Mapping the Labyrinth by Skovol Unit

I'm trying to talk him into throwing a rap section into something on the next project to exploit that aspect of his range. A lot of people think effects were used to create a couple of the backing vocals on 'Requiem for a Coward", but he really did sing that low"

Scott Mapes and Dave Bell are both multi instrumentalist. Dave is also currently composing music for a Flamenco guitar solo release, and he provided the acoustic guitar parts on "If" and the keyboard parts on "Québecois Rain". Though the group labels itself as "progressive rock/metal", any guitar-based style can pop up, as evidenced by the funky rhythms on "Something Else" and the beautiful "Reflections" which features only an acoustic guitar and vocal.

Both Bell and Mapes' musical journey's share the parallel of starting out with influences of a more simplistic nature, a fact that may not be readily evident in their progressive metal leanings.But the fact that they became big Rush fans on their own path’s became a cohesive factor once they started jamming together.(The fact that they’re cousins makes one wonder if there is a genetic disposition in connection with being able to play odd time signatures with a natural affinity). Scott has been playing guitar for 22 years and bass for 14. Dave has been playing drums for 19 years, and learning other instruments on the way, including Flamenco and Classical guitar styles,tabla drums,marimba,several percussive instruments, and keyboards

Scott Mapes' desire for learning guitar was the same motivation shared by many a start-up. "To get girls" he laughs. When that didn't work, he thought "maybe I should learn how to PLAY the thing". He began by learning how to play the melody lines to Hank Williams, Sr. Songs. "I thought most of his songs had 2-chords, how hard could guitar playing be?" He soon became influenced-as have so many- by Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhodes and Jimi Hendrix., learning to play many blistering Van Halen licks on a steel string acoustic. Also, the influence of Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth can be heard in Mapes' rhythm playing.

Scott became interested in playing bass after seeing Rush's "The Big Money" video on MTV and coming to the conclusion that "bass doesn't have to be boring!" His interest also came from a frustration with the bass players of the area.."The good ones were taken and the rest seemed to content to just double what the guitar player was doing" He also recalls thinking to himself while watching that Rush video "Wow, I'll never be able to play anything like that!" A statement that now bears irony, as many point out the Rush influence they can hear in Scott's compositions, and David once hailed him as "The closest thing to Geddy Lee you're going to find within 300 miles of the Fort Wayne area". Mapes is quick to deflect the compliment with "In a bass-off, Geddy would kick my butt in half a minute...or less! However, I think Dave can play about anything! He's not content to limit himself to just rock drumming. Latin, Jazz, Afro-Cuban..whatever style, he's willing to explore and absorb and adapt. You can tell this even on an aggressive, bombastic piece like 'Have a Nice Day'. If you concentrate on just the drum track, you will clearly hear that he's tossing all kinds of influences in there".

Scott's vocal contributions were also born of frustration. "People I tried out would hear this heavy aggressive music, and they’d start screaming as high as they cold, or growling as low as they could. That works for some types of hard, heavy music. But it's just not what I imagined for my compositions. So I thought I'd give it a shot .And, as Jimi Hendrix was quoted 'If Bob Dylan can get away with it, so can I!'".

Mapes biggest vocal influence has been Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, though he's quick to point out "I'm no Geoff Tate. If you compare "Conspiracie" or "Reflections" to" Nanji", it's readily evident that "Nanji" was recorded during a completely different time period." Dave also points out that Scott's voice has become "more refined and in control" over the years.

Another reason Scott tried his hand at vocals was "Most guys don't care for my singing. A lot of them say I sing 'too nicely' for the styles of music I write. But the majority of the females like my voice...so I really don't see a problem" he laughs.

Skovol Unit have enough material for at least 6 strong albums from Scott alone. But are hoping for the next project to be more of a collaboration. Says Dave "Sure I'd like to have more of my songs on the next release, but I didn't mind that all but one song are Scott's. He just naturally writes challenging material to play. He never counts, he writes by feel, which is what music is all about anyway. But it makes life very difficult for drummers", he laughs. "I made him learn to count 'Uroboros' though! We know we're dreaming big, but we're hoping to sell at least enough CD's to be able to take a break from our mind-numbing, creativity-stifling jobs to be able to concentrate solely on writing, recording, and collaborating on another labyrinthal epic full of odd-metered mayhem"

Dave's versatility is also on display on drums, percussion, bass, and guitar on the 'indie chick new age folk rock' release "Chara River" by singer/songwriter Kerry Rutherford,and on "Messages From Afar by Beyond Melrose, in which his songwriting abilities are also demonstrated.

Average Customer Review: