Not being a huge fan of instrumental rock, I was surprised at the pleasure I got from listening to the new, 7-track album "Project Care Cup" by EMPTY CARE CUP. Hailing from Hungary, Daniel Mucs on bass (COLLIBUS, SCREAMING BEAST), Csaba Finna on guitar, and József Ádám Balogh on drums comprise this three man instrumental band. This trio plays with passion and the awareness of what sound works for them and hone in on their musical strengths.

I guess the thing that bothers me about most instrumental rock is when I feel that a good track could have been much better with vocals over the top, you know, like a cupcake without the icing. I got that feeling on a few of these songs, and with the amount of great singers looking for work, it wouldn't have been hard to find someone to write and sing the lyrics for this album Without a singer, it's really hard for a band to have a distinctive, identifying sound for fans to associate it with. But some musicians don't care about stuff like that and just want to jam. With that being said, "Project Care Cup" delivers a diverse voyage of damn good music. Some of the tracks here are heavy and groove-laden, some are a blend of an atmospheric alternative sound that will ease your stress level a few notches, and some trend toward more of a progressive rock sound. I must say that the guitar tracks by Csaba Finna really smoke, and at times, made me totally forget that there was no singer. And unlike a lot of instrumental bands, EMPTY CARE CUP lets the bass player, Daniel Mucs and the drummer, József Ádám Balogh, shine as well. This album is the exception to the "instrumental rule" for me and I'll admit it, this is a really good rock record that just happens to be "singer-less".

EMPTY CARE CUP carry on the style of guitar-leading, instrumental rock that Joe Satriani first made popular years ago, and with their current offering, "Project Care Cup", they just might have changed my view of this genre for the time being. The production is solid and the songs change personalities ever so cleverly. Overall, this album left me feeling satisfied and glad that I went against my musical preferences. Give it a good, long listen.