Metal Bulletin Zine: That's A Good Idea - melodic instrumental prog duo from Arkansas, U.S.

Monday, March 21, 2022

That's A Good Idea - melodic instrumental prog duo from Arkansas, U.S.

The Arkansas, U.S. "All-Over-The-Place instrumental" mind travellers called That's A Good Idea (yes, their name is "That's A Good Idea," actually) recently released a new song titled "Moon" that is available on YouTube and Spotify and who knows where else. You young whippersnappers who are hip to the latest Instagram and Twitter and MySpace hullabaloo probably will find your own special way to access the music. The only version I have is the 8-track tape that the band sent me via the horse and buggy bandwagon that travels between Arkansas and here in Washington state.

Given that I did not know anything about these guitar wizards, they also sent out an old scroll explaining the history of the state of Arkansas, and the strange pronunciation of their state's name and the why of their music. This is what they say: "Both members (myself [Michael Pettingill] and Josh McGee) were gigging musicians in the central AR scene (former members of Innocence No More, Shadow's Edge and Sons of Mayhem but upon starting families had to move away from that passion. Our first album was simply a way to create new music and was themed around our only other shared experience (having worked in a call center together!). Recently, we've decided we would like to release music that would fit for video games or playlists so that we can continue to create but also make sure it is heard despite not touring."

Their discography is: Your Leads Are Now Diamonds (2017); Beyond The Journey: Volume 1 (2018); Slightly Beyond The Journey (2020); Beyond the Journey: Volume 2 (2020).

Below is the new song, and below that there are a couple of songs from the 2017 album Your Leads Are Now Diamonds. So far, my impression is that said album works with thrash and melodic death metal ideas for a melodic prog sound with plenty of guitar and uptempo vibes. However, I am not familiar with their entire discography and I am unable at this moment to comment in a more general way about their music.

Anyway, if you like instrumetal metal music in the realm of melodic, rocking prog, then this is something to look into. I am looking looking into it myself today, on this grey, cloudy, wet and cold western Washington day.