Jed's airtight, stop-on-a-dime rhythm section burns these high octane bulldozer riffs around corners on the rails. Deep, punchy production stretches the guitar tones downward, while leaving plenty of articulation upstairs, highlighting a creative blend of cool noise and slick chops. Jed's vocals hinge on an Eastern/Arabic modality, which crept in small doses into a lot of mid-'90s metal (even a small taste in The Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up"), but acts more as a melodic foundation here. With some obvious Tool/Perfect Circle influence, these guys have all the musicianship and character to get somewhere if they can just dig through their hearty bag of tricks and pull out a few big payoff choruses. By Dan Benal (www.jedband.com)

From the slowly driven and rather ominous lead-in to “Madmartigan” until the chirpy little noodle that signals the end of “The Singularity,” Synesthesia is a righteous squick through the ear canal by an excessively endowed rock monster. The dual axes wielded by Carr and Kunesh are heavy and sometimes seamless, giving an impression not of intertwining melodies but of two predatory species circling one another awaiting an opening, falling in for the attack and then separating to circle once more. Throughout it all Peterson’s sticks work is surprisingly light in touch and powerful in effect as is the almost subdued bass line from Henninger which, rather than delivering a heavy blow to the gut, thunders relentlessly on with the subtlety of a megaton underground mine blast. The resulting musical melee is exquisite and provides the perfect backdrop for the smoothly muscular tones of Heimann who will not offer screams or cookies but will instead seduce the listener into a warm aural embrace…only after the relationship is consummated does the realization surface that there is something macabre and possibly malefic about that velvet croon. This music is not for the unintelligent. JED is the most lyrically diverse group on the market today…one should expect to reach for a dictionary. One should also be prepared to smile at the street chicks and the lingering odor…and be on the lookout for a guest appearance from the bard from Stratford-on-Avon. This is some heavy music delivered with a precise touch that is wondrous and fresh.

SYNESTHESIA SELF-RELEASED Pacific Northwestern veteran quintet Jed’s hybrid style combines the trademark sounds of their geographic area with eruptions of alt-metal explosiveness on the 11-track SYNESTHESIA. Drawing from the shadowy vibes thrown out by notable area acts such as Queensryche and Alice in Chains for its aura of melancholic darkness while drumming up the wares of Sevendust and Mudvayne for the sheer aggressive output, songs like “Nympho” and “Nothing” showcase intense bursts of melodic yet unpoppy hooks sewn together, forming multi-faceted monstrous offerings. Unafraid to explore the murky reserves of the mind through the enlightenment of the unit’s unwavering metallic force, songs like “New Ambits” and “Two Eyed Cyclops” take excursions to areas frequently inhabited by Deftones and Chevelle with a semi-nihilistic industrial rock swagger, while cuts like “Opal” stomp over nu-metal plateaus with hypnotic rhythms and sinewy grooves abound. SYNESTHESIA is an album laden with darkened dynamicism and elaborate layers that fans of a higher order of metal will undoubtedly swarm to. www.carnelianagency.com -Mike SOS

Jed has been compared to Tool but their diverse, intense style is uniquely their own. All five members are accomplished musicians. Jed's music is dark, hard rock yet their songs have melodic undertones. The band uses terms such "non repetitive- hook laden and multi-faceted" to describe their unusual approach to music. Words that aptly describe the emotion and range of their latest eleven-track CD. The record starts off with "Madmartigan" a disturbing yet dramatic piece that sets the tone for the rest of the CD, which is filled with enigmatic imagery. The various instrumental and mood swings on "Two Eyed Cyclops" is also an attention grabber, combining monster guitars and rhythms. If you are looking for hard rock with a singular spin, look no further than Jed's Synesthesia!