Monthly reviews for September 2017 include: Steven Wilson, Perturbator, Galactic Empire, Vuur, At the Drive-In, Gizmodrome and many more.
Steven Wilson – To The Bone
Brilliance, as usual. Yes, be ready for certain amount of “new direction” but don’t get fooled by online discussions about Steven’s pop experiments. In fact, I tend to love his new album To The Bone more and more. I find it fascinating, but to be truly honest, if we skip pop anthem Permanating, there is no radical move somewhere else. Beautiful and accessible melodies were there for ages – in his own prog rock interpretation. Therefore, take this album with open mind and give it a try. It’s worth it.
Interview coming soon
Perturbator – New Model
I discovered Perturbator with last year’s release The Uncanny Valley. It was a bit of a shock, as for most fans within rock & metal world, but I am falling in love with his music more with every show and new album. At first, it was for me Blade movie soundtrack, but after Brutal Assault and Hellfest shows, it is really fascinating phenomena: Dark electronic music at metal festivals – but it makes sense! Same as his new EP New Model.
Galactic Empire – Galactic Empire
If you like Star Wars and (melodic prog) metal, it is a clear choice.
Video interview coming soon
No “click”
Vuur – In This Moment We Are Free – Cities
Highly respected Dutch singer Anneke van Giersbergen, after she left legendary band The Gathering ten years, is heavily active with her solo career and various guest singing within number of genres. Throughout the years she even reached folk or dance music, but a contact metal with metal was rather rare and mostly related to recordings with Devin Townsend. Her new metal band Vuur is a beginning of a new live phase. Next to that list of musicians couldn’t be more attractive. It is a mix of top class Dutch musician, where we would through band names as Stream of Passion or The 11th Hour reach center point: Arjen Lucassen’s Ayreon. From the sound point of view, new album In This Moment We Are Free – Cities is for a first contact a fulfillment of original expectations, but further listening gives a feeling of unnatural sterility. Instrumental background sometimes even reaches prog metal, but doesn’t shine and vocal lines fall into established lines. It seems as if everybody provided their signature move, tried to glue it together, but left the breathtaking moments at home. Final feeling is therefore unpleasantly predictable and bright moments don’t come, even with multiple tries. I would normally kill for each member and for many years I consider Anneke an absolute top, but her project is extremely far from fulfilling its massive potential.
At the Drive-In – in•ter a•li•a
I do naturally belong into a legion of fans loving their legendary release Relationship of Command from 2000, same as number of The Mars Volta albums. New album sound-wise truly feels as if there weren’t seventeen years between albums, but quality of songs is something different. They throw at us all of their typical moves, but I simply don’t feel anything. Most of it is just so dry to me and there are only few bright moments as “Marry You” parts in Tilting At The Univendor and some bits of Incurably Innocent.
Dead Cross – Dead Cross, Ex Eye – Ex Eye, Aimee Mann – Mental Illness, KXM – Scatterbrain, Stone Sour – Hydrograd, Entheos – Dark Future Masters, Bison B.C. – You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient
Respect The Elders
Gizmodrome – Stewart Copeland (The Police) new fun prog rock band. The rest of the line-up includes Level 42 Mark King, Italian keyboardist Vittorio Cosma, and guitarist Adrian Belew (King Crimson, the Talking Heads).
Interview coming soon
