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Grayceon is a recently formed American trio who play "smart person" music. Their line-up, which consists of a guitar, drummer and cello, instantly tips you off that they'll be doing something different from the rock music norm. Guitarist Max Doyle and drummer Zack Farwell can also be heard making ugly, pissed off music in the sludgecore group Walken, while cellist Jackie Perez Gratz hails from neoclassical group Amber Asylum. This combination works for interesting results as Max and Zach launch into sections of riffing and drumming that could be devastating had they been supported by the chunky low end of a distorted electric bass, but instead Jackie's soft cello and the delicate vocal harmonies give the music a surreal, hypnotic feel.

I can't really think of any useful comparisons to the music Grayceon plays on their self-titled debut; the only band I've heard with a somewhat similar line-up and sound is the 70's incarnation of King Crimson (but King Crimson had a bassist, and a violinist instead of a cello). Genres are equally useless as the trio's music is too complex for post-rock, too subtle to be considered progressive rock, rock's too hard to be neoclassical and so on and so forth.

Here are some things that Grayceon proves their ability to do on these four songs:
1. Play their instruments well.
2. Write engaging songs (whether they're 4 or 20 minutes long).
3. Create beautiful, cinematic atmospheres (most memorably the lonely guitar intro to "Ride", which practically creates the set for an epic Western movie all on its own)
4. Sound as epic as anything I've heard with just three instruments

Grayceon's debut is progressive music done right - beautiful, dynamic, relaxing, intense, dramatic, fun and unique. It takes you into their world, delicately eases your brain through a variety of moods, tones and feelings and then leaves on a dramatic high note at the end of "Ride". At 45 minutes the album's only flaw is that it leaves you wanting more

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Reviewer: Jeff Mcquiggan Added: April 2nd 2007