sound courtesy of keyboardist Ben Johnson.
I wish I was more familiar with the songs, but watching 5 great musicians playing a style of music with a certain high level of musicianship that 90 percent of the bands in the current scene aren't able to even touch, was a very nice experience equivalent to a breath of fresh air. In a scene where 3 chord songs and vocalist that can’t sing seem to be the norm, Divinity compromised is a band that I predict will have many achievements and people need to take notice. They’re Prog enough for the Prog fans but with songs so well written any fan from Nevermore to Iron Maiden would waste no time banging their head in appreciation.
Good luck and get that first album out guys; the world needs to hear what I have already heard....twice!
Setlist
Children of A Dead god
The Way Home
Solar Messiah
The Guardians of Ki
A World Torn
The Loyal Shall Inherit
(Dio's) We Rock
Ben Johnson: keyboards
Lothar Keller: vocals
Vito Marchese: guitars
Mike Mousel: drums
Jeff Treadwell: lead guitars
Mike Feldman: Bass
Chicago's NEWEST Progressive Metal fusion.
For a photo gallery from that night's show, click
For additional information on the band, upcoming shows, etc., visit them at www.myspace.com/divinitycompromised