THOUGHT CHAMBER: Angular Perceptions PROMO CD. Inside Out Music Promo. Prog Rock / Metal. Check samples

 9.57

The following rules are working:

In stock

SKU: YP-8902 Categories: , , , , Tag:

Description

Thought Chamber ?-Angular Perceptions
Label: Inside Out Music ?-IOMCD 274
Format: CD, Album, Promo
Country: Germany
Released: 2007
Barcode: 693723794228

Track Listing
1. Premonition
2. Sacred Treasure
3. A Legend’s Avalon
4. Balance of One
5. Nr. Qwinkle’s Therapy
6. Transmigration of Souls
7. God of Oblique
8. Silent Shore
9. Accidentally on Purpose
10. A Mind Beyond
Check samples:
www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-k…
Thought Chamber came to life after guitar virtuoso Michael Harris enlisted the vocal services of Enchant’s Ted Leonard, the amazing rhythm section of Haji’s Kitchen, and Outworld’s keyboard player Bobby Williamson.
For a debut album, Angular Perceptions, whose songwriting was completed over a course of three years, is an incredible effort. The musicianship is tight through and through, and the arrangements are mindblowing. Just listening to the first two songs, “”Premonition”” actually serving as an extensive intro to “”Sacred Treasure””, attests to the magnificence and high level of songcraft these guys are capable of. Contrary to what one may expect, the keyboards that open up “”Premonition”” are dark and menacing, followed by riveting guitar riffs and solid drum and bass before Harris comes up with an uplifting melodic transition that slowly segues into yet another dark acoustic passage with grim keys lingering over it. The final second of this track ties in with the very brief flamenco-like guitar prior to erupting into a mend-bending riff, vintage keyboard exercise, and swirling rhythm battery. It all happens within the course of merely a few seconds yet it is incredibly powerful, utilizing a two-note solo performance from each member, with Derek Blakely’s bass standing out. Blakely is a monster player, and his contribution to this album is invaluable. Not only is he technically superior, he also exercises wonderful slap bass on some songs, not unlike Stu Hamm. Ted Leonard enters around a minute into the song, providing vocals that are sung in a much more lower range than his work with Enchant. The melody is strong and leaves a long-lasting effect, and as the middle section calls for an instrumental break, Harris’ guitar playing, with furious sweeping, plays off blazing synth motifs, bringing in a multitude of background effects and super acoustic guitars. The main harmony is sublime and the fusion-like guitar playing blended with sturdy bass and keyboards at the end are testimony to this band’s calibre. “”Sacred Treasure”” will easily be one of the best songs of 2007.
Although Michael Harris, known for his work with keyboard maestro Vitalij Kuprij, is undoubtedly a rare talent in guitar playing, it is his songwriting and arrangement ability that comes through on this album. Even during the heavier and busy parts, as the one on “”A Legend’s Avalon””, Harris plants a distant acoustic line underlining Leonard’s melodic chorus. Even though the guitar work here is incredibly complex, delving into tech metal territory, Harris’ playing always resolves with unexpected outburts of melodic segments. This is another dark piece, particularly during the instrumental section, evoking images of Tool with its tribal drumming and King’s X-like bass guitar drive, and Leonard’s vocals are some of his finest ever. The scream at the end is something we’d never hear him do on an Enchant album. Likewise, the vocal performance on “”Transmigration of Souls”” is unique. He goes from a very low, almost tortured tone during the exotic, Egyptian scales to dynamic clean singing in the blink of an eye. As is the case, it is the acoustic guitars why this song is so intense, as they contrast the other instruments. The vocal melody around the middle is killer, and I love how the composition is not compromised during even the wild improvised ending brought into the piece.
Of course it is impossible to imagine Ted Leonard not doing his Kansas-like hard rock vocals and these are offered on “”God of Oblique”” and “”Balance of One””, the latter featuring guitar, keyboards and back vocals by Michael Harris. The main harmony vocals of “”God of Oblique”” work surprisingly well given the dexterous rhythms fused with swirling keyboards and guitars. The largely acoustic ballad “”Silent Shore”” brings in a healthy dose of string arrangements, some violin, and the occasional electric guitars underpinning a strong symphonic idiom.
The two instrumentals, which contain strong input by both Stankiewicz and Blakely, help in balancing out the album. They are tremendously technical musically, but once again, the writing is solid as a rock. “”Mr Qwinkle’s Therapy”” is whimsical, with plenty of slap bass a la King’s X, and fuses intense groove-inflected riffage and vintage 70’s prog, throwing in eastern scales and eerie minor chord progressions. The funky outro is particularly enjoyable given the head-spinning dexterity exposed during the middle. “”Accidentally on Purpose”” sports more prominent keyboards, and Stankiewicz’ drum fills are both tasteful and at breakneck speed. The album closes with “”A Mind Beyond””, another dark piece, with creepy atmosphere, marching drum beats, and a curious piano melody. That said, the middle part of the song strangely evokes Enchant because of the vocal arrangement.

Additional information

Weight 0.1 kg

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Be the first to review “THOUGHT CHAMBER: Angular Perceptions PROMO CD. Inside Out Music Promo. Prog Rock / Metal. Check samples”

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *