It’s always a nice surprise to hear from someone you haven’t heard from in a long time. That was the case recently when I received the latest efforts of brothers Chris and Brett Rodler under the name Mythologic. The new CD release is called Standing in the Stillness. Fans of Leger de Main will know what to expect here. And fans of the more progressive side of Rush will want to pay attention.

Mythologic as an entity goes back a few years to when the Rodlers were doing their own thing and had crossed paths with guitarist Steve Matusik who himself was involved with Andeavor. Conflicting schedules prevented any working together until 2002 when the work on Mythologic began. The group is made up of the Rodlers, Chris on guitar and Brett on drums, Matusik on guitars and vocals by Leger de Main’s Melissa Rodler. As one might expect she brings to the table a sound that is very reminiscent of Leger’s early work. But there is more.

For one thing the addition of the second guitar brings a whole new element of instrumental complexity. Devoid of keyboards the dueling guitars more than make up for any atmospheric or textural requirements. For the most part the guitar work is solidly electric although there moments of spaciousness such as the opening and throughout the 9 minute “A Dim Too Dark”. This is the longest track with the others all clocking in around the 5 or 6 minute range. Adding to the atmosphere is Melissa’s “Magic To Breath” delivered a cappella. Her delivery on this track and in fact all the compositions is melodically smooth, lyrically thoughtful and vocally confident.

Each of the tracks allows for plenty of dueling guitar pyrotechnics. And as you might expect it can get quite aggressive at times. This is balanced off by the fact that both Chris and Steve avoid the over use of crunching chords and rely more on actually playing the guitar. In particular Matusik’s guitar style evokes all the hallmarks of Rush. But placed in the context of Mythologic it transcends imitation. Shredding is at a minimum and is used sparingly only to spice up the compositions. Standing in Stillness’ 7 tracks are for the most part mid-tempo affairs with the compositions flowing from one busy segment to the next, many times built around unusual polyrhythmic patterns. Certainly if you’re familiar with any of the previous work of Leger de Main you’ll know what to expect here.

There is much to appreciate in Mythologic’s Standing in Stillness and fans of the afore mentioned bands will certainly find a place for this new CD in their collection. If you’ve never heard this brand of keyboard-less prog before this would be a perfect place to start. Never sounding too much like anyone else they’ve created an individual blend of their influences. Complex in terms of arrangements and yet still direct as with most prog-metal acts, Mythologic rises above the standard fare carving out a unique sound of their own.

Review by Jerry Lucky
January 11, 2004