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San Francisco, California, USA |
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Progressive Metal |
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Page online:
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February 4, 2008
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Last update/review:
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January 6, 2021
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Grayceon
Grayceon is one of those truly left-field,
do-something-different-for-the-hell-of-it bands, off in their
own world.
This is a trio, consisting of a cellist, a guitarist, and a drummer,
and that alone sets this band apart from practically everyone
else on the planet.
Many bands, particularly in the gothic genre, have toyed with
adding string instruments to their sound, but it's always as
a supplement to the metal instruments.
Here, Jackie Perez Gratz's cello parts are not add-ons or
afterthoughts -- they are the driving force of the songs,
with guitarist Max Doyle adding texture rather than forced
heavy riffing (in this way, his role here is similar to Larry
Lalonde's in
Primus),
topped off by rather unconventional but quite interesting
drumming by Zack Farwell.
The overall style is, predictably, hard to pinpoint -- there
are touches of somber doom, progressive metal, post-art-rock,
but this is really a style all their own.
The songs are mostly drawn-out, with interesting twists and
turns that never seem forced, mostly paced on the slow side
but occasionally fast and frenetic (such as the lone short
track, "Song For You").
The vocals seem to almost be an afterthought, what vocals
there are
(with three of the four songs over eight minutes, and one of
them topping out at just under twenty minutes, there are
plenty of long instrumental passages) -- a semi-tuneless
croon from both Jackie and Max, though with a few yelps
on the aforementioned "Song For You".
Given the right exposure,
Grayceon could appeal to a wide variety of music fans
both within and outside the metal realm -- definitely worth
a listen for those looking for something truly unique.
Discography
Grayceon
2007
Vendlus
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- Sounds Like Thunder
- Song For You
- Into The Deep
- Ride
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Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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This Grand Show
2008
Vendlus
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- It Begins, And So It Ends
- Still The Desert
- Sleep
- Love Is
- This Grand Show Is Eternal
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-
Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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All We Destroy
2011
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- Dreamer Deceived
- Shellmounds
- We Can
- Once A Shadow
- A Road Less Traveled
- War's End
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-
Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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Pearl And The End Of Days
EP
2013
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- Pearl
- The End Of Days
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-
Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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IV
2018
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- Sliver Moon
- By-the-Wind Sailors
- Scorpion
- Let it Go
- Slow Burn
- The Point of Me
- Pink Rose
- Dreamers
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-
Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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Mothers Weavers Vultures
2020
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- Diablo Wind
- The Lucky Ones
- This Bed
- And Shine On
- Rock Steady
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-
Max Doyle
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Jackie Perez Gratz
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Zack Farwell
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