HEAVY PROG

There's not much about this band online. They've got no presence on Facebook or Twitter or anything beyond their Bandcamp page that I can find. That's a shame, because The Trial of the King is a great way to start off the year. This record feels like an alternate universe where Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee were members of Yes. The overall sound palette is rich and full of retro synths, but the guitars are usually angular. The bass has a satisfying, snapping bite to it more akin to Geddy's tone than Chris Squire's usual overdrive.

"Fortune Hunter" is a short instrumental that opens everything up. Its first riff immediately begs Rush comparisons, specifically to "The Camera Eye", with its staccato synth jabs and odd guitar chords. This quality is paired alongside slinking, decidedly modern post-rock style arpeggios for a wonderful contrast.

Folk-tinged acoustic guitar and bass-forward jamming begin "Lord of the City". The harmonized lead vocals add to the semi-folkish Yes allusions, but the verses' jittery, driving pulse comes right out of Yezda Urfa or Wishbone Ash. An unexpected post-punk flavor emerges in the song's closing 90 seconds, and I must once again lavish praise upon the bass tone here. It commands the listener's attention, and it cuts through the layers of synth and guitar.

Following this is a much-needed breather. "Approaching Storm" lives up to its name with a slow-moving, deliberate tempo for its first two minutes. Glassy organ and driving percussion announce the storm's arrival as the band downs an espresso and jumps into high gear. The song eventually modulates back to its opening tempo and mood, though the aura grows more and more oppressive throughout. A moment evocative of "Apocalypse in 9/8" sees a martial drum pattern and enveloping organ build to a dramatic climax.

"The Incidence of Memory" is another instrumental, and it's another place where folk touches shine through and some Genesis influence can clearly be felt.

The Trial of the King closes on its 21-minute title track. Acoustic arpeggios lay the groundwork for a sunny electric guitar solo in its opening moments, and that leads into a rather clear allusion to "Cygnus X-1 Book II". I love the way the guitar and bass harmonize at moments, and the constant flux between the smooth keyboard tones and the raggedness of the stringed instruments is satisfying. In classic Rush fashion, there's a clear demarcation between this song's movements, and the second part is a raucous stormer, compared to the relatively mild opening. Despite all the strong moments in this suite, however, it does lose focus in its second half.

As I've discussed in the past, my feelings on unashamedly retro-prog acts can vary wildly, but Chromatic Aberration is one which falls in my good graces. It doesn't feel overly slick, and there's a genuine sense of passion pouring out of this record. There are only a few flaws on this album, and most of them?bloat and instrumental aimlessness?are endemic to prog. The mashup of classic sounds is engaging, too. Rather than basing their sound clearly on one act, they've drawn bits and pieces from across the spectrum of prog.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/02/01/album-review-chromatic-aberration-the-trial-of-the-king/

In this record she steps away from her usual trio and collaborates with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. As this collaboration might hint, this record is far jazzier then her previous output with her Trio. If I am not mistaken, she composed all the songs in this record including the orchestrations. She still plays her killer guitar, but more space is allocated to other instruments as well.

Overall I would describe the feel of this record as avant rock/jazz with fantastic guitar solos mixed in. There is a definite Latin jazz tinge in some of the songs. I clearly feel the spirit of Flora Purim infused all over the compositions.

The album is very balanced; it not only has typical fast paced Hedvig style songs but also includes contemplative quieter compositions. I hear another female singer supporting her in some of the songs, who has a wonderful voice, but I am not sure who she is.

Hedvig certainly evolved her musical style and further developed both compositional and orchestration skills. I am already looking forward to her next output.

This album's title track aptly sets the mood as its opener. An eerie, watery guitar arpeggio bursts forth from its quiet beginning into the looming verses. A jagged, irregular riff is deployed to great effect between verses. Two-layered vocal arrangements are utilized both here and throughout the rest of the album to add a layer of depth.

"Easily Played" feels like an outtake from Fear of a Blank Planet if it were played by Haken. The song's overall texture and atmosphere are undeniably Wilsonian, but interweaving clean guitar lines and the majestic outro help it feel distinct. "I Don't Like Your Face" continues with the obvious Porcupine Tree nods. It's one of the more derivative pieces on The Fall of Man, but it's also one of my favorites on the record. It's got an infectious groove to it.

The band tone things down on "Exposed". This mostly acoustic song pulls heavily from folk and post-rock until its final 90 seconds. It's a nice contrast to the heavier moments both preceding and following it.

"Still Here" opens with a riff far bluesier than I expected from this band. I'd expect it from a band like Clutch but not one so firmly in Opeth's vein. By the one-minute mark, though, they've incorporated cabaret piano, and it's not long after that that a herky-jerky guitar riff comes to dominate. The second half of the song is a swirling, organ-powered instrumental.

"Neverending Flow" is another gentle piece, reminiscent of The Flower Kings. This track could have easily veered off into irredeemable cheesiness, but Guppy Fish manage to keep everything grounded. Unfortunately, not every slow song on this album is a winner. "Justify" meanders for its first three-plus minutes, and the eventual climax is not worth the wait.

The two-part, 10-minute "Above the Sky" closes the album and is a mixed bag. Part 1 is a thumping, engaging instrumental, full of jungle rhythms, haunted-carnival organ, and discordant, Voivod-style guitar squeals. Part 2, however, is less interesting. The first four minutes are downright torpid, and while the closing is better, the weight of the preceding slog drags it down.

The Fall of Man is a strong debut effort from Guppy Fish. They successfully channeled progressive metal and heavy progressive rock influences into something both accessible and rewarding.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/08/10/album-review-guppy-fish-the-fall-of-man/

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/09/14/odds-ends-september-14-2020/

The recording of Omens, Elder's fifth full-length release, marked several major changes for the band. The most obvious of which was that the band underwent their first-ever lineup change to introduce a new drummer and guitarist/keyboardist. The band also relocated from Boston to Berlin, and the press for this record leading up to its release emphasized this state of change. Sonically, the most obvious change over previous releases is the widespread incorporation of synthesizers. Overall, though, Omens doesn't stray that far from Elder's typical sound; all in all, they've just added a few baubles.

In usual Elder fashion, Omens is five songs long, all between 9 and 13 minutes long. "Omens" is the first track, and the inclusion of electric piano, organ, and synthesizer immediately tries to establish that this is different Elder. But the guitars belie that relatively little has changed. The huge chords and dramatic vocals. Maybe my expectations for change were just too much, but I came away slightly disappointed. In absolute terms, it's a strong track, but it's just the safest move Elder could have made. This piece is like something off Reflections of a Floating World with marginally more prominent keys. "In Procession", the second song, is similar in this regard.

The third song, "Halcyon", finally does something different. It opens on a much gentler note than the first two tracks, and the band take their time in building up to their eventual bombast. Over the course of almost five minutes, synth drones, airy guitar arpeggios, and simple, steadfast percussion bleed together in a swirling mélange. This drawn-out introduction to Elder's metallic side is greatly satisfying. Mellotron is used to great effect in the song's final minutes, creating a foreboding, tense atmosphere.

"Embers" is by-the-book Elder for its first six minutes  or so, but there's a great synthesizer solo that leads into a quieter section led by electric piano with some mild jazz flavors. Hints of post-rock crop up as well over the span of this song's second half, and those influences are deployed in smart, effective ways.

"One Light Retreating" opens in typical Elder fashion, but it's the most adventurous song on Omens. Around the five-minute mark, synthesizer squeaks through over a martial drumbeat, and following a brief guitar solo, Mellotron leads the way into this song's drawn out, quiet conclusion. Watery electric piano glimmers over gentle percussion, and a simple, fuzzy bassline adds some nice grit for contrast.

I think the marketing for this album may have overhyped just how fundamentally Elder had actually changed, leading to a misalignment of expectations (from me, at least). Omens feels a lot like Reflections of a Floating World, Part 2. If you liked that record, you'll probably like this one, too. However, I found it so similar to RoaFW that it detracted from the experience. Yes, Elder have their own distinct sound, but I heard so little evolution that I came away a little disappointed. I still enjoyed Omens overall, and I could plausibly see my opinion of this record either rising or falling as I listen to it more. But after a few listens over a few days, I'm putting it in the pretty-decent-but-not-essential camp.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/05/04/album-review-elder-omens/

"Caravan" opens up the album and sets the tone well. It's full of big riffs, and Geddy's bass tone is especially aggressive. "BU2B" (short for "Brought Up to Believe") features metallic guitar tones and sudden shifts in dynamics and rhythm. The title track is a multi-parted mini-suite that hearkens back the band's best output of the late 1970s.

Other highlights include the driving, infectious "The Anarchist"?featuring a string arrangement that lends a distinct Middle Eastern atmosphere?"Seven Cities of Gold", and "Headlong Flight", my personal favorite track on the album.

Like most later Rush albums, though, there is some bloat. This 66-minute album could have been trimmed down by shaving off some time from some of the less essential songs, like "Carnies", "Halo Effect", and the disappointing closer, "The Garden".

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

Snakes & Arrows features a trio of instrumentals, which are some of the strongest tracks on the album. "The Main Monkey Business" shows Rush returning to their prog rock heyday. It's full of complex rhythms, just the right amount of instrumental flashiness, and Mellotron is deployed to great effect. "Hope" is a lovely little acoustic piece, and "Malignant Narcissism" is a funky, aggressive two-minute showoff session for Geddy and Neil.

There are weak points on Sankes & Arrows, though. "Armor and Sword" is one of the least-interesting songs on the album, which only serves to reinforce my bias against slow Rush songs. "Workin' Them Angels" shows continued alt rock influence, particularly in Alex's guitarwork in the chorus. The verses are weirdly folky, and folky wasn't really a sound that suited the band too well. "The Larger Bowl" reminds me of Test for Echo or Vapor Trails in how bland it is. Despite these shortcomings, Snakes & Arrows is considerably stronger than their previous couple albums, due in no small part to the tonal and textural variation deployed.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

(Note: I'm using the 2013 remix of Vapor Trails for this review. The initial release was muddy as hell, and this remaster sounds much better.)

The increased aggression is a nice change of pace compared to some of their more anodyne releases in the '90s, but that doesn't exactly make up for weak songwriting. The opening "One Little Victory" is maddeningly repetitious, and it wears out its welcome about two minutes into its five-minute runtime. "Ceiling Unlimited", the second track, is stronger in that it has more ideas in it and those ideas are more interesting than those in "One Little Victory". Despite this, it once again runs too long, though it features one of the rare solos on the album.

"Peaceable Kingdom" is one of the more engaging tracks on the album, as it's not just big walls of distortion. There are some genuinely interesting dynamic contrasts, and there's a rather Collective Soul-y riff in there. However, like most songs on Vapor Trails, it's simply too long. "The Stars Look Down" is another strong point, featuring some of the band's most complex structures in a long time. It also helps that this is one of the shorter songs on the album. "Earthshine" is probably the best song on the album, though. It reminds me a lot of "Driven" off Test for Echo with its metallic riffs and highly melodic chorus.

Despite this handful of decent songs, Vapor Trails is mostly a slog. The individual songs are too long, and that piles up into an exhausting album. Caress of Steel may not have featured any keyboard tones, but Lifeson deployed a greater variety of guitar tones, and the band demonstrated much more ambitious songwriting. Vapor Trails is a monotonous, tedious record, though it's not their worst.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

"Driven" is the best song on the album by a wide margin. The chorus melody is strong, even if the lyrics aren't, and Lee's bass playing is especially on-point. "Resist" is unremarkable in the incarnation heard on the album, but it would later be reworked as a much stronger acoustic piece for live performances.

Most of Test for Echo sounds almost like an updated Presto. Rush draws a lot from the more boring tropes of mid-'90s alt rock, and the production is inconsistent. Clean parts are light and echoey, and distorted parts are muddy and unclear. Many of the songs feel disjointed, as if they were just slapped together from loose parts.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/

Counterparts does sag a bit in the middle. "Alien Shore" and "The Speed of Love" are both too long and short on ideas. "Double Agent", though, is a weird, engaging piece that utilizes some sinister-sounding narration to great effect. The instrumental "Leave That Thing Alone" earned Rush another Grammy nomination, though they lost to Pink Floyd's "Marooned". "Leave That Thing Alone" is a return to form for Rush. It's filled with tight, complex riffs and varied textures. It's another brilliant synthesis of alt rock and prog rock.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2020/04/27/deep-dive-rush/