Rishloo
Feathergun

It is now well-known that for many years the Internet has been the ideal advertising medium for any artist intending to emerge on the music scene: sites like Myspace or YouTube are populated by a large army of artists aiming to promote their work with the hope of being noticed by a major label, resulting in a (hopefully substantial) contract.

It’s not every day that you come across a band that, while effectively utilizing the means offered by the Web, has decided, however, not to compromise with the music industry and thus embark on their very personal musical journey, in search of the "perfect harmony."

This is the case with Rishloo, a prog/alt rock band from Seattle with two albums already to their name, financed and produced entirely independently, boasting a fair amount of success in their homeland.

Lately, the group's work has been gaining recognition in Europe and South America; however, their current state of financial independence prevents them from having budgets suitable for organizing a promotional tour overseas. Nevertheless, there is hope for them to take their first steps on the Old Continent in the near future.

In this review, we will analyze the band's third studio work, "Feathergun."

The album follows the insipid debut "Terra Fames" and the excellent "Eidolon."

It can be noted that over time Rishloo has tried to differentiate and highlight their unique qualities with each production. With Feathergun, the effort is certainly accomplished: the annoying and redundant "tool-esque" mood has finally disappeared, replaced by a lighter, unmistakably baroque, and highly evocative sound.

The performance of the singer Andrew Mailloux is surprising, with an unmistakable tone that somehow resembles a mix between Maynard Keenan and Freddie Mercury.

Indeed, the first impression is that of listening to brilliant Queen-like emulators in a progressive sauce, an impression that intensifies in dynamic tracks such as "Systematomatic" or "Dyamond Eyes". Alternative echoes in perfect Dredg style ("Turning Sheeps into Goats") and The Mars Volta ("Weevil Bride") nevertheless permeate the entire production, thus enriching the band's offering.

The guitar of David Gillet accompanies the vocal performance at times with hypnotic arpeggios, and other times with distorted guitar riffs.

This is complemented by an inspired style of great impact and personality; thanks also to the lyrics, which are anything but trivial and not always easy to interpret.

With this work, Rishloo demonstrates how inspiration, without inhibiting restraints of any kind, can lead to great results in the musical field.

We are faced with an example of music created with passion and certainly not experienced as a mere business, but as the greatest and most magnificent expression of the human soul.