A New Breed of Rebellion

Metalages Records

www.metalages.com
www.katagory5.com

The three founding members of Katagory V - Dustin Mitchell (bass), Curtis Morrell (guitar),  Matt Suiter (drums) - joined forces in the Salt Lake Valley (Utah) in 1999.  Lynn Allers (vocals) joined the group shortly later; fifth member Trevor Asire (guitar) came in to replace Ryan Taylor who left in 2002 for personal reasons.  This is Katagory V's second release (and my first experience with them).

The band bills itself as Power Metal with Prog Rock overtones but to my ear, it's really the other way around, with a good dose of Theatrical Rock thrown in. The sound is very good, with a solid feel that's easy to get into.  The one thing I did notice is that the transitions from texture to texture which is central to theatrical/progressive rock seem a bit ragged for K5.  It's not enough to mar the sound or make it less fun to listen to, but it does leave a feeling of the bands "garage" roots that could be polished up some.  Production is very good and the mix seems smooth and well balanced.  Also, "A New Breed of Rebellion" seems to be something of a concept album but the concept doesn't seem to be as fully developed as it could be.  

Overall, I think K5 will appeal to most prog and theatrical rockers.  There's a lot to like on this disc.  Two of the tracks can be sampled on the Metalages web site.  (K5's site is under construction.)

Key Tracks: "No Response," "A New Breed of Rebellion" but they're all good

Reviewed by: John Venvertloh

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