Turtles All the Way Down - New Album

[OdinsCourt]

 

[OdinsCourt]

http://tempelores.com/?p=9575:

American band Odin’s Court makes Progressive Rock/Metal. This year the band is ready to release their fifth album called: “Turtles All The Way Down”.
Previously the band had to do without the vocals of Dimetrius Lafavors, but with the addition of him to their band they have added another dimension to their sound. This becomes noticeable right away, for the guys have the tendency to have long instrumental parts within their sound as the album is now, but when the vocals come in it changes the vibe of it. Makes it more open and where first it would be the pure Proggist liking their sound they now open up themselves for a bit wider audience. Yet sometimes his addition could be a bit more prominent. Will the band find a way to bring in the balance a bit more without the fear of domination taking it over?
The album is split in three different parts that come together quite nicely. You could listen to the album without having the theme in mind too much, but for best experience you listen the album as a whole.
Looking at it, the band has a release with enough variety to keep you listening. Some point could still be polished but overall this release is splendid.

 

[OdinsCourt]

http://ohrenbalsam.blogspot.com/2015/03/odins-court-turtles-all-way-down-cd-2015.html:

Die aus Maryland stammende Progrock Band ODIN`S COURT, die 2001 von Matt Brookins (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass, drums) gegründet wurde und zunächst 2 Alben und die DVD "Court Is Now In Session" (2006) in Eigenregie veröffentlicht hatte, führte 2008 ein Plattenvertrag von Progrock Records die Band mit vier weiteren Alben zur nächsten Stufe.

Zuletzt konnten ODIN`S COURT 2013 mit ihrem sechsten Album "The Warmth Of Mediocrity" überzeugen.

In der Besetzung Rick Pierpont (guitar), Seth Jackson (bass), Jeff Sauber (drums), Dimetrius LaFavors (vocals) und Savino Palumbo (keyboards) war Mastermind Matt Brookins 2014 erneut im Studio um Songs für ein neues Album aufzunehmen.

Anfang 2015 erscheint "Turtles All The Way Down" und bietet 13 Tracks, die musikalisch in die gewohnte Richtung DREAM THEATER und FATES WARNING gehen. Schnell wird klar, dass die Band nicht verlernt hat. Anspieltipp ist der fast 18 minütige Finaltrack "Box Of Dice (Does God Play?)". Nicht nur die wuchtigen Riffs überzeugen sondern auch Shouter Dimetrius LaFavors liefert eine astreine Leistung ab. Die optimale Mischung aus ihrer Verspieltheit, Härte sowie ihren Hang zu Balladen zeichnen ODIN`S COURT aus. Hier steht wohl ein größerer Nachkauf des Backkataloges an!

 

[OdinsCourt]

 

[OdinsCourt]

http://www.backgroundmagazine.nl/CDreviews/OdinsCourtTurtlesAllTheWayDown.html:

USA based progressive rock band Odin's Court have released their fifth album called Turtles All The Way Downindependently by means of their own label D2C Studios. On this new album the band also has a new singer, namely the amazing Dimetrius Lafavors. And this new singer combined with the more mature song writing and production have taken the band to another level.

The first four albums, all released through ProgRock Records, were not bad, but Turtles All The Way Down is definitely a huge step forward and their best album by far. The album is a concept album and in fact it is also a prog metal album, as the sound of the band is really metal-like, which is due to the fact that it is really a guitar driven album. Matt Brookins is not only the leader of the pack, but his guitar playing is unbelievable; especially in the instrumental tracks such as the three parts of Turtles All The Way Down, The Depths Of Reason and Back Where The Daffodils Grow, his solos, riffs, hooks and arpeggios are utterly amazing! The other guitar picker Rick Pierpontalso contributes with a lot of breathtaking solos and melodies, making this a must have album for guitar aficionados. Most of the songs are up tempo tracks driven by Brookins melodic arrangements and centered upon the dual guitar work between Pierpont and him. But there is one exception, Dragons, a bittersweet ballad, which is in my opinion a true miser on this album. It is a piano ballad with very sweet vocals that kind of reminds me ofStryper and unfortunately the beautiful, melodic short guitar solo does not “save” this rather boring song. However, Odin's Court saves the best for last, as the last song is an epic “monster” of more than 17 minutes called Box Of Dice (Does God Play?). This is the absolute highlight of the album as it is so full of musical diversity it is hard to describe. If you listen very carefully you will be able to discover influences from Metallica, Toto, Journey andPorcupine Tree. But most of all the amazing guitar solos and melodies of Pierpont and Brookins make this track a masterpiece of progressive rock.

Turtles All The Way Down is a truly exceptional album and certainly Odin's Court best work to date. For the ones who are still not convinced, you should check out the first single of the album ...But What's The Question? on You Tube. Enjoy.

 

[OdinsCourt]

 

[OdinsCourt]

http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2015/06/odins-court-turtles-all-the-way-down-cd-review/

Turtles All the Way Down is the seventh full-length release from Maryland-based progressive rock band Odin’s Court. It’s also the first album of all-new material since the band’s 2011 release Human Life in Motion. Since that point, the band has become a three-piece with Rick Pierpont (guitars), Dimetrrius LaFavors (lead vocals) and Matt Brookins (everything else).

Over the course of the last few years, Odin’s Court has quietly become one of the very best bands in the American Progressive Rock scene, and Turtles All the Way Down is a perfect example of why that is the case. The album benefits from three key elements – innovative song structures, evocative guitar playing and vocals that resonate emotionally. Like Enchant, Odin’s Court’s brand of progressive rock is tinged with metal, but not so much that they fall into that all too crowded Dream Theater worship sound. This is more like Pink Floyd with just enough of a metal edge.

Band mastermind Matt Brookins (who wrote, produced and mixed the album) continues to impress here, delivering soulful, evocative guitar solos reminiscent of Vinnie Moore’s early work. His soloing never feels technical for the sake of technicality; instead it sets the tone and atmosphere for the album. And when he’s joined by Rick Pierpont the result is just stunning. You don’t have to be a “guitar guy” to be moved by these two guitarists’ interaction and collaboration. The vocals are just as moving. Dimetrius LaFavors has a clear, strong, higher-octave voice that’s just perfect for this kind of music, and he manages to make even the most high-concept lyrics connect on an emotional level.

Turtles All the Way Down is a concept album, and as such it works best as a total listening experience. There are individual tracks that stand out though, especially “Insomnia,” “The Warmth of Mediocrity” and the three instrumental title tracks (which sound so good back-to-back-to-back). The 17-minute closing track “Box of Dice (Does God Play?) is also remarkable.

This is such a powerful album overall, and another reminder of just how good Odin’s Court really is. Fans of bands like Enchant, Spock’s Beard, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Queen, Porcupine Tree and Shadow Gallery will definitely want to give Turtles All the Way Down a listen (or several). It’s time for more people to discover the best-kept secret in American progressive rock.

 

[OdinsCourt]