Wednesday, February 17, 2016

CD Review - Designing the Flaw

Designing the Flaw - Designing the Flaw (EP) (As reviewed on February 17th, 2016)



Artist Bio
Where is the band from?
The band is primarily based out of Northwest Indiana and The Illinois/Indiana border.  Spanning from Michigan City, IN to Riverdale, IL.

Who are the band members?
Arson Wills: Vocals
Mike Phernetton: Guitar
Metalbear Bradshaw: Guitar
Rob Scluicz: Drums
Andres Morales: Bass (In studio)
How long has the band been together?
Technically, the band started in February of 2013; however we didn’t play our first show until June of 2014.  Leading up to that we had a couple member changes.  All in all, we actually named ourselves, Designing the Flaw in January of 2014.
Did any members of the band work in other musical projects before this?
Every member has worked in previous bands…To be honest; the list goes on and on.  4 out of 5 of us have done some sort of touring, and all of us have been in bands that tried to play the cards right.
Are any of the members of the band currently in any side projects?
Andres Morales is a studio musician for several groups as well as a participant in the Columbia College jazz band on bass.  Rob Sulicz does fill in drums for some touring for Mine Enemies Fall.  Mike Phernetton does fill in guitar for touring with Her Eyes Glazed Over, now in a tribute band not yet announced and engineer and producer for privately owned, P-Town Studios.
Where was the album made? Who produced the album?
The album was self-recorded and self-produced by Mike Phernetton of Designing the Flaw at P-Town Studios.  The vocals were mixed by Mike Phernetton; music mixed by Jonathan Clardy of Progression Productions.  Entire EP mastered by Jonathan Clardy.
Who does the songwriting?
The EP that was recently released is mainly written by Mike Phernetton, Metalbear Bradshaw and Rob Sulicz.  The new album currently being written is a collaboration of the entire band as a whole.
Who are your musical influences?
Our musical influences are quite large.  Everything from older Metallica to Killswitch Engage to Black Dahlia Murder.  The drummer stems from more of a classic rock/80s metal background, but not limited to such.  Both guitar players stem from classic rock and 90’s -200s metal.  Bassist has such a wide variety of music, I can’t even begin to list.  He’s very diverse.  Our singer comes from all sorts of backgrounds from soft rock, to hard rock, to metal and then some.  WE like to think it comes from everywhere.
What was the message or goal of this album?
The message is talking about the struggles in life, designing your own flaw, not counting on others, struggles with suicide and coping and then some.  The goal of this self-titled album is build a platform for our band to grow.  It’s only the first of many releases that will all evolve with time.  Grow as we do.  But this allows us a solid start in our venture out into one of the hardest genres of music to break into.  Metal.
Do you plan on touring to promote this album?
As for extensive tours, some of our members remain limited due to full time jobs.  Extensive is too demanding for such a new band.  However, we want to start with the Midwest.  We have plans to do a few 3 o44 day run this summer, starting the fall with a 1 week run.  Besides that, we live right in the middle of some golden states for music: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin and of course, there’s Indiana.  We will do our best to start there, try our luck a little south and east on some short runs and give it our all.
What are your goals for the future?
Our goals are to improve our music, style performance, gain a dedicated fan base, create a name for ourselves in the Midwest and just take our time.  The overall goal would always be to get on a label…however, we feel like that’s the same as winning the lottery.  Rather than owing a label or anyone for that mtter, we do everything ourselves.  Literally everything.  There is a lot of hard work, research and extensive computer work to make this happen.  It’s all worth it in the end.
Where can people buy your music?
Our entire EP is available online at Bandcamp .  There are a couple  of songs for free download at Reverbnation.  We just released an official music video also recorded, produced and edited by Mike Phernetton as well as a still video with just music on Youtube.  Search “Designing the Flaw” for all those.


CD Review:
Favorite Songs: Edge of Madness, Hourglass
This self-titled EP by Designing the Flaw is flawless.  (I’m sure they’ve NEVER heard that one before.. lol.)  While metal is not my favorite genre, I must say that I enjoyed this EP very much.  The mix was excellent and the vocals were perfect.  I liked them a lot because I could actually understand what was being sung about.  There are so many metal bands whose use of “cookie monster” vocals does the band a disservice because the lyrics cannot be understood. I am as vocally oriented an individual as I am musically, so a good combination of both really gets me interested, no matter the genre.  And, I know that the point of really hard metal such as this is not necessarily for the vocals to be understood, but why wouldn’t a band want their fans to really get to know their songs through their vocals! The lyrics perfectly reflect the message that Designing the Flaw is all about. Making your own way through this life and not counting on anyone!   
There are many bands who I am reminded of when listening to Designing the Flaw.  That may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view, but it was a hard-hitting, in-your-face romp that will leave you wanting more.  The guitar solos on this album are very good.  And I always admire and appreciate a drummer who can keep themselves together while playing more difficult pieces.  Did I mention that this album is REALLY good? 
I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys really heavy metal.  For those who have been following the show and have listened to Odin Sun, or Idol Smasher, this band will be for you!  Go listen… right now!

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