Denizen are a US act featying only one band member – yet it's not Black Metal. Pete Geer is the man behind Denizen, handling all instruments and of course drums programming. He's actually a very talented guy with great guitar skills, his vocals aren't anything amazing but they remind me of a cross between Urban Breed and Layne Staley. The production isn't fantastic although with projects such as this, it is usually a given. I actually think that if Pete could get a backing band on board and iron out the production issues that Denizen could be a decent band. Sound-wise Denizen takes from a lot of metal genres; particularly prog, doom, traditional and some parts making me think thrash and power. The guitar melodies and song arrangements are all interesting, a fair bit of the time I am reminded of Tad Morose and at other points I can hear Opeth in them. Some of the tracks are quite pointless and a lot of the time things can get boring as the track plods into boring bridges and interludes; however when things come together this is enjoyable, particularly on "Leaving Shore". For the most part this plods around and I really found it more of a chore than anything enduring repeated listens. Whilst the occasional good idea jumps forth, it's weighed down by rubbish drums and shoddy production. If this is your thing then by all means have a look in. I appreciate the creativity on display, but the material just doesn't gel with me.
