Pro-Jekt- Encryption

If it wasn’t for the guitar work of Phil May, Pro-Jekt’s debut full-length would just sound like another uninspired goth album. This isn’t to say that the rest of the band is bad, necessarily. Shaun Travis’s vocals, though bland and flat on “Salvation” and the pouting “I Know You Hate Me,” are usually adequate if not outstanding, and the drum machine and synth programming does what it’s supposed to do. Ah, but that guitar! Stronger than what you’d expect from a gothic band, May seems a bit like the odd man out, as if Slayer and Rosetta Stone accidentally swapped guitarists for a night, but the thrash guitar of “Spilt Emotion” and the progressive solos of “A Piece Inside” are what make the songs not only catchy, but even memorable. “Demons,” though it employs some rather stale lyrical conventions, stands out with power chords and synthesized orchestral stabs, either of which are worth banging your head to, while “Dead Valentine” takes a more atmospheric tack, again giving May the chance to demonstrate his proficiency with the guitar without necessarily showing off. The album finishes with a second version of opening track “The Next World” that adds an extended intro of programmed atmosphere, but it’s beside the point: it’s the guitars that’ll have you hitting the “Repeat” button on your CD player.

Visit Pro-Jekt online at www.pro-jekt.org