When I picked up Works Volume 2 (on the day after Thanksgiving 1977, at Hansen’s Music Store in Greenville, Michigan — thanks for taking me along, Mom!), it didn’t feel like a disappointment. In fact, on first listen it was a nifty change of pace from the orchestral bombast of Volume 1 — 12 shorter tracks, all new to me, exploring the jazz, blues and boogie that only occasionally showed up on ELP’s earlier records.
Recently I highlighted the excellence of Apex, the new heavy metal concept album from Unleash the Archers, and I supplied you with some links for reading about it.
For a detailed track-by-track explanation, here’s the band’s amazing vocalist, Brittney Slayes, taking you through the story.
How great is it that in the age of YouTube we get video supplements as liner notes?! Wow… enjoy… and remember to follow me to Apex…
There are times in every music lover’s life where a record’s concept, ambition, and execution is understood and loved immediately. Not just by the heart and how it makes you feel but on an intellectual level as well. These moments are when one truly appreciates an artist’s creation. Welcomer has all the essential ingredients to conjure up this feeling in anyone who listens to it with no fluff added.
More focused than the meandering nature of Muse and more immediate than the sometimes glacial pace of TesseracT, Adaen is a project, led by composer, singer and guitarist Valentine Berezin who is joined by bassist Alexander Vorontsov and drummer Leonid Nikonov, striking a balance seldom can attain, much less in the realm of progressive rock/post-metal. The sheer number of ideas as to where to go and what to do with the medium has resulted in many albums either going too far with the wall of noise or holding back too much in fear of doing so. Welcomer doesn’t experiment with the plethora of soundscapes and instruments available to those subscribing to the jazz/fusion moniker but instead chooses to hone its more contemporary musicianship to a razor sheen. Every instrument is clearly differentiated and contributes to the different cascades of mood every song portrays. The guitars in particular showcase a perfect mix of distorted riffage and technical fret play which play through and off each other artfully. The noodling has a clear focus in each song, and never seems to just fill space. In fact, the entirety of the record gives a definite sense of progression, carrying the listener from one section to the next seamlessly and gives off a welcome cohesiveness.
At the heart of Welcomer is its concept, which is that of stripping away the superfluous qualities of emotion, situation, and inspiration and leaving behind only its essence. This is the “concept” in terms of following certain vibe and structures, and perfectly describes the band’s direction with the absence of a variety of instruments and the sharp focus of the songs. That is not to say Welcomer drags on at any point, in fact the pacing is beautifully crafted. Musically, the record achieves everything it was made to do.
Adaen bestow upon the masses a genre-defining album, displaying a marvellous blend of experimentation, songwriting expertise (not using that word lightly), and the feeling of plain rocking. The strange juxtaposition of using a concept of stripped-down instrumentation, conveying feeling and moods at their most basic level using a framework as frequently ostentatious and gaudy as progressive rock is not lost on this reviewer and the fact that it’s pulled off so well by three guys only is quite a feat. Those who want thrills without frills in their music cannot go wrong by giving this a listen.
“Studio and live are two worlds. Would you, the audience, prefer to have a love letter or a hot date? Each have their value. Crimson were always a band for a hot date. From time to time they could write a love letter, too, but for me they were better in the clinches.” (Robert Fripp)
In advance of King Crimson’s upcoming US tour (starting June 11 in Seattle), Discipline Global Mobile has released Heroes, a low-priced live EP of recordings from last fall’s European excursion. Blending the best of Fripp’s two worlds, it shows the Seven-Headed Beast that was 2016’s Crimson in fine fettle and ready for the clinches.
The new album from Unleash the Archers, Apex, is truly impressive. But you already know that if you have read my review or listened to it for yourself.
Yet what I left out of my review was an explanation of the concept album’s full story extending from the first track to the last track. In that regard, the excellent review over at Angry Metal Guy is the best thing you can read, because it nicely details how the storyline unfolds and is perfectly realized in the music (which fits it like a glove).
If you’re a progger who needs an entry point through one song, try downloading just “False Walls” and listen to it again and again until you are hooked. I guarantee that you will find the excellence of the musicianship to be truly stunning.
Well, the whole album is that good. And the integrity of the epic storyline will have you thinking that this just might be the prog album of the year, because the whole album is in effect one gigantic epic song that deals in mythical archetypes. It’s so good that as you listen to it you can imagine it being realized cinematically as a full-length movie.
The only White Willow album I’d heard before their new effort was 2011’s doomy Terminal Twilight. Gorgeous, Gothic stuff, but it didn’t leap out at me as anything special. Future Hopes, however, is a gripping album, unpretentious in presentation (Roger Dean cover notwithstanding) but wonderfully ambitious in scope and sonics. It starts in darkness, then doggedly journeys toward the light — and it carried me along from beginning to end. Continue reading “White Willow, Future Hopes”→
Christianity Today had a great analysis of some Chris Cornell lyrics back when they reviewed the first Audioslave album:
“In your house I long to be/Room by room patiently/I’ll wait for you there like a stone/I’ll wait for you there alone”
— from “Like a Stone”
…
The album’s single “Like a Stone” has enough content to warrant its own essay. The chorus (excerpted above) is a strong plea for salvation and to be in God’s presence. No doubt many will be hung up on the lyric, “On my deathbed I will pray to the gods and the angels/Like a pagan to anyone who will take me to heaven.” In the song’s context, however, it seems more like a desperate plea than an actual strategy or worldview, akin to the rich man asking Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Chris also qualifies it with the contrite third verse, “And on I read until the day was gone/And I sat in regret of all the things I’ve done/For all that I’ve blessed and all that I’ve wronged.”
It’s not the only faith–inspired track on the album. The prayerful “Show Me How to Live” is fairly self–explanatory: “Nail in my hand from my creator/You gave me life, now show me how to live.” One of the album’s softer tracks, “I Am the Highway,” could be interpreted as what God is and isn’t–present in everything and bigger than we imagine: “I am not your rolling wheels/I am the highway/I am not your carpet ride/I am the sky/I am not your blowing wind/I am the lightning/I am not your autumn moon/I am the night.”
“Exploder” illustrates how spiritual freedom helps us reconcile the hurts of a sinful world, and “Hypnotize” reminds us to show love and compassion to our fellow man. The most stunning example of faith comes in “Light My Way,” which at times rivals most other prayerful anthems you hear in Christian music: “In my hour of need, on a sea of gray/On my knees I pray to you/Help me find the dawn of the dying day/Won’t you light my way.” Some even wonder about the album’s cover, incorporating the band’s logo of a fire blaze. Maybe it’s just my Christian worldview, but it strongly reminds me of an extremely huge representation of Moses and the burning bush.
All music should be appreciated on its own terms. Pop shouldn’t be a zero-sum game, in which you’re either an uber-famous celebrity or an irrelevant nobody stuck in a dead genre. Maybe we can find a little more room to praise the pop star and lionize the underground hero.
In the meantime, this pile of great new undead rock records isn’t going to play itself. Let’s dive in.
Earlier in April this year, Salt Lake City prog metallers Machines of Man released their debut single “Fractals,” as an introduction to their upcoming full-length album, for which they are currently running an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
Bassist Rocky Schofield tells us in the interview below about the meaning of the band’s name, the upcoming album, and more.
What made you go for the name Machines of Man?
Pretty sure Jon came up with that about the time I first joined up to jam in the very early days of MoM. I’ve personally always associated it with technology and the concept of man actually becoming more like a machine as time progresses. That could just be my sci-fi nerd brain taking over though. If anything, it does make for a great acronym. I mean, who doesn’t love MOM?
How do you usually describe your music?
First thing that comes to mind is Progressive Metal, but I hesitate to say that because I don’t feel that we can be lumped into a specific genre. We definitely have the heavy riffs and odd time signatures, but also a lot of ambient and melodic elements. We aren’t afraid to experiment and throw some curveballs in there too; whether it be a jazzy fandango, salsa jam, or a beautiful piano based composition.
What is your writing process like?
We generally use Guitar Pro to help construct our music. Jon usually takes the reigns on putting some general ideas together and then we all get the file and any one of us can add or change parts, and just kind of keep bouncing ideas around. It’s really cool to see just a few riffs metamorphose into a fully developed song.
Who or what is your inspiration, if you have any?
There are so many amazing musicians and bands who inspire me every single day. I love listening to just one instrument in a song and how it interacts with everything else going on. These things inspire me to widen my approach to playing. Video game music has always been a big one for me and some of the other guys too, and I think that shows in our music as well. My bandmates also deserve a big mention here. I feel blessed every time I set foot in the rehearsal space and bear witness to the talent these guys have. It’s also a huge push for me to always be working to become a better player.
Tell me about the creative process for your upcoming debut album.
We had a few of these songs around for a while and things were looking a bit bleak to be frank. After some time to step outside ourselves and really evaluate what we were doing and who we were, there was a renewal of inspiration and drive to get this album made. The process has been a long and difficult road, and I don’t think any of us would change that for anything. I’m glad we went through the lows because I feel it helped us really put our hearts and souls into creating this thing that has become Dreamstates. For me that’s exactly what this album represents.
Do you have a title for the record? What can prog fans expect?
Dreamstates! Releases on June 27th. You can preorder it through our indiegogo campaign with some extra goodies now.
Expect heavy riffage, sweet saucy goodness, and non stop pleasures for your ears!
What kind of emotions would you like your audience to feel when they listen to your music?
I would hope anyone who listens to this gets the same feels as I do when I hear these songs. I love being able to just put headphones on and get lost as the music takes you on a journey. Those are the feels I get and I wish that upon every person who listens to this music.
Which do you like most, life in the studio or on tour?
Although I do thoroughly enjoy being in the studio and creating this stuff, nothing beats the road. That’s the fruits of the labor right there. Playing live, seeing old friends, meeting new friends, being able to connect with people in real life and not just behind a screen is as good as it gets.
Pick your three favourite albums that you would take on a desert island with you.
Opeth – Ghost Reveries, Between the Buried and Me – Colors, and Thrice – Alchemy Index (Yes it counts as one album!)
This acoustic cover of a piece from Tangerine Dream’s Risky Business soundtrack, performed by students from Sweden’s Eskilstuna Musikskola, is simply wonderful.
Progarchy 