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Feb
23
2010
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Written by Soen S. Mojo
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 |
It’s great when a band ran to hold out for achieve success and continues to produce album that is challenging and even arresting. Such is the case with IZZ, a five piece band that hail from Manhattan. They started off on a presence with released splashy album ‘Silver Sun’ in 1999, wherein one of the tracks (Endless Calling) received an award in the Billboard song contest. Followed with the release of ‘I Move’ (2002) and ‘Ampersand” (2004) the band has walked over thriving periods from the sensationalism to be professionalism. Such advance culminated in the release of the fourth album ‘My River Flows’. On this, the band appear resplendent in expertise to amalgamated the pomp of Rush with the grandeur of Yes. If only our ears caught a bit of alternative metal riffs in the opening, I assumed it’s just a mere fad that’s intentionally created in accord with the contemporary music trend. And when we catch a retrenchment of prog content in ‘Rose Colored Lenses’ (track-3), ‘Cross Fire’ ( track-5) and ‘Anything I Can Dream (track-6), there they seemed precisely competent in effort to revived the realm of Beatlesque style that most the pioneer done in the early 70s such as Chris Squire, Alex Lifeson, Rick Wakeman with their each methods. On the rest, the music fluttered in description as I mentioned above. “Late Night Salvation” on (track-2) opened with tempestuous glissando on guitar and atmospheric sound of keyboard that’s deceptively created to matching Petrucci and Kevin Moore in their abilities. After interrupted by irregular and descending broken leap on the guitar, the swirling accompaniment of piano took around to led melancholic song. All appearances of this segment throw us back to the rhythm of ‘Where Will You Be’ from Yes’s Talk album. Thereafter guitar took up interlude with the typical Lifeson-like florid in ‘Permanent Wave’ and followed with attractive beats of the duo drummer that’s instantly reminiscent of the duet Collins and Thompson in Genesis ‘Second Out’. Then, the vocal reentered in the shade of Ozzy Osborn-like high-altitude voice and finished with vehement moog-synth lines ala Rick Wakeman. When the thrumming on nylon-string acoustic guitar and the touches on synth bit by bit opened ‘Deception’ on (track-4), I immediately caught the nuances of Yes’s works in ‘Keys to Ascension’, and every passages of the composition heard to brightening the twilight of Yes music. On the other side, both the simplicity and the elegance of Trevor Rabin’s style to led ‘Final Eyes’ in Big Generator might possible to be an inspiration by the band to created Abby’s Song on (track-7). For ‘Deafening Silence’ on (track-8), I have no more words to reveal my admiration. Within duration 21’36’’, the track that is consist of 6 parts loaded lots of dynamic, modulation, ostentation etc. On ‘Realization’ (part-1) we can imagine the manner of Keith Emerson if only he replays piano section in interlude of Yes ‘Heart of Sunrise’ that’s followed by touching accompaniment from Tomas Bodin and Roine Stolt, then flows through odd tempo and slides in Flower King-flavored breaking’s style to rest awhile. Continued by press-sounded keyboard on ‘Lesson from The Heart’ (part-2) that in 7/8 tempo lead Irish-folky female singers, music keep on flowing to define ‘Deafening Silence’ (part-3), to charge ‘Passage of Life (part-4), to build ‘Sanctuary’ (part-5), to create ‘Illumination’ (part-6) with lots of changes, motifs and ornate tones to form classy prog symphony. I am convince that the admirers of Yes, Rush, Flower King don’t suppose this closing track is presented by Tom Galgano (keyboardist/vocalist), John Galgano (bassist/vocalist), Paul Bremner (guitarist), Greg DiMiceli and Brian Coralian (drummer) plus two additional female vocalists Anmarie Byrnes and Laura Mende. Anyhow, the rest of the album is great and highly recommended. I deem it a masterwork among the others.
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Feb
23
2010
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Written by Soen S. Mojo
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 |
Every so often we come across a band in the wilderness of rock underground that came in out of the blue, we will eventually hack their way into the view of everyone. That was my instinct when I first came across a young band from Poland called Perihellium. Built in solid and spirited metal foundations, a definite alternative-class vocal and, above all, the multi-dimensional and stunning rhythm of the teamwork’s outcome. The band consists officially of Gerard Hobel (guitarist), Bartek Bachula (bassist) and Seweryn Blasiak (drummer). In their debut album ‘The New Beginning’ most of the works which are composed by Hobel as protagonist, with the joining of Marcin Sulek as guest vocalist and Grzegorz Kasptzyk who inserted slices of keyboard’s sound. The album includes 5 tracks with an instrumental offering on ‘Chrome’ as a great opener. The sonic slices and lumps from keyboard programming lit up the stirring prog rock. ‘Redd’ on track-2 is introduced with arabesque pentatone on guitar which is continued by mid-eastern ornament on keyboard. In the mid work, both instruments interwined and heard as though John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess had hands in this case. ‘The Traveler’ on (track-3) is could be categorized as a ballad. It certainly is a ballad in metal zone as is in Perihellium’s own fashion. It’s funny they were still hold spellbound by the word of dream on titling a work in prog metal, like ‘Dream Within A Dream’ on (track-4). Is it a kind of tribute, or, is it an effort to compare with Mr. Portnoy’s dream? Because, here they evidently served as instrumental work that flows through changes of tempo and irregular structure that all remind us of Dream Theater’s exciting tricks. ‘Beyond The Time’ on (track-5) is everything in this album. It’s both a great ending with 18’59” duration and as one of my favorite track. It consists of 5 parts; Awaken (part-1), Eternal Peace (part-2), The End of The Ancients (part-3), Part of The Immortals (part-4) and Final Vision (part-5) which is overall able to be a highlight of the album. I must say, ‘The New Beginning’ is the album of a rousing action from a new comer. In this album fans of progressive metal should find enough rewards if you’re brave enough to try a something new. The objections that might be raised to this album are that the production sounds a little lame, beside, it’s a bit spoilt by clumsy vocal that typically is similar to Eddie Vedder/Pearl Jam. Individually, here I can’t find some suitable tastes. However, if you will never complain about it, this album certainly must be something very special. Musically, it’s an exceptional debut.
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Feb
23
2010
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Written by Soen S. Mojo
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Tuesday, 23 February 2010 |
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For those who adopt technical accomplishment framework in analyzing the skill of music, here will not find disappointment in listening to a solo project from a relatively unknown musician. He is Mathieu Gosselin, a bassist of Quebec-based band: Sense. In his ‘Jupiter 9’ project Mathieu played some instruments like keyboard plus synthesizer and acoustic guitar, and he is supported by Richard Lehoux on guitar, Danny Roberston as drummer, and Sylvain Laberge as flautist. In practice, each individual action of them seems to bear down on an experimental. It’s appropriate for a few reviewers to regard this band as the avant-prog that explores unusual tones and rhythms, albeit, in my mind their music is categorized as eclectic fusion with highly dynamic skills. This album features 9 tracks with lots of synergic pitches and exciting solos that punctuated the individual role. For one-half minutes, the spacey piano revolved around the machine drum to introduced ‘Jupiter’ on (track-1) and interlocked in duration 15 minutes 56 seconds by Michel Cusson-like swirling guitar in fusion style to led romantic-jazzy clarinet, then continued by a tempting chapman-stick solo from Mathieu Gosselin before the bluegrass strain from Richard Lehoux rolled to ended up this opener that consists of 5 parts; Prologue, Altitude, Stalagnite, Solitude, and Epilogue. It sometime laid a slightly question aside me, what main instrument did Mathieu play in this album. Guitar or Bass? For instance, in prelude passage of ‘Suite no. 1 in G – BWV 1007’ on (track-2) he presented an interpretation of J.S. Bach’s composition as liken himself to a guitar maestro. So is ‘Krepuscule’ on (track-5) wherein Mathieu conjured bass up to guitar. It’s very fantastic for certain. A number called ‘Cartoon’ on (track-3) reverberated with spirit of fusion and a touch of rock that faintly reminiscent of the Dutch band Focus, although their arrangements are more stylistically modern and fresh in comparison. On the other tracks music still well-created and abstract decorated. Imagine if you will. What did you get from the mixing room where Tony Levin, Andy Summers and Bill Bruford took turns to give righteous contributions in processing music in the hint of UZEB? So as the yield of what have they done. It’s full of attractive romps and technical prowess that have real class. Completed with Tuck Andreas-like guitar playing from the skilled Lehoux in the last track, this album is undeniably great in their music career, and is worthy of our recommendations. Again, it’s high recommended especially to jazz and eclectic prog enthusiast. |
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