Halloween Vampire Battle: Devin Townsend Band vs Molybaron

Between the semester starting in earnest and the birth of my second child, I simply haven’t been able to get into writing reviews on a weekly (or…monthly) basis like I’ve been wanting to. I’ve also been a bit too involved in commenting on politics in recent weeks, but thankfully, that’s not what this piece is about. In the spirit of Halloween, I’m going to compare and contrast two songs with a similar theme: In one corner, we have Devin Townsend Band’s “Vampira.” In the other corner, it’s Molybaron and their new single, “Vampires.”

BACKGROUND:

To say that I’m a fan of Devin Townsend is an understatement, as I’ve reviewed the majority of his albums on this page (including Synchestra, which has Vampira on it) on my Devin Dissection series. I sadly haven’t gotten around to finishing my review of Empath, his previous solo album, as I’ve found it difficult to write about an album that was quite literally the soundtrack to my life back in 2019 (when my wife and I were expecting our first child). His newest release, Lightwork, drops this Friday. Every Devin album is different, and some songs are radically different on the same album. Vampira profiles as a straightforward heavy metal track.

Molybaron, on the other hand, is a new discovery from this past summer; InsideOut posted some studio session videos of songs such as a performance of “Amongst the Boys and the Dead Flowers” and a live take of “The Lighthouse.” I’m also a fan of when this group gets political in songs such as “Animals” and “Prosperity Gospel.” The best way I can describe Molybaron’s sound is something to the effect of radio-friendly prog metal. I have no idea how this group hasn’t made it big yet, but I have a feeling that their live show would be an absolute delight now that concerts and festivals are back on the menu (knock on wood).

MUSIC VIDEO: Devin Townsend

Your opinion on this one depends largely upon whether or not your sense of humour has a palate for cheese. If yes, it’s going to be Vampira, a video which features comic book stylings, some cheeky dance moves, a support band of skeleton costumes, and some top-notch, meme-worthy dance moves. Molybaron plays it a bit more straight, with a largely docile crowd coming to life during the chorus to mob each other and/or the band. I especially liked the bits at the end of the drummer attempting to play with about a dozen people “attacking” him. Both videos have their merits, but I’m a sucker for funny music videos.

MUSIC COMPOSITION AND PRODUCTION: Molybaron

If this were just about any other song off of Synchestra, I would probably give the nod to Devin here. Vampires, however, has better all-around production and more interesting instrumentation, and while Synchestra generally holds up 16 years after release, the drum mix is not up to par. Molybaron, for its part, adds some electronic elements that give the track more weight. The last chorus of Vampires also has some subtle additional touches to it that raise the stakes just a little bit more. I realized that was a vampire pun after typing it, but I stand by it.

VOCAL PERFORMANCE: Devin Townsend

This is actually closer than one would expect, as Devin is widely regarded as a vocal virtuoso, and rightly so. Gary Kelly is an excellent vocalist in his own right, and he adds a unique flair in many Molybaron tracks by emphasizing his Irish accent to great effect. That emphasis is not quite there on this one, and I was also hoping for a bigger payoff from him in the bridge before the final chorus, for example by holding that last note a while longer and doing a fade-in on the electronic effects. Devin, meanwhile, does his trademark switching from operatic to scream to clean and back again at will, and it’s impossible to deny him this crown.

LYRICS: Devin Townsend

This is a tough one, as both songs are rather uncomplicated from a lyrical standpoint. Molybaron threw in some apparent metaphors to life during the Covid pandemic. It’s not all that clear that this is what they’re going for here, but the band’s comments allude to it and lyrics like “We were bound together like a wicked bride & groom” could definitely suggest a quarantine-related scenario. Devin, meanwhile, has some fun rhymes on here, particularly in the chorus as he belts out “hate as your co-conspirer / he’ll set your soul on fire / hate makes the flames get higher…” My main knock on Vampires is the simplistic chorus: “Dancing in the shadows with the silent ones, The violent ones, the violent ones / Running in the city with the silent ones, The violent ones, the violent ones.” If the chorus had a bit more variation in it, I’d probably give it to Molybaron.

SPOOKY? Devin Townsend

Although nobody would probably want to go to a Halloween party that I was DJing, I could definitely see myself slotting both tracks on the playlist. The biggest question is whether or not I’d include the intro track, Vampolka, to the list. As I said in the album review, Vampolka is exactly what you’d expect it to be: Some polka elements on top of a Halloween-sounding instrumental. There’s even a universe where I could play Vampires first, then Vampolka to slow things down before going into Vampira. Regardless, the setup for Devin’s Vampira is so over-the-top that it has to win this category.

And so, by a 4-1 margin, Devin Townsend wins the first (hopefully) annual Halloween battle. With that said, I’m expecting big things from Molybaron, who is set to release an album at some point in 2023.

WHAT’S NEXT?

While I contemplate whether or not I want to do a Christmas-themed song battle (probably not), I’m going to try something different and comment on some Polish beer. Expect that to come out in a few days.

Review: Threshold – For The Journey

Location: Surrey, England
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Released: September 19, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: Global Conquest: Recent Releases

By: Kris Kotlarik

If you read the Star One review and thought this was the last you would be hearing from any of their members for a while, you have been misled. To be fair, Threshold’s newest release caught me off guard, as I had not heard any news of it being released until, well, after it was released.

At times, Damian Wilson, one of the lead vocalists for Star One, sounds surprisingly similar to Blind Guardian‘s Hansi Kursch, and this is apparent from the uptempo opener, “Watchtower On The Moon.” It’s a nice track with some occasional shades of Coheed and Cambria and has some of the synth and guitar riffs that made Star One take flight. But if you don’t like Hansi, you have been warned. Damian has a much less raspy voice, but the similarities are striking. I’m probably going to take some flak for this comparison, but I am saying this in a complementary way, as I am fond of both vocalists.

The next track, “Unforgiven,” is much slower and starts with an extremely corny “Mirror, mirror…” line that I really would have liked to avoid. Picture, if you will, “New World Order” from Shadow Gallery’s Tyranny, but without any of the emotion and raw energy that makes that particular track special. There’s a nice, energetic guitar solo at the end, but it fades out anticlimactically and drops into “The Box,” which begins with a simple piano melody (but not as forced and boring as Rihanna’s “Stay.” That song is truly terrible). This track is the longest on the album by far, clocking in at twelve minutes.

After a lengthy but fiery movie sample, the tempo gets pushed up a notch. The chorus to this track sounds like the one from the opener, which is a staple in Threshold’s sound. The tempo slows down and the Damian Wilson layering is turned up to 11. Even if the chorus is a little overdone, this is a solid track with a variety of sections to keep the listener interested.

What follows is “Turned To Dust,” an industrial mid-paced chugga tune that feels out of place with Wilson’s vocals. “Autumn Red,” on the other hand, has a lot going for it. It takes the precedent set by “Turned To Dust” and spins it into a much more effective track with some solid riffs and melody changes. The closer, “Siren Sky,” is another midtempo chugger that I would rank in between these two tracks. It has some of the heaviest riffs and easily the heaviest drum patterns in bursts. There is a sample at about the five-minute mark that completely sucks the flow out of the song, and the remaining minute comes across as overcompensating for those lost five seconds.

“Lost In Your Memory” starts much like “The Box” does, but doesn’t have the buildup and payoff that the aforementioned track does. The melancholic solo towards the end of the track is nice but doesn’t redeem it. “The Mystery Show,” in spite of having the same chorus that is all over this record, is the best of the slower tracks, with an intriguingly haunting introduction, fantastic piano-guided bridge section, and a nifty solo.

As for the bonus track, “I Wish I Could,” it’s quite different from the rest of the album, featuring variations of most of the tracks that are on here. It’s as if the band decided to take all the good aspects of For The Journey that worked and threw them all on one track. I’m not sure if it works in a cohesive sense, but there’s a different, unique sound that is a refreshing change of pace.

Overall: While this is a decent effort, it feels too “safe.” The chorus from any one song could easily be placed in most other tracks.

Rating: 3.0*

Top tracks: Autumn Red, The Mystery Show, Watchtower On The Moon, I Wish I Could

Star One Sunday: Discography Review

Location: Emmeloord, Netherlands
Genre: Progressive Rock/Metal
Feature: …because why not?

By: Kris Kotlarik

Arjen Lucassen has been a giant in the progressive metal realm for over 30 years, dating back to the formation of Vengeance. And it’s not hard to see why just by looking at him. He is so tall that the Dutch national basketball team (allegedly) called him in for a tryout. Even at the age of 54, he can’t do any worse than the current team, which hasn’t even qualified for the European championships since 1989.

In all seriousness, in addition to Vengeance, Arjen has been creating a variety of music since before I was even born. The Ayreon projects, a series of albums with a tight science fiction concept, are his most well-known. Then there’s Guilt Machine, Ambeon, Stream Of Passion, his recent solo album, and the upcoming Gentle Storm project with the one-and-only Anneke van Giersbergen, as well as other projects I am probably forgetting. With the exception of Ambeon, his music is engaging and top-notch, often featuring an all-star list of singers and musicians. The odds are that if you’re a well-known singer in the metal community, you have either appeared on one of Arjen’s albums, or have a huge ego and won’t work with other musicians. Or you’re Devin Townsend (he and Arjen are perfectionists to the core and therefore mirror images of each other in the studio) or Jorn Lande (who spent half of his time on 01011001 trying to tell the world how great he was instead of being a part of the story).

One knock on Arjen’s music are the lyrics and their cheesy nature. Enter what may well be the nerdiest project ever conceived, Star One. Every single track from the band’s two albums, with the exception of a couple of bonus tracks, are about a science fiction movie or television series. It also features a stacked lineup of singers, with Russell Allen of Symphony X and the terrible Adrenaline Mob; Floor Jansen of Nightwish, After Forever and Revamp; Dan Swano, who has produced or performed on approximately 5.2 billion different projects; and Damian Wilson of Threshold.

So without further use of bold font, let’s dissect Star One’s two albums.

___________________________________________________________________________

Space Metal
Released: April 29, 2002

As one might expect by the title, this album’s concept is rooted in space. The synthy space intro lifts off into “Set Your Controls,” themed around Doctor Who. Arjen has a knack for crafting exceptional album openers that follow a short intro, and this is no exception. The best part of this track comes in the second half with a series of guitar and synth leads, with a clever bridge section sandwiched in between them.

The next few tracks are good in bits and pieces; “High Moon” has a nice chorus and a nifty string break before the last chorus, but the verses are rather forgettable. “Songs of the Ocean” is a midtempo plodder, with the intro and outro instrumental sections being my favorite parts. It also marks the first time Floor Jansen sings real lines on this album instead of just providing a couple of words following the chorus. Every singer (except Floor, who is once again seldom used) shines on the uptempo and energetic “Master Of Darkness,” which revolves around the plot of Star Wars Episode V.

“The Eye Of Ra” is Space Metal’s most unique track. It starts very slowly, to great effect, before gradually building up. Russell Allen is stellar on this track, and the four singers unite for a solo at the end. If I were to do a list ranking Arjen’s top 10 songs, this would be in the top 10 or 15, which is high praise given his immense discography. “Sandrider” is relatively similar to “Master Of Darkness” and goes down as a good track. “Perfect Survivor” and “Intergalactic Space Crusaders, meanwhile, is similar to “High Moon,” which means I don’t like it nearly as much.

The closer, “Starchild,” reminds me somewhat of “Into The Black Hole” off of Ayreon’s Flight of the Migrator. They’re not the same track by any instance, but it has a similar vibe to it, as they both have a slow and melancholic feel to them. The lyrics to “Starchild,” however, are more uplifting. This is Damian Wilson’s turn to shine, and Arjen lays down one of the most technical guitar fills I have heard from him.

As for the bonus tracks, some of them, such as the remixes to “Starchild” and the alternate version of “Spaced Out,” as well as the complete joke of a track that is “Intergalactic Laxative,” don’t serve much of a purpose. But the Hawkwind medley is an amazing tribute to one of the true pioneers of space-laced progressive rock. The “War I Survived” segment, in particular, is splendid to the senses. The bastardized (meant endearingly) cover of “Space Oddity” is also a nice touch that could have easily fit on the second disc of Lost in the New Real.

While Space Metal is generally a solid album, it suffers from two things. First, it’s a little uneven. There’s great tracks on here, but they are scattered around the album. The rest range from pretty good to ambivalence. The second factor to consider is Floor Jansen’s sporadic use in what essentially amounts to the role of backup singer. As the world has found out in her recent endeavors with Nightwish, she is capable of so much more than the occasional bit part.

Overall: I feel like Arjen spent much of this album trying to get an idea for how to use the talents of these great singers. All told, a solid album.

Rating: 3.5*

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Victims of the Modern Age
Released: October 25, 2010

This album is centered much more around dystopic and/or apocalyptic movies, and in general, I love this album. Everything on this go-around seems more refined and concentrated, and much heavier.

Everything that was said about “Set Your Controls” stands for “Digital Rain” as well, except for one key difference: It is really heavy. It also boasts an outro similar to that of “The Eye Of Ra.” Hey, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Simply put, I love this track; there is something fascinating about having synths be such a driving force in your sound, and Arjen nails it here, along with Russell Allen. “It All Ends Here,” based on the classic film Blade Runner, is just as heavy but much slower. It’s a titan of a track, and the second half is an almost-legendary display of vocals from everyone involved. There is an especially stellar instrumental just before the vocals really kick in.

Other great tracks include the title track, as well as the uptempo “Human See, Human Do.” Both tracks are the only ones in Star One’s discography to feature growls from Dan Swano, or anyone else. The ones in “Human See, Human Do,” in particular, are great and come in a section that was just begging for some growling.

The weaker tracks, such as “Earth That Was,” “Cassandra Complex,” and “It’s Alive, She’s Alive, We’re Alive,” the last of which is based on one of the best modern movies I can think of in Children of Men, still have some good parts. “Earth That Was” is the heaviest track here and contains an impressive guitar/synth solo with some throwbacks to “Age Of Shadows” off of 01011001. Calling these tracks “weak” is entirely relative, as they would have been in the upper tier on Space Metal.

As for the bonus tracks, it’s a mixed bag. “Lastday” and “As The Crow Dies” are merely average, with Arjen singing lead on the former. On the other side of the spectrum, “Closer To The Stars” and “Two Plus Two Equals Five” are special, and their cover of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s “Knife Edge” could best be described as glorious. Unlike the cover of “Space Oddity,” it is fairly in line with the original…except heavier.

There are so many driving synth/guitar riffs that it would consume far more time than I presently have available to break them down. But if synths, guitars and nerdy lyrics are in your wheelhouse, you’ll love this album. And Space Metal, for that matter. But the songs here feel so much more organic, in spite of Arjen’s insistence to the contrary in a video from Lost In The New Real. Everything that I addressed as concerns from the first album seems to have been corrected here. Floor is much more prominent, and it shows, especially on “It All Ends Here.”

Overall: If I were to rank Arjen Lucassen albums from top to bottom, this would be right up in the top three discussion with Ayreon’s signature albums. It’s that good. 

Rating: 4.5*

Review: The Contortionist – Language

Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Genre: Progressive Metal with deathcore elements
Released: September 16, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: National Uprising – Recent Releases

By: Kris Kotlarik

What do you get when you cross Cynic riffs with Haken clean vocals, then add occasional Born of Osiris death growls? Some fantastic music with a few moments that stick out like a sore thumb.

Their first lineup following a series of lineup changes, Language starts off in an almost meditative state. “The Source” is a piano-driven intro with some soothing vocals that are frequent throughout this album. “The Language I: Intuition” carries that mood with a great riff. There are some subtle growls that add to the overall vibe of the track; this also occurs in “Primordial Sound.” Both tracks are great.

“The Language II: Conspire” is easily the heaviest track and contains some “chugga” riffs (and a vibraslap). “Integration” is a solid track that is more in the spirit of “The Language I,” but contains some completely out-of-place growls two-thirds of the way through. On the other side of the spectrum, the growls in “Arise” actually make sense as it matches the overall feel of the track.

In addition to “The Language 1,” the best tracks are “Thrive” and “Primordial Sound,” with the closing two tracks close behind. The production on this record is crisp, but what really stands out is the cohesiveness of the instruments in the mix. No single instrument overpowers the others at any given time, although that vibraslap took a couple of listens to pick up. I’m not sure why that was thrown in there, but I know I heard it. Unlike the lyrics in Iron Reagan’s The Tyranny Of Will, they stand out here. They are easily understood for the most of the part, and take on the spiritual and self-inspiring lyrical themes of Cynic and Haken, among other prog metal bands.

Overall: Aside from those out-of-place growls, this is a surprising nominee for this year’s top 30 albums.

Rating: 4.0*

Review: One Machine – The Distortion Of Lies And The Overdriven Truth

Location: London, England
Genre: Power/Progressive Metal
Released: February 17, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature – Global Conquest – Recent Releases

By: Kris Kotlarik

The opening impression I got from the title track, which opens One Machine’s debut album, was that I was about to hear an album centered around Nevermore tribute/worship. This could possibly be a good thing; Persuader put out a solid album this year which could have easily been confused as a heavier version of Blind Guardian‘s Imaginations From The Other Side. In this case, the intro is almost an exact replica of the title track from The Obsidian Conspiracy, and it sounds awesome. The rest of the track is fast and contains some Nevermore-resembling solos.

The opener, along with the three tracks that follow it and the thrashing closer, “Freedom And Pain,” are the album’s best tracks. Unfortunately, the sandwich in between these tracks are all, for one reason or another, not stellar. “Defiance,” “Last Star Alight,” and “Into Nothing” are boring to say the least, dragging on without any semblance of progression. The vocals in “Evict The Enemy” are grating and detract from the song’s solid instrumentation. “One Machine” runs way too long and teeters between awesome instrumental sections and more annoying, screeching vocals.

For those keeping score, we have five solid-to-good tracks and five completely forgettable tracks. The bonus track is an opportunity to push this into solid territory, but it’s an off-the-mark cover of the Phil Collins classic, “I Don’t Care Anymore.” (Look, I’m not a Phil Collins fan, but if there’s a song of his that metal can’t improve, this would be that track.)

Overall: Even at its best moments, The Distortion is unoriginal. At its worst, it can be downright grating.

Rating: 2.0*

Additional Thoughts: While I spoke highly of Persuader’s recent effort, When Eden Burns, the highest rating I could foresee that album being awarded is a 3.5* because, while the album may have a solid sound, it lacks that component of originality that would separate it from the rest of the field. 

Review: Hail Spirit Noir – Oi Magoi

Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Genre: Black Metal/Prog/Psychedelic
Released: January 20, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: Global Conquest – Recent Releases

By: Kris Kotlarik

Remember Ghost? You know, the Swedish band that sounds like a throwback to 70’s prog and traditional heavy metal with clear Satanic themes? Meet their black metal counterparts, Hail Spirit Noir. In many ways, their second studio album harkens back to the days of Yes and Jethro Tull. But instead of those classic prog vocals, we have black metal screeches, screams and growls.

The trademarks of prog excess exist throughout this release; the opener, “Blood Guru,” has a section that is eerily similar to The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy For The Devil,” and features several non-metal instruments, most notably what appears to be a marimba. Various forms of keyboards and synthesizers are everywhere. “Demon For A Day” has an oddly catchy chorus with a flautist playing in the background and also boasts a nice instrumental section midway through.

“Satan Is Time” is almost an exact replica of Opeth’s Heritage and has a simple but effective guitar lead. “Satryiko Orgio” (if you understand pig Latin, this should be fairly easy to figure out) is the most traditional black metal song on this track and stall has all the components of prog rock. “Hunters” is similar and is probably the most accessible track with a more “heavy metal” structure, while the title track sounds exactly like what you would expect a song called “Oi Magoi” to sound like; it’s quirky, a little on the slow side, and mostly instrumental with some vocal chants.

And then there’s “The Mermaid,” an 11+ minute exercise in extracurricular proggery. Much of this track is an instrumental, with an Alan Parsons-esque jam session occupying much of the track. Oddly enough, this features the album’s best vocals, limited in use as they are. Making note of the fact that I am an avid prog enthusiast, I consider this to be the best track on the album.

“The Mermaid” notwithstanding, each song lasts between five and seven minutes. This is not an album for those who have no attention span when it comes to music; although it doesn’t have the Devin Townsend/Frank Zappa wall of sound, there is a lot going on. Unless you absolutely do not care for black metal vocals, there should be at least something here for most metal fans; even old-school prog fans might enjoy much of this record.

Overall: The music is so interesting that I can’t give it anything less than a 4, despite the lyrics.

Rating: 4.0*

Review: Mastodon – Once More ‘Round The Sun

Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
Released: June 24, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: National Uprising – Upcoming Releases

By Kris Kotlarik

These days, you’re far more likely to find Mastodon performing on the indie/rock festival circuit than in club venues. Case in point, during their most recent tour, it was revealed that their last show of the tour would be in Columbus. I thought Alrosa Villa was going to be packed for one of the best shows of the year until I saw that it was at this pedestrian festival, with such amazing talents as Kid Rock and Five Finger Death Punch both headlining over Gojira and Mastodon. If you couldn’t catch the sarcasm or somehow think that lineup was solid, here’s a link to a real festival, which of course isn’t located in the United States.

Anyway, the point I’m trying to make (aside from the fact that Maryland Deathfest and ProgPower USA are the only awesome metal festivals on this side of the Mississippi River to the best of my knowledge) is that Mastodon has branched out to a more accessible sound that appeals to both metalheads and fans of other rock subgenres. Essentially, Once More ‘Round The Sun picks up where The Hunter left off. This comparison isn’t necessarily a bad thing; while I’m not going to claim the latter is their best album, it’s not bad by a long shot.

The calling cards on their newest effort include highly catchy melodies at every turn, especially in the form of lengthy instrumental bridge sections. There’s also some interesting vocal and guitar distortion effects that are scattered throughout. Some songs have a traditional rock/metal structure, others are a little more ambitious, and some are a little bit more ballad-oriented. None of the songs are bad by any stretch, but a substantial chunk of them lack a certain punch in most parts to further draw in the listener.

The most satisfying song goes to “Chimes At Midnight,” which has the least linear song structure and the most unique (and heaviest) main riff, along with a solid bridge section. “Ember City” comes close, most notably for its chorus with dual vocal lines, and is also a great listen.

Many other songs have solid moments but aren’t complete tracks; for example, opener “Tread Lightly” has a sweet-sounding solo towards the end. The title track has a well-executed and fun chorus. The only track that I can seriously question is “Aunt Lisa,” which features a rather oddly-placed “Hey ho, let’s fucking go” chant that sounds like it was sung either by children or is actually the singer turned into a chipmunk. This part ruins an otherwise solid song.

The other songs all lie somewhere in between and do a good job of blending into the overall sound, which is neither a good nor bad thing. If I were to suggest other songs, I’d start with “Asleep In The Deep,” a downtempo, proggy number. The second half of “Halloween” is an instrumental jam session that ranks among Mastodon’s best.

I have a feeling that, much like The Hunter, this new effort will grow on me at some point down the line. I would also assume that much of this material will sound fantastic live…that is, if you can first wade through the horde of bros and/or hipsters.

Overall: It’s not perfect, but there’s more than enough solid parts to warrant a couple listens.

Rating: 3.0*

Review: Distorted Harmony – Chain Reaction

Location: Ramat HaSharon, Israel
Genre: Modern Progressive Metal
Released: July 9, 2014
Format Reviewed: mp3 (320 kbps)
Feature: Global Conquest – Upcoming Releases

Whenever I see a genre description of “modern progressive metal,” I tend to believe that what I’m about to hear turns into a bastardization of djent, which is already a bastardization of prog metal in and of itself. Luckily, my preconceptions were quickly proven wrong. In a nutshell, the sophomore effort from Distorted Harmony compares favorably to the likes of The Omega Experiment and Skyharbor. 

Chain Reaction is full of variety and contains many standout moments. “Every Time She Smiles” and “Children Of Red,” the first two tracks, are among the best. The former contains a great melody that develops from a calm guitar-oriented intro, and has more riffs than I can describe in this space. The instrumental section before the first verse, as well as a keyboard break midway through, are stellar, and the chorus is, for lack of a better phrase and meant to be taken positively, highly catchy.

“Children Of Red” is a more aggressive track with monotonous vocals that work well with both the lyrics and the song’s overall sound. There are two samples, at least one of which is taken from the Communist Manifesto. Following the second sample comes the heaviest section of the album:

Fuck you and your sick ideology/
So wrong are your words of hypocrisy/
Taken a dream augmented reality/
For red is the colour of blood.

What follows is a fantastic riff, one of the best on the album, and then it takes an uplifting turn towards the end. The other track I consider to be among the elites on here is “Hollow,” with no relation whatsoever to the Pantera or Alice In Chains songs of the same name. Following a 45-second calm intro, it builds from there and contains a stellar guitar solo, the best on the album.

Out of the other tracks, the only one I can criticize with a negative lens is “Misguided,” which is too long for its own good and meanders off course. Nonetheless, it is still full of solid moments, with a short bass fill toward the end particularly standing out. Most of the following songs start rather slowly but pay off nicely in the end; “Nothing (But The Rain)” is a nice interlude that is unique in the sense that it builds up gradually. “As You Go” reminds me of “Where We Belong” by Devin Townsend; “As One” sounds like something from fellow Israeli prog metallers Orphaned Land that gets better as it goes along; and “Natural Selection” is also memorable for its ending, which starts with the final chorus. Album closer “Methylene Blue,” while being just a decent song, resembles the sound of Tool or A Perfect Circle and contains a brief but well-crafted guitar solo.

As a whole, Chain Reaction is a cohesive effort with well-written lyrics, solid production, and some excellent vocals. The touches of industrial effects and keyboards provide additional variety without dominating the overall sound of the record, a problem frequently seen in most modern progressive metal albums. The drumming, in particular, stands out for its technical prowess without controlling the album’s sound to such a degree that it would be considered unbalanced.

Overall: This album should put Distorted Harmony on the global landscape for modern prog metal bands. “Children Of Red” especially stands out as a must-listen.

Rating: 4.0*

 

 

 

ATF Review: Devin Townsend Band – Synchestra

Location: Vancouver, Canada
Genre: Progressive Metal/Rock
Released: January 20, 2006
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: Global Conquest – All Time Favorites

By: Kris Kotlarik

This is the first of many “All time favorites (ATF)” reviews that I will release once a week, almost always on Mondays. What better way to beat Mondays into submission than by listening to a classic album, right?

In order to qualify into the ATF series, an album will have to have at least a 4.5 rating and therefore be a likely inclusion into a top 50 all-time list, which will be made once more of these reviews are done. This will not be Devin Townsend’s last appearance in this series; there’s still Accelerated Evolution, City, Alien, Terria, and likely all-time No. 1 album Ocean Machine: Biomech. But out of all of Devin’s albums, I have recently been listening to Synchesta the most, so I figured I would start there.

There’s a few things to note before I begin breaking down this album: The prototypical Devin Townsend “wall of sound” is still there. I would have made a million references to this throughout the review, but it would have been both redundant and already implied based on the premise that it is, in fact, a Devin Townsend album. Secondly, unlike the later Devin Townsend Project albums or Ziltoid, there is no constant lyrical concept here. However, there are several lyrical and music references to the final two Strapping Young Lad albums, and aside from one particularly strange song, the lyrical content here is quite stellar. Lastly, this isn’t a straightforward metal album; like many Hevy Devy albums, there is no one definitive “genre” or “style” this album can be labeled as and often hops around the spectrum during each song.

“Let It Roll” and “Hypergeek” could best be described as a two-track intro. The former is a calm, acoustically-styled number with some interesting lyrics:

Because in time, it goes away/
Time proves nothing stays/
The time for change has ended/
It loves you still but I never will again.

I like these lyrics quite a bit; they represent moving on from something/one, realizing that time will not wait for them. Sure, there are breakup lyrics all over the Top 40 landscape, but they aren’t well-put together and are usually repetitive. That is far from the case here; Devin makes his point and moves on to the next thing. “Hypergeek” is an instrumental number that is more uptempo. The first “heavy” moment, a crushing burst of sound with pummeling drums leading the way, happens a little before the midway mark. As heavy as this section is, it never loses its positive energy.

“Triumph” takes a while to build up but is more than worth the wait; we get the first taste of Devin’s operatic vocals, as well as some of his lower register vocals, within the first two minutes. The “chorus,” if it can be called that, is short, but powerful: “One word: Collective. Mankind, collective.” There’s even a country breakdown and a long Steve Vai guest solo, and I still consider this to be the third-or-fourth best song on Synchestra.

The lyrics to “Babysong,” aside from being a reference to “Possessions” off of Alien, are completely hilarious:

Why don’t you have a baby/
Why don’t you have a child/
Babies are good/
And part of humanity’s charm.

And this is just the first verse. Silliness aside, I consider this song to be “lush pop” with a lot of great moments. The highlight comes later on in the form of a gorgeous piano triplets pattern that give way to one of the most brutal non-SYL bursts of sound in Devin’s discography.

“Vampolka” is exactly as one would expect: A silly, brief polka tune that sounds slightly like some kind of parody of a haunted house. It’s nothing special but is nonetheless a fun little track that serves as the intro to the most straightforward metal song on Synchestra in “Vampira.” Lyrically, it’s also silly; “Vampira” is apparently some kind of female vampire that feeds off of hatred. At any rate there’s still quite a bit going for it, most notably some amazing Devin screams and operatic clean vocals.

“Mental Tan” serves as an intro to “Gaia” and is an exercise into ambient landscaping. The best part of this intro is the series of electronic pulses that bounce around from channel to channel. “Gaia” is an all-around fantastic song that arguably features Ryan Van Poederooyen’s best drumming since joining the Devin Townsend Band in 2003 with ghost snares galore and a lot of unique drum patterns. The bass is also very prominent here, especially in the intro. The huge instrumental section that occupies much of the midsection is especially stellar from about 3:25 to 4:15, with a gorgeous guitar melody leading the way. Devin’s lower register vocals also shine here, layered off of each other with sterling results. If I had to pick one gripe about this song, the outro is a little bit too long, but it’s a minor nitpick.

My absolute favorite song on here is “Pixillate,” which I consider to be in a group of three consecutive songs with “Judgement” and “A Simple Lullaby.” All three songs are mostly in 3/4 time and are very exploratory. But what separates “Pixillate” apart from all the others on Synchestra,” aside from the slight Middle Eastern tinge in the intro, is the building tension that comes to a head in a big way towards the end before decompressing. It also features a stellar verse featuring a mystery female vocalist:

(Female) You are the rainbow/
You are the sun to my chameleon/
(Devin) We are the river/
We are the stone/
(Female) And you’re never alone, while you’re feeding the crux of the you/
You brave Arcadian!

If you’re looking for a comparison, I would say this track is similar to “Deadhead” off of Accelerated Evolution, but more vocal-oriented and with an amazing outro. The beginning riff to “Judgement” is nearly identical to “Polyphony” from The New Black. It starts relatively calmly before before this section crushes the listener:

(Screaming): I know you’re on the never-ending plane/
(Clean): Don’t you ever try to sever, or you’ll never try again/
(Screaming): Now shame on you, for nobody’s free from sin/
Now you burn, burn, burn; let the feeding time begin!

What follows is a nice instrumental section that eventually shifts back into 4/4 time without losing its flow before segueing into “A Simple Lullaby,” which is a rather misleading title for this quasi-instrumental. Returning to 3/4 time, it’s a continuation of “Judgement” with an brief redux of a riff from “Pixillate.” There are two “big rock ending” explosions at the end which could have just as easily been recorded at a concert instead of the studio. It’s not one of the best songs on here, but there’s nothing wrong with it.

“Sunset” is a short and upbeat instrumental with cross-sticking and more ghost snares, and some nice ambient vocals to go with it. “Notes From Africa” concludes the album proper with a driving rock groove with lyrical references to “Love” from Alien.  As you might have guessed, it has a slight African feel to it but is more of a complimentary factor than anything else. Reminiscent of “Planet Rain” from Physicist, it ends on a long, rainy outro.

“Sunshine And Happiness” is nothing more than a poppy Devin song. Most of the bonus tracks that ended Devin’s pre-DTP albums were goof sessions and this is no different, but it has a positive vibe to it with nice enough lyrics and isn’t too long to do any serious harm.

Overall: Filled with highlights and is extremely diverse.

Rating: 4.5*

Bonus Thoughts: The music video for Vampira is guaranteed to make you smile. If you’re looking to improve your dance moves, 1:48 and 2:48 is especially of interest to you.

Review: Cynic – Kindly Bent To Free Us

Location: Los Angeles, California
Genre: Prog Metal
Released: February 14, 2014
Format Reviewed: FLAC
Feature: National Uprising – Recent Releases

By: Kris Kotlarik

Progressive metal ranks among my favorite subgenres, but Cynic hasn’t really grabbed my undivided attention up to this point. I liked their prior album, Traced In Air, but haven’t given it many listens lately. Lo and behold, Kindly Bent To Free Us, Cynic’s first release in six years, was waiting to be opened and reviewed.

After giving Kindly Bent a couple of spins, I envision a melting pot of 70’s prog, a tinge of Rush and some Mars Volta sprinkled on top. And that’s perfectly fine in my book. The bass stands out as if Geddy Lee himself had done the mix, and I could’ve sworn on several occasions that I was listening to a modernized version of Yes.

The only song that doesn’t bring much to the table is “Moon Heart Sun Head,” which I find to be repetitive and way too long, although the sample from author Alan Watts in the middle was a nice touch. “Infinite Shapes” is somewhat better and still has its moments, especially in the closing sections. “Earth is my Witness,” a bonus track, has a nice melody but doesn’t contribute much more than that.

Anything else I could say about Kindly Bent is all positive. Opener “True Hallucination Speak” has an extremely well-crafted chorus that will get stuck in your ear. The ending for “The Lion’s Roar” is fantastic. The instrumental break in the title track, the layered sampling in “Gitanjali,” the multiple vocal patterns in “Holy Fallout,” and the buildup and acoustic ending of closer “Endlessly Bountiful” account for just a few of the many bright moments in Cynic’s latest offering.

Frontman Paul Masvidal broke down each song’s lyrical and musical aspects. The lyrics mostly boil down to spirituality and philosohpy and are worth a listen on this basis alone for those who have an interest in Eastern philosophies. Masvidal wrote on his description or “The Lion’s Roar” that the album represents a new direction for Cynic. If they continue in this direction, you can count me in.

Overall: Will keep the discerning ear occupied with its complex layers and lyrics.

Rating: 4.0*