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Kopecky Blood
CD Review by Scott "Dr. Music" Itter
January 2007

This just may be the most aptly named record ever. Kopecky is a progressive power trio out of Wisconsin that consists of three very talented brothers, Joe (guitar), William (bass), and Paul (drums). But its not the kinship that makes Blood the perfect title for this disc, its the massacre of sound that these siblings concoct that bleeds profusely from every track.

To call this simply a progressive rock album is doing it a grave injustice. This is a disc brimming with avant-garde jazz, funk, and hard rock influence along with being an expressive progressive rock record. Songs like Moontown and The Red Path lean heavily toward the hard rock/metal genre with power chords and riffage that would pair nicely with most anything in the genre. And then there is something like Windows, which is a more streamlined, stereotypical progressive rock journey. I must also add here that I was going to attempt to describe the set closer, Opium, but there really is no way to do it. Lets just say that I hope there is no random drug test at work, because this would get me fired. This song is a trip. Its a hard one to grasp entirely, but I think the physical absorption of the title had to have played a part in the outcome of this one.

In all of these songs you will find amazing feats of instrumental acrobatics from these talented brothers. Joe Kopecky shows an amazing feel for the song here. Playing simple chords when the song calls for them and letting loose with complex fret board work only if it is beneficial to the ebb and flow of the moments cadence. And of course, William Kopecky is the backbone of the entire sound here. One of the best bass players in the world, this brother is an absolute master of his instrument. Plucking the high notes and bottoming out with devastating accuracy, there is no better player in the progressive genre. This is all combined with his lightning fast fret work and rich overall feel. Paul Kopecky is a drummer that makes everybody around him sound better. On Blood he lays down rhythms that dance with brother Williams bass and compliment Joes guitar perfectly. While he is enriching the overall sound, he can be found playing rumbling fills and intricate cymbal patterns as a cherry on top. As if all of this wasnt enough, the boys got Grammy winner Trevor Sadler to master the disc, and former Jungle Rot bassist Chris Djuricic to engineer. Beautiful work, men&&. bloody beautiful.