Sign of the Times

Item: Disengage
Author: Beth Blinn

Disengage

(1995)

Reviewed by Beth Blinn

Discogs Bandcamp

Label Salt MusicThe LighthouseOctober 1995

aor hard rock melodic rock

Jeff Scheetz is probably best known to guitar players and anyone who has an affinity for sounds produced by that instrument. He has had two critically acclaimed instrumental albums (Woodpecker Stomp and Dig) has done hundreds of guitar clinics for Yamaha, and has written a regular guitar column for Heaven's Metal magazine.

He's back again, with a new release on Salt Inc. Music, Disengage. This time around, however, he has assembled a band, Sign Of The Times, that is more "normal," in that vocals are involved. Hooking up with his former guitar student Adam Dean [this seems to be kind of a trend-the rock group Magdalen features guitarist Lanny Cordola and his former student Phil Bardowell on lead vocals], drummer Jim Riley and bassist E (who is formerly known as Ed), Scheetz has developed a project that is a little more straight-ahead rock than his past work, but still throws in a few musical curves.

Consisting of 11 tracks, the album kicks off with the rocker "Are You Listening," and continues the pace with "I'm Alright." This is good old rock-n-roll, with the emphasis on guitars, but with a solid rhythm track behind it. More in the vein of Whiteheart and Whitecross than Petra, it's fairly melodic.

Dean has a strong voice, that occasionally is reminiscent of Whiteheart's Rick Florian (or however he is spelling his name these days). His vocal interpretations of the songs seem to stick pretty closely to the mood that the music is invoking, whether it is pensive or challenging. E and Riley mesh well as a rhythm unit, and Scheetz uses their base as a take-off point for some instrumental heroics.

Lyrically, the songs mix a personal point of view with some observational comments, without getting preachy. Scheetz is the primary writer, usually collaborating with either Dean or E. While the direction that they're coming from is pretty clear, they don't bang you over the head with God. They lament the loss of innocence in "Innocent Eyes" and the difficulty of trying to weed through all of the information thrown at us in "Great Unknown." And in "Are You Listening," they address the state of the individual when the realization of God breaks through:

There was a time When the words that I said Came not from my heart, But out of my head. And I wondered why You didn't hear me. Then my life changed, And my heart opened up. I ate of the bread, I drank from the cup. And now I know, Why I need to you hear me.

Fans of Scheetz' guitar prowess will be happy to know that there are two instrumentals-"Sunrise," a beautiful acoustic number, and "Texas Toast," which is a fun romp through bluesy-rock territory.

Disengage moves Scheetz into a more mainstream type of music than has been exhibited on his instrumental releases, but it still shows some willingness to get a little unconventional. Certainly having vocals will ensure a little more airplay than he has enjoyed before.