Cyclone Temple’s 1991 debut, I Hate Therefore I Am, is a lost gem of thrash metal and vocalist Brian Troch has a soulful, powerful voice that helped the Chicago thrashers reach that cult status. Troch has now re-emerged in a new entity, a trio with the preposterous name of Elliott Waits For No One. Not only that, but this isn’t thrash metal, heck, it’s not even metal! EWFNO is certified alternative rock with a hint towards ‘90s nostalgia, but also much more than that. Certainly was not expected when pushing play on this record and this is not going to be for everybody, however there is an undeniable charm EWFNO possess and it’s great to hear Troch’s matured, passionate singing again.

Joining him for the ride is solo artist Jenny Franck and one of the drummers for the Blue Man Group, Jeff Tortora. The trio keeps listeners on their toes with tracks perfectly suited for those adorable ‘90s romantic comedies, acoustic odes to let the vocals shine, and some off-kilter tunes that resemble jazz (“Everyone Knows”), a moonshine country stomper (“Ball And Chain”), and even rap (“Wintertime In June”)! Troch and Franck have wonderful chemistry with their vocal trade-offs, each taking their own personality, especially on “Reliable One”, where it seems they are at odds with each other in the lyrics. Franck’s voice is brighter and has almost a sarcastic tone to it, as evidenced in the before mentioned “Everyone Knows”. Most of the songs deal with personal relationships and introspection, but it’s not all a downtrodden affair or engulfed in negativity. No guitar solos are present, which was going to be evident after the first couple tunes finished and they only remotely part that was anything close to metal is the acoustic-led “Megalomaniac”, with a guitar part that is doom metal like in quality if electric guitars pronounced it.

Readers of our site will probably have a hard time getting into this, and while this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the talent and song craft deserves recognition.