For the forseeable future, this blog will be on hiatus. My new haunt for reviews I write that isn't published by the progressor website will be The House of Prog.
I'll keep the contents of this blog available however, and keep it as a fallback just in case I might need it in the future.
søndag 31. mars 2013
søndag 3. mars 2013
Bult - Amidst the Throng (2011)
Quite a lot have happened in the world of metal music ever since I grew up listening to and following the careers of bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica in my early teens and the initial evolution of what was coined extreme metal bands shortly after. Of which some fascinated me more than others back then, although I fairly soon got a stronger taste for progressive rock and metal rather than the more intense varieties of metal that started to grow popular towards the end of my teenage years.
Bult is a band that appears to seek to blend extreme metal with progressive metal. They employ guttural, hoarse shouted vocals, dark and intense in a manner fans of old school black metal and death metal will recognize, although not quite as extreme in it's expression. An intense detail that is quite suitable for the intense music it's a part of, where dark, grinding riff barrages and hammering drum patterns dominates the proceedings with an undercurrent of brutal bass guitar.
The progressive aspect of these proceedings comes due to variation. There are alterations in pace as well as intensity, albeit at times of a fairly subtle nature, and the guitar riffs aren't merely stuck in machinegun mode either. Quirky fluctuating riff patterns and melodic overlays all have their place here, although in an extreme variety, and occasionally the tempo will be slow enough to enable the listener to hear that, yes indeed, this is actually music that can be traced back to the great grandfathers known as Black Sabbath for initial origins. "Amidst The Throng" is an EP that is rather far removed from these origins of metal admittedly, but the avid listener should be able to pick up a nod or two in that direction before this 4 track EP concludes.
Dark, intense and brutal metal is what Bult provides, and a fairly intricate and sophisticated variety of it as well. I'm not well enough versed in contemporary metal to suggest a possible target audience for this band myself, but I guess the bands stated influences should be a decent indicator: Between the Buried and Me, Botch, Burst, Mastodon, Meshuggah, Textures. This EP is available on Spotify, and I'd suggest the curious to start listening to final track In The Image of God for initial inspection. This is where Bult is at their finest in my opinion, arguably the most diverse and sophisticated of the compositions on this EP.
My rating: 80/100
Track list:
1. Overtly Powerless
2. Point of No Return
3. The End
4. In the Image of God
The Minstrel's Ghost - The Road to Avalon (2012)
Those familiar with Carpenter and his musical background will know that this most recent production actually was planned as the debut. But for one reason or another that didn't happen, and by the time the material was ready for recording Carpenter had more or less by luck and chance managed to assemble many a skilled knight to help out with the proceedings. The artwork has been handled by Ed Unitsky, and the instrumental roles not handled by Carpenter himself is catered for by an international crew of fellow musicians. The best known of these arguably Zoltan Csorsz of The Flower Kings fame.
The end result, following a birth that have taken just about 10 years if I remember correctly, are two suites each clocking in at about 30 minutes in length, both of them subdivided into six chapters. And for the more impatient listeners, the main parts from both of these fairly elaborate sets have been assembled in a single track clocking in at a mere 15 minutes. This latter piece credited as a bonus track for rather obvious reasons.
The music itself is of a kind that should find favor with those who enjoy the more mainstream oriented material by the likes of Pink Floyd and Eloy, the latter part of the 70's material from the former and the early 80's productions by the latter. Layered, gentle keyboards with quite a few nods in the direction of vintage symphonic progressive rock are mainstays throughout, supplemented by acoustic guitars first and foremost, but with frequent use of electric guitar as well. The latter partially supplying darker toned contrasting details in the arrangements and partially for lighter toned effects and soloing duties. Those expecting atmospheric laden guitar soloing David Gilmour style will be disappointed however, as axeman Colin Tench appears to draw his inspirations from a rather different direction, at least on this album. His delicate, haunting guitar solo style is one I've heard before however, but it took me quite some soul searching to finally conclude with where I've heard a similar sound before: On UK band Demon's 1989 disc "Taking the World By Storm". Which most likely is an accidental similarity.
One should also note that the use of instrumental contrasts on "The Road to Avalon" is a delicate one. Counterpoints and stark differences aren't elevated to any limelight position, instead they exist as subtle undercurrents, details for the intent listener to uncover and enjoy. The soundscapes are generally silken smooth as a matter of fact, and mix and production have been applied with care to produce a warm and organic mood and atmosphere. Compelling if you like, and in a manner that should give this album a wide appeal. Another aspect that should see this album gain interest from more than a marginal crowd is the compositional structure itself. The individual chapters of both suites as well as the suites as a whole doesn't follow the common progressive rock formula of constantly altering between myriads of themes and the themes themselves are of a fairly accessible nature. Whereas instrument arrangements and the multiple part suite construction are more closely related to progressive rock, the structure of the individual pieces and instrumental motifs are more closely related to mainstream oriented rock. And while I personally found the more sophisticated bass and drum arrangement on Camelot (named Camlot on the CD cover art for fits and giggles) to elevate this piece to a slightly higher plane than the rest, this is one of those details that comes down to individual taste more than anything.
But I'll also have to chime in with a few negative remarks. The theatrical inserts that appear now and then. Why? Casting Gollum in the role of Morgana la Fey was an inspired choice perhaps, but apart from that very vocal invite to jest I'll advice both Blake and others who want to spice up an album with inserts of this kind to find some decent voice actors to cater for conceptual flavoring of that nature, and to think long and hard about whether or not they are actually needed. Employing someone with playwright experience to cater for the actual dialogue should also come in handy. These theatrical features are kept to a minimum on this disc, thankfully, but at least from my perspective the odds are greater for such additions to be of a detrimental rather than the opposite.
A few small sour grapes aside I do find "The Road to Avalon" to be a CD well worth recommending. I'd imagine that a typical audience for this production to be those who enjoy accessible, melodic rock in general, and in particular those amongst that rather crowded audience who frequently listen to Pink Floyd's late 70's albums. Fans of early 80's Camel might also desire to find out more about this album however, as well as those who truly enjoy Eloy's early 80's albums.
My rating: 80/100
Track list:
1. The Journey Begins (The Avalon Overture)
2. Avalon, Pt. 1
3. Merlin
4. Lady of the Lake
5. Excalibur
6. Avalon, Pt. 2
7. Camelot
8. A Love Betrayed
9. The Son
10. Avalon, Pt. 3
11. Le Morte D'arthur
12. The End
Bonus track:
13. The Road to Avalon
Frail Grounds - The Fields of Trauma (2012)
Progressive metal is the name of the game for this conceptual production, albeit a variety of this style that generally shies away from the most commonly used varieties of it and that at the core has just about as many points of reference to good, old fashioned power metal as I experience this production. Hammering rhythms and a fair few sequences of energetic, uptempo riff-driven themes documents the latter part of the description quite nicely I suspect, but those with a taste for musical fare of a more sophisticated nature gets their fair share of material to enjoy as well.
Frail Grounds is a band fond of variation. Alterations in pace, intensity and tonal ranges are common features throughout. Those fond of majestic guitar and keyboard arrangements should find plenty to enjoy on this album, as should those with a taste for quirky riff constructions and material somewhat more brutal and intense. Atmospheric interludes with violin and cello present - if digital or acoustic I can't really tell - is also a feature that occasionally appears, and a few nods in the direction of grand old men Dream Theater and Symphony X is also a part of the proceedings. On a few occasions with all variations and then some assembled into a single composition. Those fond of intently listening for details should have plenty to discover on this disc, it'll take quite a few spins before each and every detail present have been suitably decoded for that subset of listeners.
The musicians are all of high quality, as one kind of expect from those who have opted for metal as their music of choice and in particular those who explore the more demanding aspect of this kind of music. The guitarists can throw in a mellow, atmospheric solo with the same ease as pace-filled neoclassical runs, the bass guitarist caters for pace and rhythm just as much as basic melodic motifs, and those fond of good quality drummers and keyboardists shouldn't find this band to be lacking in that department either. Arguably with a varied repertoire as the main assets for all instrumentalists rather than technical abilities of the kind that will earn them individual accolades in music magazines.
In the negative department my admittedly highly sensitive ears picked out a few details in the vocals department. Frail Grounds utilize the contrast between dark toned, raspy and hoarse spoken like delivery, of the kind more common in what we used to call extreme metal in the days of old, quite nicely with clean, powerful and melodic lead vocals. But the latter of these aren't quite at the topmost level. Mostly due to occasional dips that I find to be subtly out of tune or harmony, mostly when the vocalist use the upper levels of his register. It's not a highly distinct dip however, those with better knowledge than me about vocals on a technical level have described my sensitivity in that department to kick in when vocals are 1/8 of an octave away from the optimal, and I suspect the greater majority of listeners won't ever notice this detail. Still, those who know they are highly sensitive to matters of that nature might approach this disc with a slight bit of caution due to that.
All in all, "The Fields of Trauma" is a well made, performed and produced creation, an hours worth of high quality progressive metal of the conceptual kind. The compositions are varied in structures and arrangements both, and incorporates everything from gentle atmospheric themes to energetic power metal and sophisticated progressive metal on their journey, with occasional nods to the more extreme parts of the metal universe along the way. A strong debut album by a talented band.
My rating: 78/100
Track list:
1. Prologue: Arrival
2. The Expedition
3. Freeze Me
4. A Rural Trauma
5. The Sinister Road
6. Triptych
7. Origin
8. Deathlines
9. Siberian Nights
10. Emberstorm
11. Epilogue: Completion
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