Devil's Review: Joshua Cooley - MentalMorphosis

Now before I get into this, this is not metal. If I could put it in a category it would be Progressive Rock. Since we're clear on that, lets get this on the road. Joshua Cooley hails from San Diego, California and I believe he is 20 years old. He is an independent musician and he also recorded all the instrumental tracks except drums and has his own studio I believe. And that's pretty much all I know about him, so lets kick start into this review and witness the MentalMorphosis.


First track off the EP is titled Surreality. And this song overall tends to be very soft and doesn't stray too far from it. The song utilizes effects on guitars during the verses, an acoustic and piano chorus, the bass line is there but doesn't draw attention from the main attraction, and the drums create an almost easy atmosphere. But what really hooks me into the song is the vocals, he reminds me a lot of Maynard from TOOL, although his vocals aren't as harsh as his. It's the use of emotions in his voice, although it's mostly kind of depressing.

The next song Comatose Overdose is probably the heaviest song you're going to hear on this album. The guitar work during the verses is utilized well, playing simple notes over and over leading into the crushing chorus. Towards the end of the song you get treated to a break down into some intense riffing at the outro. The drums are still well done, always kind of changing it up and doesn't rely too much on the cymbals till the chorus. Also, I love the thick bass line at the very end.

And we come to our last song on the EP, Seven. The intro is just awesome, the sound of raining, thunder, and hymning flows in your ears creating the atmosphere of the song. Then kicks in Joshua with some acoustic playing, followed by drums, followed by smooth bass. The drums create a bridge being supported by Joshua's singing being distorted by vocal effects into a chorus full of intense riffing. And towards the end of the song a sick breakdown smashes into you. And finally being led out by a solo and acoustic riffing at the end. This being the my favorite track on this CD.

The last track on this EP is Tinnitus which is best explained as noise. It's a pretty unique track, and from research results from the lab...Tinnitus is an ear infection that fucks your shit up. The best way to compare is to a TOOL instrumental track such as...Lost Keys(Blame Hoffman) off of 10,000 Days. And it finally fishes with static and a high pitch beep at the end, a fair warning.

Now overall, this EP was awesome. He utilizes the power of music to overall change the mood and atmosphere with each song, giving you a different feeling. Now his tracks are free to download on his Myspace page, however I urge you not to be cheap and spend like 5$ at iTunes for his album. You can listen to his music at his myspace page HERE! Please support independent music!

Rating: 9/10

Track Listing:

1. Surreality


2. Comatose Overdose


3. Seven


4. Tinnitus