Resurrection Story – String Theory & Collapsing Stars

Hailing from Detroit, Michigan, rock/progressive rock group Resurrection Story graces us with their powerful debut album, String Theory and Collapsing Stars. An adroit, multi-genre affair  – including hints of blues, jazz, and grunge, hence the “progressive” descriptor – String Theory and Collapsing Stars is a musical ode to universal connectivity, balance, transformation, and collective emotional catharsis. Ready to connect deeply with the profound musical musings of Resurrection Story? Let’s hit the highlights.

Wait. Who does what?

Introducing Ronnie Schoenstein on lead vocals; Jason Charboneau on guitar, backing vocals, and cello (we did say “progressive rock,” after all); Fred Grennan on bass and backing vocals; and Matt Sabin on drums.

And…what’s this album about?

Per the band, “We want this album to inspire reflection on the balance of life’s chaotic moments and how we can find peace within them. Much like the concept of string theory, everything in the universe is connected, and through our music, we aim to connect with our listeners on a deeply emotional level.

Now, about those highlights…

Listening…and talking about it.

Album opener “Grift” has a great Rush-ish guitar riff that functions as the song’s fulcrum. The vocals are strong, able to wade into higher registers when necessary. The chorus reminds me of a particular guitar passage from the 1984 Dune film (the result of Toto’s one and only film score); it’s aching, reaching, trotting as one might quest on horseback, and resolved with stratospheric singing. What an excellent, promising opener.

“Hands of Forgiveness” has an amazing riff that grazes the always giving but withering emotional root of Seattle grunge; it has a very Alice in Chains vibe, and that includes the vocal stylings and haunting harmonies. Wow, what a track.

Mini-epic “Insanity” opens with cello and harmonizing electric guitar; a melody that transforms into thick, monstrous chords. But through this diabolical movement, there are phrases of epiphany, of relief, of triumph. And after this section, we move to a rumbling, quickly picked riff ending on cleverly harmonic rings. An agile guitar solo, speeding through its soupy distortion, is equal parts accurate and purposely sludgy. This is a great, multi-movement piece that takes one on a journey – the epitome of unbound progressive rock.

“Her Devil Eyes” begins with an ominous riff and those Alice in Chains-ish harmonies, but where they lead is quite magical: clever off-time chord strikes with triumphant vocals. And as the song progresses, the energy rises; there are united staccato attacks of voice and guitar; feeling-filled guitar solos that conquer sonic space with water-refracting delay; and an overall feeling of a quest gone horribly wrong, but, with great trepidation, our hero brandishes his dented sword and prepares for his final duel with something ancient, formerly royal, and horrifically undead.

Album closer “Numb,” one of the band’s personal favorites, features a muddy, minutely-bending-where-it shouldn’t-go-but-totally-effective guitar riff. And through the mud, the chaos, more subdued moments with clean guitar arrive; they register the hurt before the warbling, choppy resentment returns. Excellent playing all around, with one hell of an all-too-brief, circuit-sparking guitar solo and an oddly timed finale.

But is it good?

Resurrection Story isn’t here to serve tepid, banal rock – they’re here to explore, to feel, and to dive deeply into emotionally engaging, journey-filled music. They’re here to take you places, to dark dungeons, glittering mountaintops, and over rumbling, scorched earth. They have a vast musical tool chest, and the talent to wield each and every musical theory and implement thoughtfully. Purposefully. Compassionately. 

Resurrection Story is where more rock music needs to go – to locales both dark and light, and between emotional movements both gut-wrenching and spiritually empowering. It’s the kind of music that takes you there, that makes you whole, that drags you through the muddy mire and into the light – that connects the terrible with the divine, and improves you through the necessity of both experiences. String Theory and Collapsing Stars is truly something special, and I can’t wait to see where Resurrection Story’s untangling yarn leads us. Recommended. 

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