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Reviews

Daniel J — Losing Time
(ProgRock PRR117, 2005, CD)

by Jeff Melton, Published 2006-05-01

Losing Time Cover art

Daniel J (Jakubovic) is the lead guitarist of gigging New York based metal quartet Against the Wall. The young fret-bender adopts a mode of self-reliance in the course of thirteen tracks of prog metal that blend elements of King’s X, Extreme, Dream Theater, and some unique attributes. The disc opens with a pounding combination of blurring riffs and attitude that puts the composer on par with modern alternative metal acts such as Staind or Nickelback. Vocally the artist can easily carry the lead in a piece with a delivery that at time sounds like Dave Grohl from a Foo Fighters outtake and/or Lenny Kravitz. Where Jakubovic has got it all together is on the disc’s best arranged track, “End of Summer.” Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess cameos on the track, lending lush piano before the guitarist jumps headlong into a Steve Vai style passage. There are quite a few radio-friendly pieces including “The Best” and “Innocence,” which shows off the composer’s crafted acoustic side. “Out of Reach” takes the mood further down a few notches with Daniel handling solo acoustic piano in perhaps the most heartfelt lyrics on the disc. Overall the young composer is a capable rising star looking to make a name for himself and this disc shows the humble makings of future star.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 33, 2005 releases

Related artist(s): Daniel Jakubovic, Jordan Rudess

 

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