So, I was alerted to Carpadium through progarchives.com and also through my page, The Prog Mind. I spoke with Ryan Bell, the guitarist, and I offered to review the band's debut album, "Belief in Question". I actually have come away rather impressed with two things: originality and virtuosity.

The band plays a rather original mix of math rock, heavy prog, and maybe even some indie rock. There are tons of great riffs throughout this mostly instrumental album, and I would say that there is a pretty even mix between math rock and heavy prog overall. So, you get the fast-paced, technical genius of band like Perhaps, but you also get some great, hard riffs from bands like Rush. These two come together to form some interesting tracks that feature many changes in tempo and power.

I was quite impressed with the bass player, as is the case with many math rock bands. The bass player lays down some awesome, intricate bass lines that really drive the album. On top of that, the drummer is fantastic with a very powerful style. I was somewhat disappointed in the keys, as they are great when present, but are not present often. The sparse vocals were also slightly disappointing, for they almost seem like indie punk vox. They do grow on you, but it does take some effort, especially during some of the more un-melodic moments.

Through these highs and lows, however, Carpadium has offered an extremely solid debut album. Tracks "Overture/Whatever", "Tina's Old Memorabilia", "For the Bears", and "Meta" are all stunning songs that represent the best of the album. The groove present in this group is hard to ignore, as I found myself getting into the beats time and time again. Give this FREE album a shot, as I recommend it highly.