Hailing from California, USA, A DYING PLANET is a four-piece Progressive Metal band. Brothers Troy and Jasun spearheaded the band's debut, based on the events that led singer Troy to have to give up playing bass guitar, following a serious injury. Jasun said that Troy always had a gifted voice, even as a very young man, and he began taking vocal lessons once it was obvious that he would not be able to play the bass again. "Facing the Incurable" contains six tracks.

"Resist" is the opening track, and it's a beast, at over fourteen minutes in length. Troy has a great voice. It's emotive and captivating, rising above the heavy rhythms that slice and dice at the bottom end of the track. The song shifts as it continues, focusing on an ethereal sound at one point, calming things down into a dream state. The tender touches here are gentle and memorable, and you can definitely feel the reflective nature of the song. It crescendos though the ending, ending in a loss. The title track is a little shorter in length, at just over ten minutes. The music swells and retreats, in an alluring manner, making you long for the thematic messages. "Facing the Incurable" refers to the loss of Troy's ability to play, but also celebrates his ability to sing. This yin and yang is hypnotic in its delivery and just hangs on long enough to engage the listener the entire way along the story. It turns with anger just after the half way mark, in a "fists shaking to the sky" gesture, with a long wail of "why!!??".

"Human Obsolescence" refers to the "extinction" of something. "This is not a test" he croons, over and over, as the acoustical guitar rings out with gentle chords, and piano is played naked in the confines of a small room for which there are no doors. "Poisoning the Well" hears the spirit of the album return, with heavy and aggressive rhythms punching underneath the open wealth of introverted and lulling guitars, tempered with steady and pensive vocals that sometimes barely rise above a whisper. "Missing" opens with an abiding and substantial acoustical guitar riff that moves slowly, with a dreamy background sequence, sounding like something from a PORCUPINE TREE album. It hangs in the air with just enough weight to keep the wounds from re-opening. Lead guitar provides a repeated sequence of legato notes that hit the melody line head-on and don't let up.

"Separation Anxiety" closes the album. It's a three-minute instrumental, full of thwacking bass guitar notes and angry guitar passages that alternate with more moody ones. It keeps a steady rhythm throughout, but seems a little bit out of place when compared with other tracks on the album. I like the intensity displayed here however. Overall, I thought the album was provocative, and thoughtful, and a little sad. It speaks about the profound sense of loss that singer Troy went through in the loss of his ability to play bass guitar, but also the willful tale of the human spirit. Much of the music stays in the dreamy state I talked about earlier, with an occasional punch here and there. The band has this sound down pretty well, and I look forward to hearing their next outing, now that they are free from the confines of this album and subject matter. It had to be covered first, and it is very personal experience, which you can hear easily.