Zenith Myth is the self-titled progressive rock debut of Los Angeles-based artist Mike Edwards. In addition to writing and producing the album, Edwards claims a multitude of instrumental credits, including bass, guitar, piano, screams and iPhone noises. This album displays the work and talents of several other artists– Paul D’Amour of Tool; Melissa Auf der Maur, formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins and Hole; and Sam Goldberg of Broken Social Scene all lend their talents. For an album with so much talent, it is sadly mundane.
Guitar and bass sounds are repeatedly lost under many layers of feedback and distortion. However, on the rare occasion that the guitars play cleanly, we get to hear some talented finger-work. Vocal styles range between spoken word and screaming, but nearly all of it is limited by some kind of distortion. The songs themselves are well-played, but they all start to sound the same around track five. Overall, the whole album feels out of focus.
For an album labelled “progressive,” there is nothing too surprising here. There is no denying that Edwards has put a lot of work and talent into his debut. Unfortunately, the product is almost completely forgettable. Still, if you enjoy heavily-distorted prog rock, Zenith Myth is worth a quick look.