DEMONSPELLS SONGS TO WATCH
Disguised in forgotten lost memory
Issue 63 written July 24-26, 2003
www.mp3.com/stations/songstowatch - recent additions: none
table of contents:
1-5 album summaries: modern progressive sounds
6-7 concert reports: past present future
Green Carnation A Blessing In Disguise overview
Last night was an incredible show. Fates Warning opened and while many in the crowd were unfamiliar with them, they did get a good response from most. Ray Alder is a killer frontman live, and their set ended with Monument, one of my favorite songs of all time. The big surprise came during Life In Still Water, midway through, Mike Portnoy joined them onstage and they launched into the second half of OSI's Shutdown, with Ray and Nick, who did a commendable job filling in for Zonder, trading vocals.
FW set: one - apsog excerpt - point of view - pieces of me - life in still water/shutdown - monument
Queensryche followed and put on a great performance, divided into four parts: the obscure stuff (linked by the anti-technology theme), songs from Promised Land, Empire, and Mindcrime. The first few songs were a highlight (Including Open, which sounded much better than on the album), and Eyes Of A Stranger is always excellent live.
QR set: open - my global mind - NM 156 - screaming in digital - i am i - damaged - empire - jet city woman - silent lucidity - anarchy x/revolution calling - speak - eyes of a stranger - encore: desert dance - best I can
Disguised in forgotten lost memory
Issue 63 written July 24-26, 2003
www.mp3.com/stations/songstowatch - recent additions: none
table of contents:
1-5 album summaries: modern progressive sounds
6-7 concert reports: past present future
Green Carnation A Blessing In Disguise overview
- Crushed To Dust: With its insistent riff and upfront vocals, this is an immediate opener and one that establishes the album as a separate entity from Light Of Day. Also the heaviest track on what is predominantly a progressive rock album.
- Lullaby In Winter: A longer track with a feeling of fragile beauty, the vocals and keyboards are especially powerful here, and some of the grandeur of LOD is retained in a stripped down form. The Deep Purple-ish middle interlude sounds like it came from a different song entirely.
- Writing On The Wall: This song gains in intensity, and contains a great chorus and a stunning guitar solo. This and several other moments on the album remind me of Nightingale.
- Into Deep: Bookended by a memorable bassline, Tchort treats us to several variations on the same theme here, but this song is powerful enough to avoid sounding repetitive. One of the more accessible tracks on an album that has seen much difference of opinion on the net.
- The Boy In The Attic: One of the weightier songs on the album, dealing with child abuse. Musically, this track is intricately arranged yet melodic progressive rock, and it opens and closes with a beautiful piano theme.
- Two Seconds In Life: A mournful ballad that reminds me of recent Anathema. The minimal instrumentation and pained vocals make this a depressing listen, at least for me.
- Myron And Cole: An incomplete instrumental version of this track was circulated in the months prior to release. This is one of the heavier tracks on the album, and shows off Tchorts strengths in arranging and songwriting.
- As Life Flows By: Great chorus on this track that also relies heavily on the vintage keyboard sound featured throughout the album.
- Rain: The longest and along with Lullaby the most prog rock sounding track on the album, and arguably the closest to LODs dynamics, also sharing with it a melancholic atmosphere.
- Stone By Stone: The first half of Feed, this opens the album by gradually escalating in heaviness, and displays the full range of Devon Graves voice, quite literally progressing from a whisper to a scream over the course of the song. Also pay attention to the disturbing lyrics.
- The Awakening: Only three minutes, but there is a lot of variation, opening with acoustics and then ending with a droning metallic outro.
- The Messenger: A heavier track with great riffing and some well-placed vocal samples.
- In A Garden Made Of Stones: One of my favorites from the album, possessing a particularly strong arrangement, dense instrumentation, and a memorable chorus.
- Some Things You Cant Return: Included on a recent Inside Out sampler, this track is built around a solid bassline and develops into a chorus that will linger in your mind, thanks to the echo on the word return. The songs bridge is equally strong, and in a world where commercial radio programmers werent spineless automatons, this could be a hit.
- Angels In Vertigo: One of the heavier tracks on the album. This band has been accused of drawing inspiration from Tool, and in all honesty the rhythmic pull and vocal delivery on this one isnt too far away. Still one of the albums more powerful tracks.
- Regret: This one, along with Devons albums in Psychotic Waltz (to be reissued in Europe later this year), should dispel any notions of clone. Built around a piano backdrop, this a highly emotional piece.
- Crows On The Wire: The longest track on the album, and one of the best. The intro is one of the albums darkest moments musically (of course, theres little that sounds happy anywhere on the album!) and it develops into a musically challenging and emotionally staggering piece, also containing some of the albums heaviest riffs.
- Im Not Waving: Devons vocals do a great job of expressing the despair in the lyrics, and the melody is quite powerful, but what steals the show here is the drumming, which is amazing.
- Flies: Another track that gradually builds in intensity and treats us to much variation within its five minutes, built around a strong bassline.
- Black Smoke And Mirrors: A stirring track with great instrumental layering and a showcase for Devons hidden talent on the flute, including a solo in which he sounds like hes channeling Ian Anderson. The rightful closer, although there is a bonus track
- Time: that is every bit as good as the remainder of this highly rewarding release that builds upon one of last years most impressive debuts. Acoustic guitar and piano dominate this track.
- Sinking Sand: The opening track, available in edited form on the official site, is anchored around a propulsive bassline, and new keyboardist Bill Jenkins quickly makes his presence known. The vocal harmonies are impressive throughout, and Doug Ott lets loose with one of his highly passionate solos. Great song.
- Tug Of War: A track leaning on the more harder rocking side of this band, and again it has a great chorus. As usual, the bands versatility is on display here. Another definite winner.
- Holding The Wind: The verses in this track are led by a guitar figure that doesn't suit the vocals, but it does manage to pull itself together, especially on the bridge, and the instrumental section reminds me of the Rush-inspired workouts on the debut.
- Beautiful: The heartfelt ballad, of which this band includes at least one on every album. Not too bad musically, although it is a bit too overly sentimental for my tastes.
- Queen Of The Informed: One of my favorites from the album, and one that finds the perfect middle ground between their early material and their later work, hence the references to their previous albums on the cover. Lots of great guitar work here, and the whole band excels on the instrumental section.
- Living In A Movie: Another excellent track, with verses dealing with cruel twists of fate leading up to a cathartic chorus. This one also includes another great solo and an extended coda.
- Long Way Down: This one is a bit closer to melodic rock than prog (some would agree with that regarding the entire album), but Enchant puts the same amount of conviction into everything they record. Lots of vocal harmonies on this one.
- See No Evil: Written by vocalist Ted Leonard, this is another strong track showing off the bands impeccable melodic sense and warm instrumentation.
- Progtology: A sort of sequel to Prognosis on the last album, this one thankfully is on all copies of the album. A great instrumental featuring a powerful lead guitar figure, excellent keyboards, and a stunning bass solo towards the end.
- Comatose: At nine minutes, this is one of the longer tracks in Enchants catalogue, but there is little or no room for indulgence here, as this is arguably the emotional high point of the album, and Dougs guitar work and Teds vocals are very soulful throughout. A suitable ending for one of this bands most accomplished albums.
- Monolith: The fourth release from this excellent Swedish prog act begins with a track dependent on the Crimson inspired guitar sound that is present on all their albums, but there is considerable difference here. Great use of organ and mellotron as well on this dense opener.
- Ricochet: This track relies more on acoustic guitar, and features a soaring, mellotron-assisted chorus. Mikael Akerfeldt loves these guys, and if you liked Damnation, this should be required listening.
- The War Is Over: A departure, as the acoustics and tranquil pace in this track create a pastoral, peaceful sound.
- What Should But Did Not Die: Although slightly less than seven minutes, this stunning piece is arguably the most epic track on this album, which builds in energy leading up to some of the most metallic playing of this bands career so far.
- SW4: Another favorite, and it heads in the opposite direction from its predecessor. This is a languid, minimal sounding track that seems to float in space, and the echoed vocals give it a trance-like feel. It also reminds me of Porcupine Tree a bit (SW=Steven Wilson?)
- Gravity: Perhaps the most traditionally prog sounding track on the album, although the more metallic (as opposed to Frippian) riffing first heard in the fourth track makes its reappearance here. Ends with a sustained instrumental pattern.
- The Games We Play: A short track built around the acoustic guitar and organ, and it evokes a leisurely feel reminiscent of Floyds gentler moments both in music and lyrics. A bit of a throwaway IMO.
- Seljak: Instrumental except some wordless female vocals, this is a powerful track featuring some powerful moments that reminds me of improvised Crimson and great placement of the organ. (I know, bad choice of words.) This sweeping track closes the album perfectly.
- First Contact: The opener on an album that explores the history and mysteries of their Australian homeland. This introduces us to the bands unique sound, best described as a volatile mixture of space rock and heavy metal, with two distinct vocal styles: a droning clean vocal and a shouted vocal.
- Great Southern Wasteland: Here Alchemist do a good job of evoking a barren and isolated landscape, although the music is far from inactive and further explores their unusual approach.
- Solarburn: The reverberating, echo-laden guitars are used to stunning effect on this track, and the droning vocals provide an eerie counterpoint to them.
- Alpha Cappella Nova Vega: This song provides a great deal of progression in under five minutes, the song building in power and the title phrase repeated like a mantra before developing into a frantic climax.
- Older Than The Ancients: Despite the often chaotic sound on this album, it is always atmospheric and often very melodic, as this track indicates.
- Backward Journey: One of my favorites from the album, a great balance between the bands metal and hardcore background and their prog-psych leanings, featuring a hard hitting verse and great counterpoint between the two vocal styles, and a hint of techno in the keyboards.
- Nature On A Leash: Another great track which finds the band going through several variations on the songs primary melody, always returning to the instantly memorable chorus, one of the best use of the screamed vocals on the album. And the drumming here is awesome.
- Grief Barrier: One of the heavier tracks on the album, and one that illustrates the bands ability to include much variation within a short space (all but the last song are between three and five minutes) while retaining the songs tightness.
- Speed Of Life: One of the albums weirder songs, built around a tribal percussion pattern, and the vocals are mixed down, giving it a distant feel. Theres even a new wave tinge to the guitars here, and not for the first time on the album.
- Epsilon: The albums biggest leap into space rock territory, appropriate given the chronology in the albums concept, the reverberating guitar lines dominate this track and it includes distorted vocals.
- Letter To The Future: The closing piece represents nearly all of this bands strengths, and the instrumental breaks here are highly impressive, again bridging the gap between prog and thrash. A fitting conclusion to a truly innovative album. Alchemist: Australian for prog.
Last night was an incredible show. Fates Warning opened and while many in the crowd were unfamiliar with them, they did get a good response from most. Ray Alder is a killer frontman live, and their set ended with Monument, one of my favorite songs of all time. The big surprise came during Life In Still Water, midway through, Mike Portnoy joined them onstage and they launched into the second half of OSI's Shutdown, with Ray and Nick, who did a commendable job filling in for Zonder, trading vocals.
FW set: one - apsog excerpt - point of view - pieces of me - life in still water/shutdown - monument
Queensryche followed and put on a great performance, divided into four parts: the obscure stuff (linked by the anti-technology theme), songs from Promised Land, Empire, and Mindcrime. The first few songs were a highlight (Including Open, which sounded much better than on the album), and Eyes Of A Stranger is always excellent live.
QR set: open - my global mind - NM 156 - screaming in digital - i am i - damaged - empire - jet city woman - silent lucidity - anarchy x/revolution calling - speak - eyes of a stranger - encore: desert dance - best I can
