Chest Rockwell - 6ix

Chest Rockwell

6ix

by Joe Paciolla at 01 May 2014, 3:23 AM

CHEST ROCKWELL, a Progressive Rock band hailing from Bowling Green, KY look to be quite busy on the live front as well as having released 3 full length discs and a couple EPs in their 10 year history. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing any of their other music before this 3 song CD, but the 2 original songs on display here showcase some excellent musicianship. Drummer, Nick Rouse and bassist, Nick Stewart lay down a very tight and groovy rhythm section for the guitarists, Josh Hines, Seth Wilson and keyboard player, David Cole to construct some really nice sonic tapestries that capture a listener’s attention.

“Projector 7” kicks things off in a hard rocking way that makes me think of MASTODON minus a bit of their Ultra-Metallic edge. I didn’t see any NWOBHM bands listed as influences, but hear a bit of that style in the soloing and a touch of URIAH HEEP (with a modern twist) throughout both tracks. David Cole’s vocals do not remind me of anyone in particular, which is a good thing to these jaded ears! The next song, “Protozoan” is an enjoyable instrumental and I’m sure this one goes over well in the live environment. The last song is a remixed version of “Projector 7”, and although it is nice to hear a band experiment, I definitely would have given this EP a higher rating if there were another original song.

It is nice to see a band that has been around over over a decade state that they aren’t interested in a record deal - they are quite busy on the live circuit and can keep creating music their way. I will be keeping an eye out on CHEST ROCKWELL to see what direction they head in with new material.