Together, they have achieved what I can only describe as a masterwork in the genre of … uh … Electronic Prog-Metal Crimsonish Space Rock. Ugh. A woefully inadequate description, even if it does hit some of the styles these guys obviously appreciate. 
Now to describe what the music is like … the guitars are prog-metal if you consider Lark’s Tongues in Aspic to be prog-metal. The busy bass lines are more along the lines of what you’d expect from, say, John Myung, and the drums are definitely double-bass prog-metal in style. Except that, near as I can tell, there is no drummer … I believe these are sampled drums, and they’re incredible. What gives them away is the incredible stereo imaging of the drums, rolling across the headphones like thunder echoing from nearby hillsides (oh, yes, you’ll want to listen to {CLOSEDLOCKEDSEALED} on a good set of headphones!). That and the fact that I’m not sure any human could actually play these drums. Not even Mike Portnoy.
And yet there are also sampled string sections, lyrical piano interludes, and even one section that sounds as if it’s about to be a female vocalist any second, though she never actually starts singing. Never mind, then … “she” is a very natural-sounding sample. There are also influences of space rock throughout, both the Hawkwindish metal type and the Hidria Spacefolk synth-based type.
But ultimately {CLOSEDLOCKEDSEALED} isn’t prog-metal, space rock or any other genre you could name. Hess and Franzen have come up with an incredible debut for their fresh new style, and I recommend it very highly. If I had to complain about something, it would be it’s LP-ish length … about 47 minutes. I could have easily listened to much more of this … perhaps a bit more on the next album, which I sincerely hope is in the works.
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Instrumental music well is not normally my thing, and if I do like its good be good or something special.  It’s good, the production values of this is fantastic,  Look this is a cool unique album that different, two people who have come together to make an album that is an unique experience to the ears. It’s well produced and well played, so if you like good music well done and you love instrumental music than this it for you. I say check it out.
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Es un álbum completamente instrumental, y muy expresivo: cada canción cuenta una historia, llevándonos por una montaña rusa de sentimientos y de paisajes distintos. Lo más importante del álbum es la forma en que cada canción expresa un ambiente distinto. Prepárate para oirlo y sentirte en una guerra futurista, en el medio oriente, en una aventura épica, en un bosque, o en el espacio exterior. Esto es lo más importante del disco – juega con nuestros sentimientos.
Para mí ha sido una sorpresa muy grata, e increíblemente inesperada. 
Sin embargo, este es un disco inspirado, variado, potente y melódico, ambiental y profundo, lleno de matices y con una propuesta muy fresca. Hess & Franzen es un dueto al que le auguro mucho futuro, y, en mi humilde opinión, este es uno de los mejores debuts prog de 2011.
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