OK, I'm getting on my "soap box" and I'm going to speak my mind. It really hard to believe that, with some of the crap that is crammed down the throats of the hard rock masses these days, a band as good as ECHO TEMPLE isn't signed to a major record label. This band is one of the better unsigned band I've heard in a while and have the potential, with the right management and marketing team behind them, to become a household name in the hard rock genre.

Its really just dumb luck how I came across ECHO TEMPLE's new release, "The Fall", but boy, am I glad I stumbled onto it. Upon first spin, I immediately thought I was listening to a European power metal band, and couldn't wait to research them further. And when I did, to my surprise, they are from Houston, Texas!! I'm a huge fan of progressive/power metal and, because this genre has become almost void in the United States, I was not expecting these guys to reside right down the road, in Texas. With a sound that reminds me somewhat of old school QUEENRYCHE, by way of "The Warning" and "Operation: Mindcrime", two of my favorite albums of all-time, I was instantly hooked and am so proud to know that someone in this country still believes in this style of music and continues to write and record it. Because I write for Metal Temple, it's my job to be objective with all of the albums I review, and keep my emotions in check. But with "The Fall", it's really hard for me remain calm and carry on, knowing that ECHO TEMPLE has not been signed to a major label recording contract.

ECHO TEMPE is comprised of Tom Calandra on vocals, John Wisser on guitar, Sean Turcott on guitar, Thomas Helton on bass and vocals, and Chris Kotlarz on drums, and is a breath of fresh air in the saturated, cookie-cutter-band hard rock arena. On "The Fall", a well written and very infectious, 13-song release, Calandra's vocals are powerful, have a big range, and possess just the perfect amount of melodic crunch to have these guys playing on bigger stages in the near future. The guitar tracks are pure power metal and epitomize what this genre is supposed to sound like. I won't go into a track-by-track breakdown, but I will say that "Sorrow Never Fades", is a down tempo, almost a power ballad, track that ranks as one of my favorite songs I've heard in quite a while.

If you're sick and tired of the same old music that is coming out these days, and are looking for that old school, power vocal style of hard rock, "The Fall" is a record that you will definitely want to check into. I found it by accident and am sure glad I did. I'm looking forward to big things from ECHO TEMPLE in the near future and will being seeing them play live the first opportunity I get.<