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Six Minute Century: Wasting Time
Six Minute Century Wasting Time Album CD Review

Six Minute Century: Wasting Time

Progressive Power Metal
4.0/5.0

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Nightmare Records
by Craig Hartranft
10.10.2013

From the fertile musical fields of Texas comes Six Minute Century offering their second album Wasting Time. By their own words, the band describes themselves as a progressive power metal, and they are. They sound much like a hybrid of Dream Theater, with less keyboard play, and Fates Warning, thanks to a darker feel to the music and vocalist Chuck Williams having the somber timbre of Ray Alder.

Six Minute Century Wasting Time Band Photo

Six Minute Century: four dudes together.

Alternatively, one might say that SMC leans less to the power metal side of things and more to classic progressive metal. Songs like City of Hope and The Killing Fields have their galloping power metal moments. But not so much in the other songs where it may only come in flashes. A good example is the moments of bluster within Last Days of Paradise, a heavy dense song, which could easily double as straight heavy metal. Then a song like the title track offers little nuances of progressive metal, going for a more straight heavy/power metal from the start, and seemingly getting nowhere. Then about the four minute mark the tide turns with guitarist Don LaFon's burning up the fret board. But he pretty much does that throughout this album. If you like leads that twist between straight metal and neo-classical guitar, you enjoy his proficiency.

But on the progressive metal side, several songs certainly give you the twists and turns, in arrangement and instrumentation, expected of the style. One is the bass and guitar play near the conclusion of Baptized In Flames. Another is the juxtaposition of steady drumming with moments of fury within Paying Death's Toll. Perhaps the best example of SMC's musicianship and progressive leanings comes with the instrumental Czardas. It features interplay between LaFon's guitar and, I'm pretty sure, bassist Michael Milsap on his NS Stick. It's probably the best song here. The wild card for these ears throughout was Williams's vocals. He's a traditional metal singer, sometimes not all that clear, but mostly sounding blunted or fighting with the music. Nevertheless, if you like your progressive metal a bit heavier and darker akin to the latest Fate's Warning, Six Minute Century's Wasting Time will be right up your alley.


Six Minute Century - Wasting Time Sampler





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In Short

If you like your progressive metal a bit heavier and darker akin to the latest Fate's Warning, Six Minute Century's Wasting Time will be right up your alley.

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