(updated: 6/3/10)

PUNKNEWS.ORG "Swirling yet inherently melodic progressive post-hardcore.”

AIDING & ABETTING "Finely-tuned prog noodling, albeit with just the slightest hint of an emo influence.”

THE PUNK SITE "Well orchestrated and passionate... (re)Shape feels like a true labor of love.”

Watertown, NY, is the birthplace of the safety pin and the home of the original Five and Dime. It's the hometown of one serial killer, one famous porn actress and a former U.S. Secretary of State. It's also where those little tree-shaped air-fresheners were created.

What Watertown, NY, is NOT is a hotbed of musical activity. It's one of those places where, if you find a kindred artistic spirit, you hold on tightly. That's how the four likeminded members of GREENE REVEAL ended up forming a band together – twice; first as a straight-laced band still developing its sound, and second as the dynamic prog-emo band they've blossomed into today – one of the most hotly acclaimed independent bands in America, praised by MTVU, Absolute Punk and Alternative Press before they could even issue a proper full-length. Now, with the release of that long-awaited album, (re)shape, GREENE REVEAL will transcend the borders of their sleepy hometown once and for all.

Recorded by GREENE REVEAL bassist Matt Corey – twice, after a hard-drive crash – (re)shape fulfills the promise seen by the fans and press outlets who embraced the band in its earliest days. By turns ferocious, sparkling and darkly plodding, the album mimics in its ambition and sonic wanderlust the music of influences like GLASSJAW, CIRCA SURVIVE and AS TALL AS LIONS – but is derivative of none of them. This is GREENE REVEAL planting a flag of its own.

"Going into this record, it was really our sole intent to make something that pushed us to grow as musicians," says singer/guitarist Shawn VanBrocklin of (re)shape. "We allowed ourselves to experiment with different sounds and not confine ourselves to anything. It allowed us to test the waters of different sonic possibilities."

Sonic adventures aren't the only kind of exploits GREENE REVEAL have experienced since their inception. Topping the list – surpassing the dissolution of their pop-punk band, trumping the theft of their recording masters – was the near-fatal van crash the band endured during the last day of a 2009 North American tour. After hitting a patch of black ice, the band, their van and their trailer plunged 30 feet into a snowy ditch, totaling nearly all of their equipment.

"The only thing I really remember was feeling the trailer swing out from behind us and feeling the van going with it," recalls VanBrocklin. "As we went over the guard rail, I looked back to see the other guys getting tossed around. We were so fortunate that no one got hurt. It made me feel like there was more in store for us."

The crash was followed on the same day by two other defining occurrences. Firstly, the band was contacted by Alternative Press, which featured GREENE REVEAL in its AP&R feature; secondly, the members immediately returned to work, and were booking shows within hours of the crash – not even sure if they'd have the gear to pull off the gigs. It was a remarkable display of faith; not only that their fans would rally around them with both moral and financial support, but that, even in face of seemingly insurmountable odds, they would find a way to persevere and pursue their dreams. They may have originally united out of necessity, but this band of brothers is now united by fate.

"I think I can speak for us all when I say that I couldn't imagine writing or playing music with anyone else," VanBrocklin says. "We have this vibe, whenever we get together, that's irreplaceable. We click so well. It's really cool to see how we all push each other to grow as musicians."

Goodbye, Watertown. Hello, world.

 

C2010 Black Lodge Publicity