NYC’s Signals of Bedlam are a VERY talented band. However, sometimes talent isn’t enough. “Escaping Velocity” is one of those albums that starts out pretty good before essentially falling off a cliff. Stylistically, the band remind me of Tool or Karnivool, and not just because lead vocalist Cero Cartera is similar to each band’s vocalist, though that’s an obvious place to start.

Signals of Bedlam have an urgency that reminds me of Karnivool on “The Thread.” That track is one the better ones. “Mass Appeal” sounds a tad like Soen, who have often been compared to Tool. But “Rule 41” is VERY Tool like. Now to be clear, Signals of Bedlam aren’t a copy of those bands but by the same token, I am not sure I hear enough of their own style to be able to pick them out of a crowd.

“Piece of Us” is a cool acapella piece but doesn’t exactly knock me over either. It does signal a change in what I would consider the song quality of the album. The overly frentic “The Void” is a little basic for my taste. “King Slayer” is not all that much different from the previous track, other than it’s even worse over all. The lyrics are suspect and the song does nothing for me.

“Cause_Ø” is equally forgettable and “Anomie Duet” is an instrumental that sounds more like a demo of an initial idea rather than a fleshed out song. It’s a tale of two halves when it comes to “Escaping Velocity.” While the band show off their influences on the first half, the songs are pretty good. I suppose “Escaping Velocity” leads to losing momentum. Ok, that was a horrible joke.

Rating: 6/10

Tracklist:
1. Intercept
2. The Thread
3. Mass Appeal
4. Rule 41
5. Piece Of Us
6. Signal
7. The Void
8. King Slayer
9. Cause_Ø
10. Anomie Duet
11. The Fix
12. Without Your War

Bandcamp: signalsofbedlam.bandcamp.com