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Right-Click pictures to download a hi-res version.  l to r: Dan MacAdam, Rob Sullivan, Bill Murphy, Dan Sullivan photo by Wyatt Mitchell  l to r: Rob Sullivan, Dan MacAdam, Bill Murphy, Dan Sullivan photo by Wyatt Mitchell  l to r: Dan MacAdam, Bill Murphy, Rob Sullivan, Dan Sullivan photo by Edra Soto
from TimeOut Chicago November 9, 2006 Top live show Do you ever see names of metal bands—Atreyu, Darsombra, sunn O)))—and wonder what the hell they mean? In what might appear to be a satire of metal lexicon but is more likely an ass-whooping revitalization of it, the local rock quartet Arriver openly admits the inspiration behind its genesis and its fanciful lyrics: voice-recognition software. In 2004, “lead bassist” Rob Sullivan came across a paragraph of text that VR software had attempted to translate, and in a flash of creative genius, was struck with the inspiration to start a metal band. That same paragraph pops up again as the complete lyrics for “The Verse of Halon Hong: Sighting the Verse,” one of ten triumphant slabs of hard rock on Vanlandingham and Zone, the band’s new, self-released debut: “…Among the long, as in the / new version / of removal was a phase / of the lining of the long / Vanlandingham / And zone.” When these bizarre words are sung, though, Arriver shifts from a Dadaist joke to a daring and frequently thrilling metal band. Opening tonight for Dave Pajo’s new metal project, Dead Child, the quartet, all veterans of fringe local rock (Butchershop Quartet, Magnolia Electric Co.) combines the compositional discipline of Iron Maiden with the prog artiness of Slint.A recent show at the Note proved the scraped and bruised engineering of Electrical Audio’s Greg Norman was no studio fabrication. After the sequence of harmonized guitar solos and a cappella sea chanties, what are most memorable are drummer Bill Murphy’s relentless engine and Sullivan’s thundering double-stops.—Matthew Lurie printed on Metalreview.com 10/5/06 Rating Scale: 1-6 The scope of Arriver is astounding. For an unknown band that, to my knowledge anyway, is unsigned and untouched by any major to devise something as massively mythological and textured as Vanlandingham and Zone takes a lot of faith. This first album of theirs is an example of what a diverse collection of musicians can do when impassioned and inspired by a singular vision. This is cohesive in the way that all concept albums should be; not unnecessarily knob-twistingly complex, but progressive enough to establish its own sound and earn its own accolades. Speaking of sound, Vanlandingham and Zone traverses fairly diverse territory in such a short amount of time. This isn’t your typical 70-minute wankfest. It’s forceful rock that reaches eloquent peaks to plateau into an inescapable sludge. While the production is relatively clean and helmed in Steve Albini's studio by Greg Norman, grit and grime envelop Arriver’s debut like a creeping threat and I like the fact that they so welcomingly attach that to their sound. The contrast between the epic powerfolk of Hammers of Misfortune and the sludge found on tracks like “Slaughtering of the People of the Zone” is stirring, challenging, and above all, refreshing. Most tracks are under three minutes, meaning a tighter structure than most would expect from a progressive act. Keeping it short is always a recipe for success on any debut so long as the music delivers because it leaves listeners with the urge to hear more. After listening to Vanlandingham and Zone a few dozen times, I want to hear more. This is sludge, rock, hardcore, and folk in smooth morning shake form. In fact, as I sit here cross-legged drinking Frusion in an 8 AM stupor, I couldn’t think of a more delectable mix.
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