Country: Spain
- Genre: Progressive Metal
- For fans of: Tool, Leprous, Porcupine Tree
slq – Crown Shyness
slq is César Parra Rojas’s personal project and “Crown Shyness” is his debut. For the recording, though, he did not stay alone, as he is joined by Baard Kolstad of Leprous on drums, Diego Tejeida of Haken/Temic on keyboards and Nate Navarro on bass, known for his work with Devin Townsend and Porcupine Tree.
From the start it is clear that Tool have influenced the sound quite a bit, mainly in the riffs and drums. At the same time, the musicians involved bring in elements of Leprous, Haken and Porcupine Tree. The result, however, does not yet have a clear identity. There are several good ideas, but the album seems to still be searching for where it wants to go.
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Where “Crown Shyness” wins is in the small moments. “A Chasm” stands out with an unexpected salsa passage and very nice keyboards, while in “A Deception” a bluesy instrumental section with a strong solo appears. Tejeida does excellent work on the keys and Kolstad adds the strange tempo shifts you expect from a drummer of his level.
The biggest problem lies in the vocals. Rojas has ideas for the melodies, but the execution often lacks the power and steadiness needed. This becomes more pronounced because the vocals sit quite far forward in the production.
And while the musicians are undeniably capable, several tracks seem to move from idea to idea without landing anywhere specific. But when the four musicians really lock in together, the result is much better. “A Return” is a prime example, with a nice guitar, strong drumming and beautiful keys.
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“Crown Shyness” therefore has good elements and plenty of room to develop, but for now the strong moments get lost within an album that has not yet found its ultimate balance.
