The Summary Judgment Reviews:
Title: Seemless
Artist: Seemless
Label: Losing Face Records
Release Date: 1/20/04

Rating: 4 Skulls
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    • Reviewed by Requiem (12/19/03):
    Some may remember the band Medium a couple years back. Well, with the ousting of their vocalist and the addition of a new one, Medium decided to clean the slate and start fresh. This new start comes in the form of Seemless, who have enlisted former Killswitch Engage singer Jesse David to fill the vacant vocal slot. With guitarist Pete Cortese also having served time in Killswitch Engage and Overcast, drummer Derek Kerswill session drumming for Shadows Fall as well as unknown bass talent Kevin Schuler, it was evident that potentially great things could happen... and they did.

    Seemless are primarily a hard rock band. Calling them stoner would limit them in the heaps of boring bands that are already flooding the market. Seemless has different agendas than looking the part of the modern hard rock band, with scruffy beards, flannel shirts and mesh caps. The band does not concern itself with the clichés of the rock scene, and it's evident in their sound. It's their tunnel vision that gives them their distinct style, which ultimately places them above the rest. Each song varies greatly from the next, which in turn makes the Seemless debut so easy to digest. Armed with 12 tracks and a great production, I see a bright future ahead of them.

    Seemless specialize in hard driving rock rhythms, while incorporating vintage influences as well. The chords on opener "Something's Got to Give" hit like a sledgehammer to the face, before dropping into psychedelic euphoria. Jesse's pretty much abandoned his harsh vocals of his past, proving that his singing voice is indeed capable of many things. With Seemless, I see his soulful melodies as strikingly similar to Jonah from Only Living Witness, and the music at times leans this way as well. Guitarist Pete is once again at the top of his game, most notably heard via his screaming solo at the end of "Soft Spoken Sanity". "Endless" is the classic to these ears, almost the album power ballad, mixing effects-driven ambient verses with a hard-driving chorus. "Haze" sees the resurgence of the cowbell, used in fine form via drummer Derek Kerswill showcasing his hard hitting intricate rhythms, which are in near perfect sync with bassist Kevin Schuler.

    Call 'em stoner, call 'em what you will. Rock and roll has many faces. This one nods to the obvious recent sounds most similar to The Quill and Only Living Witness, and dates back to antics used by Led Zeppelin and obviously Sabbath. Thing is, all four cylinders here are operating in pristine fashion, creating a dangerously fine-tuned machine. The boys in Seemless have individually perfected their craft, and collectively delivered an amazing album of rock and roll mastery. Rock on.
    4 out of 5

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