OPUS DAI - Actum Procul

OPUS DAI
Actum Procul
Double Blind Music
8/10





Serving as an initial offering of what one may expect from this artfully progressive, quintessentially unique group, this five track EP, “Actum Procul”, is a good first taste of a band that are full-on supporters of highly acute compositional inventiveness.

Opus Dai injects enough stark aggressiveness into their musical bag of tricks to be a candidate to play with many types of metal bands (System Of A Down springs to mind), while their harmonic sensibilities and acute awareness of the dramatic effect of properly constructed dynamics gives the band a broadened, progressive rock appeal that will attract fans from many areas of the spectrum of musical taste.

“Rain” is as textured as the studio version of the track that is included on the Double Blind artist sampler “Unknown Vol. 1”. An eclectic mixture of the sounds of The Jesus Lizard and Rush, this track stays with the listener well, the charismatic vocals of Chris-Paul Basso drawing you deeply into the emotions inherent in the track.

Opus Dai do very well with loose, Pearl Jam/ Pink Floyd jams, as they exemplify on the haunting “Bella Christa.” In balancing such melodic song parts with more aggressive sounds, as the band (and especially Basso) delivers during the bridges and breaks during this cut. Clocking in at 6:48, the band leaves plenty of room for the singer to be creative. His voice bearing an interesting timbre during the looser sections of the song, Basso does much to prove his value and originality here.

The eerie presence of early U2 meets a driving, chaotic jazz-punk rhythm during “The Front Line” and “Step Up” brings the listener a sonic union of the gruffness of Clutch during the track’s midpoint but the mood of Mike McCreedy’s playing remains during the song’s main theme.

An acoustic, folksy piece entitled “Best Regards” hints at the band’s Led Zeppelin influences, and the rich, full melodies it imparts are admirable in terms of talent and easiness on the ear.

Essentially, Opus Dai is a band that’s great for those looking for a sound that is something new and innovative. This five track live EP is sure to create a substantial amount of interest in the band’s upcoming debut and for good reason, the sounds of Opus Dai are cutting-edge in an age of same-sounding acts. As rare as it is that any EP is great, this intimate sneak peek gives you but a vague idea of just how huge this group has the potential to become.


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