Reviews

When i listend to the music of Vonassi on Myspace i was imediatly caught by it's freshness and it's melodic sound The full album provided by ProgRock Records hasn't changed my mind. The full 12 songs are equally enjoyable. The Vonassi duo Vaughn and Buonassi are talented composers and musicians who provide a AOR/Indie/Prog music mix that will make you come back for more. The vocals of Chase Carter is outstanding and will make the fans of Fates Warning happy Although not as heavy as FW the guitar-riffs are best feature on this album. The album will be liked by Melodic-AOR-metal proggers. Listening a full album of 12 songs, Vonassi can't keep me being interested throughout the album. So perhaps the excellent guitar-riffs could be more expand and more complex to make it a more ProgRock album which i like even better. ProgRock Records released one of the best debut albums this year with potential to be a major player in Prog-rock music.
proggnosis.com/PGRelease.asp?RID=31621

...Vonassi is a band with its own distinctive sound and whilst musically it does not differ significantly over the length of the album it is diverse enough to remain interesting. The best part, in my opinion, of Vonassi are the powerful songs, typified by tracks: The Drudge, Strong Arm Welfare and The Now Game, which are all very good rock songs. Whereas Field Of View is a bit more funky, but still on the rock side. As an idea these songs sound as a mixture of Bon Jovi, Spock's Beard, Pearl Jam and Sieges Even. There are also a couple of songs on the album in which they try to stretch their boundaries and without stretching really far they come up with some entertaining bits. Beginnings, The Battle Of Ego which continues in Authenticity and Open Hands are the songs with progressive tendencies...
www.dprp.net/reviews/201068.php#vonassi

Fans of bands like Porcupine Tree might be the most obvious target audience for this band. Its contemporary take on the heavier part of the art rock universe is perhaps more creative than truly innovative, but as far as artists blending indie and alternative influences within a progressive rock frame of reference go, Vonassi is a good quality example of such an act. Adventurous followers of progressive metal might also find this effort intriguing, as the bass guitar in particular often touches upon a sound and texture with more of a metal sound to it. Overall, a strong and very promising debut effort that should appeal most strongly to those with an interest in modern progressive rock.
www.progressor.net/review/vonassi_2010.html

Chicago based Vonassi are a modern progressive rock band out of Chicago, cunningly named after band mainmen Mr Vaughn and Mr Buonassi. There's is a guitar based progressive souns which will sound familiar to people who like their prog from the Porcupine Tree side of the family. And they're very good at it. Alongside vocalist and guitarist Chase Carter, they've come up with an always interesting and sometimes surprising take on the genre, which veers towards hard rock, but thanks to inventive arrangements and melodies steers clear of being generic. Opening track 'The Drudge' is one of the heaviest numbers on the album and introduces their sound well. It's an approach which garnishes the best numbers on the album alongside the likes of 'Strong Arm Welfare'. But they haven't forgotten the progsters they're trying to attract, hence the musical triptych of 'Pausing For The Cold', the title track and 'Authenticity', which are linked thematically, and are the most traditionally prog sounding numbers on the album. It's a fine set of songs that fans will play over and over again. When they get a bit mellower, they come over all mid-seventies, a bit like early Starcastle, something that is always welcome round my way. They've also taken some time over the lyrics, which steer well clear of the stereotypes often prevalent in this field, all of which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable debut, most definitely worth checking out.
www.the-rocker.co.uk

Vonassi is Jeff Vaughn and Vince Buonassi, they founded the project in fall 2007 in Chicago. After writing some songs it became clear that this will become a band and so they looked for a singer and found Chase Carter. The trio kicks off heavily with The Drudge, a heavy prog rock tune with a catchy vocal line. Less metal, but as heavy as Dream Theater's Pull Me Under. Singer Chase Carter is also playing lead guitar while drummer Jeff Vaughn and bassist Vince Buonassi play keyboards and add the rhythm guitar parts. The booklet will enlighten you who add which parts. With Gini they offer a progressive rocker which is spiced up with some alternative rock-like passages. At Beginnings you'll find some indie elements, a catch tune which picks up speed and gets heavier towards the end. The title track The Battle Of Ego is a catchy tune with expressive vocals, heavy riffs and some keyboard elements. Enchanting. With Open Hands they got me right away! It's another tune which comes alive due to Chase Carter's vocals, this time combined with symphonic rock sounds and alternative rock riffing. Next in line In The Mirror, another emotional one which makes it easy to fall in love with. After the heavy rocker The New Game they slow down a bit for the progressive one Field Of View. It's the different shades of Vonassi's sound which make the album interesting, but the threesome manages to give the album a homogenous sound. Well done!
www.ice-vajal.com/v/CD/vonassi.htm

...Another remarkable feature of The Battle of Ego include the intelligent lyrics that often show some insightful, and biting, culture commentary as on Strong Arm Welfare or The Now Game. Finally, returning to the over 'sound' of this work, while progressive maybe the overarching motif here, there is plenty of natural accessibility here, almost with an alternative rock feel. Open Hands, In the Mirror, and Beginnings echo that independent alt spirit and should attract the young modern rock listener. Overall, Vonassi's The Battle of Ego is singular and distinctive work demonstrating this trio's immense talent and creativity for melodic progressive rock with an modern alt rock feel. Highly recommended!
www.dangerdog.com/2010-music-reviews/vonassi-the-battle-of-ego-review.php

Vonassi are a new three-piece band signed to ProgRock Records that play a brand of progressive rock not wholly dissimilar, musically and lyrically, to mid-period Porcupine Tree, although there is less "darkness" about Vonassi's soundscape. The emphasis here is on the guitars, which are enticingly played in a multitude of textures – various electric rhythm, acoustic, lead lines. The use of keyboards I would say is decorative, rather than as a front-line instrument – but at times this decoration is extremely effective and pretty. The vocals are very good. The album has a bass-centered production which brings out the beefy, driving bass lines but leads to a little loss of definition at times and this tends to mask some of the keyboard finery. Overall, however, this is a very enjoyable prog-rock album, the outstanding highlight of which are some catchy riffs, and it hopefully heralds a successful career for the band and its musicians. It's well worth checking out, and it will repay careful, repeated listening...
www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=9193

It's nice having labels. I don't mean in order to pigeonhole bands I mean, if you go into the supermarket to buy a tin of beans it's nice to see a nice big informative label on the front proclaiming its contents: 'BEANS'. And so it is with this CD. Look on the back and I can see straight away: 'ProgRock Records'. OK. The 'tin' also tells us that they're a three piece. But be careful with your maths because PROG + 3 PIECE doesn't equal Rush. Despite the band listing Rush amongst their influences along with Porcupine Tree, Dream Theatre and Spock's Beard if I had to place this lot anywhere it would be closer to Queensrÿche. Although vocalist Chase Carter is missing Geoff Tate's upper supersonic range he certainly does have a similar vibrato. The brains behind the outfit are drummer Jeff Vaughan and bassist Vince Buonassi - put them together and what have you got? Vaughanassi or Vonassi geddit! 'The Drudge' commences the CD but is anything but a drudge. Phased guitars and melodic bass thread their way through this track with the bass punching out an irregular It Bites type of syncopation. The odd time signature is nicely managed in that it doesn't draw attention to itself and stays nicely camouflaged within the song...
www.uberrock.co.uk/cd-reviews/24-april-cd/791-vonassi-the-battle-of-ego-progrock-records.html