The Divided Line

A quick check on Google tells me that paramnesia is; “a condition or phenomenon involving distorted memory or confusions of fact and fantasy, such as confabulation or déjà vu”. So there you have it, a new word has been learned today, and that sense of déjà vu washes over as yet another new(ish) band appears on the radar. As good as it is hearing new music from established acts, it’s always a bonus when you hear quality music from a band that you are discovering for the first time. Canadians The Divided Line have been around for a few years in one guise or another, and after a short break to regroup, they bounced back with a new vocalist (Greg Cave) and drummer (Luke Scott). ‘Paramnesia’ is the sound of a band firing on all cylinders, and for a self released EP, the production is of the highest quality.

Progressive rock/metal can be quite divisive, as parts of the genre are blighted with self-indulgent over playing, but while a lot of the elements of prog are evident on ‘Paramnesia’, the over-playing element is not one of them, thankfully. The radio friendly grooves and arena warming hooks provide the dividing line (sorry!) to the hard hitting sounds. Vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, Cave has a voice that is instantly warm and familiar, but also one that has a tale to tell, and the scars to prove it. At six tracks, and thirty minutes long, ‘Paramnesia’ is alluring from the off. Opening track ‘Breathe’ has a guitar sound that has you checking that Blair Barton is indeed the sole guitarist on the EP. Barton stays in the background when subtlety is required, only stepping forward to produce spellbinding solos when called upon. That’s what I feel makes The Divided Line stand out. You know the solos are coming, and when they do, Barton reins in the urge to be flash. He’s hardly restrained though, as ‘Dimensional’ features a stunning mix of fatter-than-fat power chords and groove-ilicious riffs. The drumming… wow! Powerful stuff from Luke Scott and Phil Elliott (who plays on ‘Breathe’ and ‘My Confession’), and it’s fantastic to hear the drums so high up in the mix. Through the first five tracks (the brooding ‘Deja’ being the favourite), the overall sensation is one of an album gradually building towards an epic climax. That would be closing track ‘Sync-Wave’, then. The haunting, atmospheric intro slowly ensnares the listener as the tale begins to unfold. What follows is a mesmerizing five minutes of bazooka sized bass lines from Reza Shaffaf, pounding drums, some stunning guitar work (gotta love the wah wah effects), and a vocal performance that simply soars. Not so much saving the best for last, more than the tale reaching a natural conclusion. Stunning stuff.

Review: Dave - Devil's Gate Media

The first thing you’ll notice about Toronto’s The Divided Line is that their singer, Cave, sounds like a very decent in-between of Maynard James Keenan and David Draiman. There’s just enough ether in his voice to emulate Maynard, and just enough gravel in his voice to sound like Draiman. Good things, those.

I like being assigned a good prog band, because Bloodrock doesn’t get a lot of them in our list of bands to review. Prog bands are always a good palate cleanser between all the harder metal bands we listen to, and The Divided Line’s Paramnesia is no exception.

The second I punched it up and was greeted by the song “Breathe”, it was like being transported to a different state of being, which makes sense, given the band’s chosen name.

I’ll explain.

While I was always a more of a Descartes man (not to mention my namesake Thomas Hobbes), I did study Plato in college, and his theory of the divided line is a dichotomy between what we perceive and how we perceive it, and the mind’s division between the two, and then the division of the perception into different ways of feeling about what we sense. It’s an oversimplification, but you get my meaning.

This does lend a bit of clarity into The Divided Line‘s methodology as it applies to their approach in their music. Much like Tool, they’ve taken to using an unpredictable song writing style, which, if you’re into that kind of thing(I am), can be VERY enjoyable.

The song “Phylliidae” is another really good example of how the band can take you to another place. I closed my eyes, and pictured myself free falling through space. That’s not lip service, either. A band like this needs to be felt, not just heard. So I like to turn the lights down and throw on the headphones to block out the world, and this song really did its job.

Paramnesia carries with it a wonderful imagery, and a band that can do that without being pretentious about it is a band that could use a bump in status. If you’re in for the sound, you’ll enjoy this band a lot. For this, I give Paramnesia a 4 out of 5. Good work, guys!

Paramnesia drops February 23, 2018

FFO: Tool, Soundgarden

Lineup:
Guitar – Blair Ryan Barton
Bass – Reza Shaffaf
Drums – Luke Scott
Vocals – Cave

Tracklist:
Breathe
Dimensional
Phylliidae
Deja
My Confession
Sync-wave

Web links:
http://dividedlinemusic.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dividedline/

Written by Hobbes Caltous for Bloodrock Media, February 1, 2018 - Bloodrock Media

'Paramnesia' defined as a distortion of memory that confuses fact and fantasy - or in other words, deja vu. It's an apt name for the debut six-tracker from these Toronto prog-rockers who tip their cap very obviously to Tool, Deftones and Pearl Jam. It makes for an interesting canvas to work from, but if there's a criticism, it's that Paramnesia is front-loaded. By the time it draws to a close, it's driving, metronomic pulse has become leaden, more slog than groove. Luckily, the earlier tracks are promising. Breathe, Dimensional and Phylliidae are choppy and propulsive, changing direction at a moment's notice while frontman Greg Cave glowers on penetrating melodies amid metallic riffs and imposing bass. Drawing from a disparate mix of influences, The Divided Line have succeeded in carving a sound that's knotty, intense and brooding.
For fans of: Tool, Pearl Jam, Deftones
Dannii Leivers - Metal Hammer UK

(Google-Translated from original German)

Written by Melanie Busch
Volume : The Divided Line
Album : Paramnesia (EP)
Genre : Progressive Rock
Copyright : © 2017 The Divided Line
Label : Independent
Release Date : October 17, 2017

Inspired and inspired by bands like "Tool" and "Incubus", guitarist Blair Barton started writing songs in 2009. His goal was to make the project a reality, so he brought his longtime friend, bassist Reza Shaffaf, on board. It was not long before the band found their first fans in and out of Toronto. With atmospheric sounds and intense grooves, the band THE DIVIDED LINE transcends all borders. With their Progressive Rock they deliver a powerful sound, which they now introduce us with their EP "Paramnesia".

From the opener "Breathe" I am directly entrained. Melodic riffs and powerful drums ring in the EP. The influences of "Incubus", "Deftones", "Korn", "Radiohead" or "System of a Down" can be heard, but what fascinated me from the beginning is the vocals of Cave. Which in the track "Dimensional" is a bit smoky and soulful, but still wraps around the sound with the necessary power. The melodic but at the same time rocky riffs bring the song "Phylliidae" into an extraordinary Progressive Rock track, where they let their skills come to the fore. The quiet track "Déjà" can prove to me with its powerful power, because this sound gets under your skin in all areas. The number "My Confession" also leans against it, although I am always reminded of various bands with a status symbol, but I finally let myself be convinced of my own mark. "Sync-Wave" scores with electronic sound elements that lean rather as a melodic gimmick in the background to the otherwise expressive sound.

My top songs on the album : Breathe, Déjà, My Confession

Conclusion : Everything seems almost too perfect to start. I hope to get a full length album from this band soon. Without ifs and buts I can absolutely recommend this EP or this band. Convince yourself with a single click on her homepage, link below.

Tracklist :
01. Breathe
02. Dimensional
03. Phylliidae
04. Déjà
05. My Confession
06. Sync-Wave

Line Up :
Cave - vocals
Blair Ryan Barton - guitar
Reza Shaffaf - bass
Luke Scott - drums

More info :
http://dividedlinemusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/dividedline - Hellfire Magazine

OVERDRIVE Music Magazine had the opportunity to check out and review Toronto rockers The Divided Line’s upcoming release Paramnesia. The Album is set to be officially released on CD and Bandcamp on the 23 of February 2018, the guys are not currently signed to a label and are releasing the album as an independent. This is no easy feat by any means. They recorded the album at Phase One Studios – Toronto and had Mike Langford & Dajaun Martineau Produce. They have come through with an album that we feel many people will truly enjoy.

The band is made up of Greg Cave – Vocals, Blair Ryan Barton – Guitars, Reza Shaffaf – Bass, Luke Scott – Drums. Barton started writing music in 2009 and quickly joined forces with long-time friend Shaffaf. They say that “their musical synergy was evident from the moment they began writing together.” They were soon joined by Cave and Scott to complete the line-up. They have been writing and playing shows, making a name for themselves in and around their hometown of Toronto Canada.

From the band’s namesake, they “draw on Plato’s concept of the divided line, which describes the visible world of things and objects perceived versus the understanding we have of them, The Divided Line blends elements of prog with radio-friendly hooks while exploring unconventional song structure. The result is a melodic, hard-hitting sound with grooves and lyrics you won’t forget.”

“Paramnesia- a distortion of memory in which fact and fantasy are confused.”

You can certainly hear a common element carried through the whole album. Every song has an interesting tale to tell, harmonizing the album together.

Paramnesia contains six tracks that are heavily influenced by Tool, I can also hear some strong presence of bands like Disturbed, and The Butterfly Effect’s later stuff, although these bands are not on their list of influences, it comes across pretty intensely to my ears. The Album starts with Breathe, this song is a strong kick off to the soundscape that they have created for the narrative. There is strong storytelling throughout the whole album, that Cave belts out with passion. Sync-wave is the last song on the album and is the stand out of the six. The texture of this song is just right. There is no denying that these guys are very good at what they do and the Mastering by Peter Letros is amazing.

Although this is not something I would normally gravitate towards, I look at everything with an open mind and I can say without any doubt that if you are a fan of bands like Disturbed, and The Butterfly Effect with touches of Tool then this album Paramnesia and the band behind it will be something you should definitely check out.

Their Facebook page can be found at

https://www.facebook.com/dividedline/

They also have a video of their song Phylliidea, which is the third song off Paramnesia. Check it out here.

https://www.facebook.com/dividedline/videos/1674446492588049/ - Overdrive Music Magazine

So this is not a bad thing so please do not give me shit about this . But someone loves Maynard of Tool and A Perfect Circle very much with a few bands like Chevelle , Mastodon and Opeth. Yes this is a Progressive Post Hardcore band there are so many East of the wall, Cult of Luna and Giant Squid , Sense Field and Quicksand. I'm loving it as it fills a void for a more complex and heavy Progressive band that like to cross the boundaries from Metal to Rock to ???? The Divided line is all this an more. This is a thinking man's or woman's band as there are so many layers and things going on you can not listen to this album once or twice and ever get the full picture of a band like this . How is band not signed to a label like Translation Loss, Sargent House, Matador or Temporary Residence .. So I'm yelling out to the world . This is Post Metal meets Post Hardcore with strong prog elements. get this or miss out ..

https://thedividedline.bandcamp.com/ - The Doorway To

(Google-Translated from original Portuguese)

The Divided Line - "Paramnesia" (2018)
Independent
# AlternativeMetal , # ArtRock , # ProgressiveMetal

For fans of: Tool , Incubus , Nine Inch Nails

Note: 9.0

Inspired by names like Maynard James Keenan and Mike Einziger, guitarist Blair Ryan Barton began writing his own songs. His long-time friend, Reza Shaffaf, bought the idea, taking over the bass and accumulating the contact function for shows and spokesman for press affairs. In February 2009, The Divided Line went out of print and soon began to stir up the Toronto scene. Since then, there have been five studio releases, including this "Paramnesia", which, although already available on digital platforms, is likely to be released in physical format next year.

The press-release promises intense grooves and atmospheric sounds, but the truth is that the band is not just those that are the most striking sonic traits of bands like Tool and Incubus, names that the quartet includes among its main references. Music complexity - boosted above all by unusual textures and structures - comes into play with a strong commercial bent, with refrains that would not make ugly on today's rock charts.

A vast library of timbres, inheritance of the progressive that must have grown listening by table with the parents, also marks presence. Notice the keyboards in "Breathe", feel the bass pulsating in "Déjà Vu", perceive each nuance of the battery in "Sync Wave" ... but mainly, listen to "Paramnesia" bearing in mind that rock is a mutable force, that agglutinates , incorporates and is allowed to transform. If it is true that movement generates movement, it is time for the universe to contribute to the success of TDL from being just local.

Marcelo Vieira - Metal Na Lata