Bushwhack

Album Review

Perhaps best described as a union of Dream Theater and Porcupine Tree, there is one little tidbit that makes the New Haven, CT-based quartet Bushwhack stands out from the rest of the prog rock pack — they have no vocalist. That's right, not a single drop of vocals can be detected anywhere on their 2007 self-titled debut. But unlike many all-instrumental rock albums that turn into a snoozefest after a while, Bushwhack manages to hold the listener's attention throughout, due to the fact that the importance of crafting memorable song structures and melodies outweigh the group's impressive technical chops. And the Bushwhack boys refuse to align themselves to either of the styles from their aforementioned two influences, as it's split equally between Dream Theater's prog metal ("The Greatest Wall," "Guacamole," "Sever the Sky") and Porcupine Tree's art rock ("Future's Passed," "Sea of Tranquility," "Introspection"). You don't find many chop-heavy prog rockers who can appeal to non-musicians in this day and age, but as evidenced by their self-titled debut album, Bushwhack is one of the few exceptions.