To describe the music of All Too Human one can easily get away by saying a mix of Queensrÿche and Rush. This is exactly what it is, and what the listener may hear in the first listenings. There are also some details which may remind one of Marillion and Pearl Jam. All Too Human hasn't stolen any music, though. Their material is pretty unique, but still with the influences in the backpack.

This CD is the debut from the band and it's recorded by the band and Jason Rooks. The introducing track "What Do YOu CAll Me Now" is a very good start for the album, since it gives a direct taste of teh vocalist, Paul Vander and some strong melodies of the band. Another great track is "The Limits of Man". The CD holds a few acoustic mood songs too, whihc I relly think is good. It shows that All Too Human is not just a heavy metal progressive band, but also a band with some extended feel for softer music.

Vocals are amazing and really just a mix of Geddy Lee (Rush) and mainly Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche). Sometimes it's even so close to a perfect match that you can't tell the difference. Very good......

Visit the All Too Human website and get yourself a copy of this CD, cause it's worth it. The best stuff I've heard in a long time

1. "What do you call me now?" This is a slower tempo rocker, and has a real ‘Queensryche’ feel to it, in the music as well as in the incredible vocals of Paul Vander. No joke, this guy is a DEAD-RINGER for Geoff Tate! I can not tell a difference between the two! There are some really tricky drum breaks liberally interspersed throughout the song, and the lead guitarist does a fair job with the solo, about four minutes into the song. Lyrically, this band writes very much like Rush, and this song is no exception. Overall, this is a good song, with some great parts to it. Paul Vander’s vocals really dominate this tune. This song is a little on the ponderous side, but a good tune nonetheless.

2. "Intro/Forever and a Day" This one starts out with some really pretty keyboard work, somewhat reminiscent to me of the beginning of GnR’s ‘November Rain’, handled very nicely by Maurice Taylor, who also does Bass, and acoustic guitar. The intro runs about 2.5 minutes, and leads into ‘Forever and a day’, which very much brings to mind Hydrotoxin. Pretty vocal harmonies in this one, very tastefully used, (i.e. sparingly, and for emphasis only). This rolls into a little more crunch starting about 4.5 minutes in, with a lead in solo that Alex Lifeson would have been proud to call his own! The song continues to build, and this point, Paul Vander does some ‘belting’ that could only have originated in the soles of his shoes!! If you can imagine Geoff Tate’s vocal performance on the song ‘Damaged’ (from ‘The Promised Land’), you can start to get a feel for the power of his voice during this part. It is very difficult to describe here, suffice it to say, this guy is AMAZING! At 7:25, they take it back down a bit, rolling out to a slow ending at 8:25.

3. "Life Begins Anew" This song starts out with some pretty flowing harmonies between the guitar and bass, with a nice flowing drumbeat. Then Paul Vander pulls yet another surprise on me. His voice on this song sounds NOTHING like the first two songs! On this tune, try to imagine crossing Rik Emmett (Triumph) and Geddy Lee (Rush), and that’s the voice you hear! This guy has more voices than a schizophrenic has personalities! Maurice Taylor, the bassist, has assured me that it is indeed Paul doing the vocals on this one. The overwhelming effect I get from this tune is a very ‘Rush’ feeling. It’s a dead giveaway who these guys are influenced by. The solo, again, is very Lifeson-esque, even to the point of being backed only by a very signature bass sound (ala Rush, No overdubbed guitars for rhythm) and some tricky (if understated) drum work, coming to a clean end out of the solo. Even lyrically this song says ‘Rush’. One of my favorite tracks from the CD.

4. "An Untitled Masterpiece" This song has more of a Zeppelin feel to it, with the bass and guitar both running single notes, ala Black Dog, and Paul once again, somehow pulls a new voice out of the box. On this one, he reminds me a little of David Coverdale from the Deep Purple years. Again, the tricky breaks are here, with the effect of enhancing the song, rather than detracting from it, or distracting the listener. Once again during the solo, there are no rhythm guitar overdubs, and the song rolls out to a dead stop end at 4:00 minutes. A good tune, but not one of the best on the CD.

5. "A Walk trough Iowa Park" This one doesn’t really do much for me; it is a lone 12 string, and it doesn’t really go anywhere, but I guess it does have the effect of taking a walk through ‘Iowa park’ (wherever that is). I think that perhaps the intention of this song was to say more in what was omitted, than what was actually being played. Thankfully (for me) it’s a short tune.

6. "Souls on a Mortal High" This tune is another ‘sleeper’, and lends itself to a very introspective state of mind, and for me, it is (don’t laugh) reminiscent of the band ‘America’, probably because of the ethereal sounding backing vocals. The most impressive thing for me about this song is the amount of talent that it takes to mix and record these types of vocals, not necessarily their use in this song. There are no drums on this track (that I can hear) and it sounds like Maurice is using a fretless bass, for that ‘laid-back’ effect. And again, Paul amazes me, by pulling yet a new voice out. This one doesn’t sound like anyone I have ever heard. Overall this is a pretty tune, but a little too laid back for me.

7. "Dismal Array" This tune has a very eerie feel to it, courtesy of some ‘horror movie’ keyboard voices in the background, and a subtle, muted guitar with what sounds like heavy amounts of reverb up front. No drums or vocals on this one, either. I get the feeling that this tune was written solely as a lead in for the next tune, probably the hardest rocking tune on the CD.

8. "The Limits of Man" Probably one of only a couple tunes on this CD that could really be termed ‘Progressive Metal’; this song really sees the drummer Chris Lucci going off. Paul really shines on this song as well, doing his level best to knock the listener over backward with the sheer power of his voice, and succeeding admirably. This guy amazes me, in that he doesn’t seem afraid to make his voice reach for the stellar heights when the song warrants it, and the level of power he achieves at those ranges staggers the imagination! The overall effect of this song is one of Balls and crunch! For the solo on this one, they opted to go for overdubbed Rhythm guitars, for a much thicker and more driving sound, which fits this song perfectly. The only gripe I have with this song is, it’s too SHORT!! Give us more stuff like this, guys!!

9. "Camel's Revenge" Another rocker, this one has an old Queensryche feel to it. It starts off very subdued, accompanied by a ‘marching’ beat from the snare, building to a crescendo at around 1:06, when the first verse begins. This one has a very dark and evil feel to it. Maurice spends much of this song running very intricate bass lines in the background on this tune, helping to drive the song, rather than soften it. A change to a major scale during the chorus seems a little out of place here, but somehow they manage to make it work pretty well. The solo on this one see some nice dual guitar voice (ala Iron Maiden) and a really killer up-tempo shift that drives the song even harder. Again, Chris Lucci really goes off on this tune. Chris McLuan, the guitarist never really goes after the neo-classical, Yngwie Shred-fest type of solo, opting instead for solos that fit the song perfectly, and it is perhaps most evident on this tune. There is another solo right near the end of the tune, leading to a fade out end. Another really great song off this CD!

So there you have it, the play by play. This review was written as I listened to the CD, on a song-by-song basis. My recommendations? Well, if you are all about balls and crunch only, ya might want to pass on this one. However, if you love powerful vocals, smooth flow, and overall well-written music, with some occasional balls and chunk thrown in for good measure, (not to mention some seriously tricky drumming) then GET THIS CD!! I personally like this CD a lot, and I get the feeling it'll grow on me even more as I listen to it. All of the musicians in this band are good, and the vocalist is almost godlike.