Echocast - Where The Future Ends
2002/ 42:25 Minutes / 12 Tracks / Studio
Release Date: July 9, 2002 - XS Records
Produced by: Magical Mr Colson
Website: Echocast

Reviewed by Matt Rowe on July 7, 2002

There’s a new band in town. It’s increasingly difficult to find excellent talent that meshes well. That difficulty is highlighted by the cautious behaviour of the big labels with their distribution and marketing muscle, and makes them unwilling to dive too deep into the talent pool given the current climate of deflated sales numbers. I’ve got news to tell you, folks. Somebody screwed up somewhere. Not only does the lucky recipient, XS Records, have a ‘ready to go’ band on their roster, they have a legitimate ‘charter’ on their hands. Echocast, formed from a nucleus that contains the combined talents of David Mast and Adam Redding, has presented a surprisingly strong debut effort with the release of “Where The Future Ends”.

This album has 12 highly polished songs, many of them which are good enough to present as single material, with masterful production by Colson of HBO’s Reverb series. David Mast’s vocals, reminiscent of Elvis Costello deep tones but in keeping with the vocal styles of Creed or POD, supply perfect harmonies as his mates join him on their backups, is full bodied and able to effectively deliver intelligent lyrics. He is complemented by the rhythmic precision of his brother, Adam Redding, on guitar. Redding’s playing is accomplished here and speaks of wisdom far older than his debut appearance would have you believe. His influences are heard throughout but mixed well with his own creations; a very original and exciting individual. This kid can play guitar. You can detect a bit of The Edge, from U2, on “Cancer”, a superb little powerhouse of a song that is easily single material. But picking songs off this effort was not at all easy. They all are very good.

Sean Clark, who comes to the band from Valid where he had the duties of lead guitarist, provides talented bass that gives Echocast more than the usual accompaniment. He supplies heart. But if he supplies the heart, than the exceptional drumming of Jaren Johnston provides the heartbeat that powers the band. Together, as a unit, the cohesiveness of Echocast is in a rank up there with many of the top echelon bands. And I’m not kidding you. As a debut effort, we have a CD that is pumped full of experiential sound to rival 3rd and 4th efforts by better known bands. The songwriting is smart and powerful, with hooks that stick in your mind; a dynamic that translates into sales as more and more fans join the ride.

Standout songs on this release are Ignite, Cancer, Catch your Breath, and Candlelight but I tell you now, I’m not being fair. The fine line between extraordinary songs and good songs on this album is very very thin, almost non-existent. That is what we’re talking about. Great music. Rock and Roll. This band is the real deal. We’re gonna hear great things from this band.

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