Not many bands can say they equally recall
the Dillinger Escape Plan and
Return to Forever, but as it turns out,
Lye by Mistake are not your average/ordinary band, as evidenced by their 2009 release,
Fea Jur. This all-instrumental release certainly displays some impressive technique by the bandmembers on their respective instruments -- and although
Lye by Mistake are only a three-piece, they present quite a fusion-metal onslaught. And while it may be tempting to write
Fea Jur off as a prog release, as with all good fusion releases (especially those from the first wave, in the early '70s), not everything is precise -- which creates a nice "Will they pull it off?" vibe throughout. Sure, quite a few bands have tried to replicate vintage fusion acts over the years, but
Fea Jur is one of the few albums that gets it right. In fact, if you were to tone down the metal side of such selections as "Big Red Button" and "The Condition," these two in particular wouldn't have sounded exactly out of place on a landmark release like Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy. Although fusion music may not be as common in the early 21st century as it was in the decade that gave us bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and Afros, it is still very much alive and breathing, as evidenced by
Lye by Mistake's
Fea Jur. ~ Greg Prato