Neal Morse - An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live in Hamburg (InsideOut Music) [Manos Sideris]
If you are waiting for an objective, unbiased review, then fellas I am going to have to disappoint you this time. Having settled down as a faithful prog fan over the last decade, I find it extremely hard to be objective when I am called to deliver a review of one of the best prog albums of the last couple of years in Innocence & Danger by Neal Morse Band especially when it’s a live recording in Hamburg, Germany. An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg is a triple CD running over 2 hours in a feast for your ears and soul.
The quintet of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette, experienced and super-talented musicians all of them, plays and feels like a loaded team gunning for the ultimate trophy. Any band with members who all play and sing like this, would be a winning team. The first CD kicks off just like the record of 2021 up to the point of the track The Way It Had To Be. This Floydesque track and its outro bluesy guitar solo by Gillette perfectly display the vast soulfulness and talent of all members of NMB.
If you are waiting for an objective, unbiased review, then fellas I am going to have to disappoint you this time. Having settled down as a faithful prog fan over the last decade, I find it extremely hard to be objective when I am called to deliver a review of one of the best prog albums of the last couple of years in Innocence & Danger by Neal Morse Band especially when it’s a live recording in Hamburg, Germany. An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg is a triple CD running over 2 hours in a feast for your ears and soul.
The quintet of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Bill Hubauer and Eric Gillette, experienced and super-talented musicians all of them, plays and feels like a loaded team gunning for the ultimate trophy. Any band with members who all play and sing like this, would be a winning team. The first CD kicks off just like the record of 2021 up to the point of the track The Way It Had To Be. This Floydesque track and its outro bluesy guitar solo by Gillette perfectly display the vast soulfulness and talent of all members of NMB.
After Simon & Garfunkel’s cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water, comes the iconic acoustic paradise Waterfall from the Grand Experiment capping off the 1st CD. CDs 2 and 3 contain only three songs, but all of them are prog epics of grand proportions. Not Afraid Pt 2 epic jam moments raise the bar while the track ebbs and flows leaving much space for all musicians to express themselves.
An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg is definitely one of the best live moments in progressive rock history and I sure feel a little bit jealous for not being able to watch it live myself. After the completion of the record I was feeling elated but at the same time a little sad that it ended. Surely was I glad to experience it though. 10/10
The Zenith Passage - Datalysium (Metal Blade Records) [Mark Young]
Bit late to the party with my review for this and have seen positive stuff about it from those with similar interests online, this is the second full length release from the Tech outfit and from the ending notes of the opener The Axiom Of Error segueing into Algorithmic Salvation you know you are listening to something that has that ‘thing’ about it, that grabs you and makes you have to listen to the full album in one hit.
The first two tracks are full of that technical complexity and brutality which is expected and then it starts to kick in with their unique take. Lexicontagion that has this soft, ethereal feel that is soon booted to make way for some almost maddening riffing which is carried over into Synaptic Depravation. Its stop/start, control / uncontrol, riffs that disappear into swells of synths that come back, and It absolutely shouldn’t work but it does. It takes a dive into Blade Runner territory with the closing moments and somehow it just fits.
If you imagine that was act 1, or side A then the remaining keep this incredibly high bar in place.
Divinertia II has some rapid fire drum / guitar as well as some frankly insane melody lines that just seem to be plucked out of the air, complex and labyrinth in build but gets the most from just giving us that manic trem moments which is as low brow as you could want but adds that dynamic to it and to be honest you could probably write an in-depth essay on each song there is that much going on. The two end songs, Automated Twilight and Datalysium both weigh in with a 7minute run time. Automated Twilight is where they really go for broke, mixing in the keys, epic chords and for me a nod to Muse. It’s not riffmania or drums at a complex time signature or with 300 bpm its just CLASS. I can’t put a finger on it except to say you listen to it and see what you take from it.
Album closer is Datalysium and is one of the finest endings you can ever hope to hear. If the overall theme running through the album is one of space, of the power cosmic and that is my own take then this absolutely nails it. Synths swell and support, the cleans come in with the growls and it manages to refrain from just going straight to lift off with some restrained moments of dexterity that are fast without being delivered in a blur of notes. It balances that heavy attack with the epic wondrous moments so well with drums and guitar in perfect synch. Wonderful, heady stuff.
It’s so tight in some sections it could crack at any second and in just the first four songs you have been taken to a new state of how technical complexity can still move you on an emotional level as opposed to being wowed by how good they are with their respective instruments. This is extremely important because without that soul, it loses its meaning and you are left with a collection of stunning virtuosity that is just that, a showcase for skills. The remaining songs come in and just underline how good it is, how good they are and incredibly its another for the AOTY lists. 9/10
Rannoch - Conflagrations (Willowtip Records) [GC]
This week’s review is a UK based tech-death offering from Rannoch they have a few releases behind them and are about to release new album Conflagrations. Previous albums have been received well by the UK press and it’s been a few years since they released anything cos of you know that pandemic thing, so let’s see if the time away has been good for them.
Degenerate Era starts off with a subdued guitar that then leads into some nice double bass drumming that sweeps in and out of some nice atmospherics but its all that little bit to subtle and at 2:52 is a bit of a long and drawn-out intro and isn’t the best start, then we have the 8:22 behemoth that is Prism Black which bounds into view and is much more of what you would expect with staccato riffing and thunderous double bass drums clashing and creating a huge wall of dissonant noise that while certainly isn’t re-inventing the wheel, has just enough to keep you interested for its mammoth duration as it twists and turns even offering a sweeping melodic part and it always manages to sound fresh and invigorating, Threads then sounds like Fear Factory at the peak of their powers which of course is a massive compliment and that of course means this is a wall to wall avalanche of technical riffs and pounding double bass.
Nitroverts - Endogenous (Fixt) [James Jackson]
Endogenous in biological terms is the growing or originating from within an organism, in Sociological terms, confined within a group or society; apt given the current state of the world, it’s impact on the individual, our own physical and mental processes that we endeavour to control or hide.
Starting Point is the first track on the album from Electro Metal act Nitroverts; it’s a fusion of samples and Nu Metal style groove and aggression that easily hooks you in; vocally there’s a mix of clean and growled vocals, the latter used as emphasis, an added layer rather than a constant theme.
There’s a skippable instrumental track before Helladrenaline and Not A Monster offer huge slabs of groove and dance like drum beats, Where I Belong is another track that holds Linkin Park similarities for me (maybe it’s just that title) but it’s a head bobbing track with a hugely catchy chorus with soaring vocals.
Break The System brings the album to a close and is the most melodic and stripped back track upon the album, the samples and guitars are as prominent as they’ve been throughout but the feel of the song is more intimate.
Beyond The Years clocking over 34 minutes of music, rush you into an epic journey of sounds, styles and a colorful flow that would take me over a paragraph to describe. During this track all band members are being presented by Neal Morse and are given their time in the spotlight. And as if all the above were not enough, CD 3 comes roaring with a medley of tracks from the Similitude Of A Dream album running at over 29 minutes, called The Great Similitude Medley bringing you all the finest moments from the one of progressive rock’s pinnacle albums of the previous decade.
An Evening Of Innocence & Danger: Live In Hamburg is definitely one of the best live moments in progressive rock history and I sure feel a little bit jealous for not being able to watch it live myself. After the completion of the record I was feeling elated but at the same time a little sad that it ended. Surely was I glad to experience it though. 10/10
(Told you I wouldn’t be objective!)
The Zenith Passage - Datalysium (Metal Blade Records) [Mark Young]
Bit late to the party with my review for this and have seen positive stuff about it from those with similar interests online, this is the second full length release from the Tech outfit and from the ending notes of the opener The Axiom Of Error segueing into Algorithmic Salvation you know you are listening to something that has that ‘thing’ about it, that grabs you and makes you have to listen to the full album in one hit.
The first two tracks are full of that technical complexity and brutality which is expected and then it starts to kick in with their unique take. Lexicontagion that has this soft, ethereal feel that is soon booted to make way for some almost maddening riffing which is carried over into Synaptic Depravation. Its stop/start, control / uncontrol, riffs that disappear into swells of synths that come back, and It absolutely shouldn’t work but it does. It takes a dive into Blade Runner territory with the closing moments and somehow it just fits.
If you imagine that was act 1, or side A then the remaining keep this incredibly high bar in place.
Divinertia II has some rapid fire drum / guitar as well as some frankly insane melody lines that just seem to be plucked out of the air, complex and labyrinth in build but gets the most from just giving us that manic trem moments which is as low brow as you could want but adds that dynamic to it and to be honest you could probably write an in-depth essay on each song there is that much going on. The two end songs, Automated Twilight and Datalysium both weigh in with a 7minute run time. Automated Twilight is where they really go for broke, mixing in the keys, epic chords and for me a nod to Muse. It’s not riffmania or drums at a complex time signature or with 300 bpm its just CLASS. I can’t put a finger on it except to say you listen to it and see what you take from it.
Album closer is Datalysium and is one of the finest endings you can ever hope to hear. If the overall theme running through the album is one of space, of the power cosmic and that is my own take then this absolutely nails it. Synths swell and support, the cleans come in with the growls and it manages to refrain from just going straight to lift off with some restrained moments of dexterity that are fast without being delivered in a blur of notes. It balances that heavy attack with the epic wondrous moments so well with drums and guitar in perfect synch. Wonderful, heady stuff.
It’s so tight in some sections it could crack at any second and in just the first four songs you have been taken to a new state of how technical complexity can still move you on an emotional level as opposed to being wowed by how good they are with their respective instruments. This is extremely important because without that soul, it loses its meaning and you are left with a collection of stunning virtuosity that is just that, a showcase for skills. The remaining songs come in and just underline how good it is, how good they are and incredibly its another for the AOTY lists. 9/10
Rannoch - Conflagrations (Willowtip Records) [GC]
This week’s review is a UK based tech-death offering from Rannoch they have a few releases behind them and are about to release new album Conflagrations. Previous albums have been received well by the UK press and it’s been a few years since they released anything cos of you know that pandemic thing, so let’s see if the time away has been good for them.
Degenerate Era starts off with a subdued guitar that then leads into some nice double bass drumming that sweeps in and out of some nice atmospherics but its all that little bit to subtle and at 2:52 is a bit of a long and drawn-out intro and isn’t the best start, then we have the 8:22 behemoth that is Prism Black which bounds into view and is much more of what you would expect with staccato riffing and thunderous double bass drums clashing and creating a huge wall of dissonant noise that while certainly isn’t re-inventing the wheel, has just enough to keep you interested for its mammoth duration as it twists and turns even offering a sweeping melodic part and it always manages to sound fresh and invigorating, Threads then sounds like Fear Factory at the peak of their powers which of course is a massive compliment and that of course means this is a wall to wall avalanche of technical riffs and pounding double bass.
Next up is title track Conflagrations and once again it clocks in at over 8 minutes as with the first track it builds from a subtle and moody guitar intro and takes almost 3 minutes before we get into the main part of the song which is full of a darkness that has not been present so far and it kind of pays off because it shows another side to their sound and shows its not all just tech riffs and double bass savagery, I mean, obviously that is there but this is a more measured approach to the sound but, I’m just not sure about the vocals in places if I am honest and the run time is just way too long for what the song actually achieves.
Daguerreotype then harks back to the more familiar attack pattern and shakes everything back up again and there is absolutely no subtlety on offer here, its just a blunt force boot to the skull and probably a wise choice after the last tracks slower pace, Earth-Recycle then really lets everything down because at 3:28 of echoey silence it does precisely fuck all, it’s just such a pointless thing to include and it baffles me as to why people bother with this sort of thing? It doesn’t show talent or compliment anything, it just stunts the flow of the album.
Directly after this closing track Threnody To A Dying Star is SIXTEEN MINUTES AND FIFTY-SIX SECONDS LONG!!!!! I mean fucking hell man, come on do me a favor here lads! As most of the longer tracks here it begins with a melodic part that is actually done very well and shows off some more decent guitar work and the cleaner vocals mix well and compliment the somber tone, when it does kick into life at almost 5 minutes in, the pace doesn’t really pick up that much and is sort of mid-paced and I’m starting to almost give up because not much is happening and there is still 11 minutes left, and unfortunately it does just keep on going FOREVER at this mid-paced plod and never actually picks up the pace and ends the album on a complete low and really deflates me.
To be brutally honest I’m not sure what the aim was with Conflagrations sure its decent in places and has some very proficient musicianship and the guitars and drums are brilliant in places, but they always seem to get that bit to involved in some musical wankery that’s not needed and they tend to bloat out tracks that don’t need bloating. It was really good in places but also really frustrating in places and I wouldn’t want to go back and listen to it again as its just too drawn out for me which is a shame as I can hear the talent is there but for me, they just try to hard and it relegates what could be a great album to just and good album. 6/10
To be brutally honest I’m not sure what the aim was with Conflagrations sure its decent in places and has some very proficient musicianship and the guitars and drums are brilliant in places, but they always seem to get that bit to involved in some musical wankery that’s not needed and they tend to bloat out tracks that don’t need bloating. It was really good in places but also really frustrating in places and I wouldn’t want to go back and listen to it again as its just too drawn out for me which is a shame as I can hear the talent is there but for me, they just try to hard and it relegates what could be a great album to just and good album. 6/10
Nitroverts - Endogenous (Fixt) [James Jackson]
Endogenous in biological terms is the growing or originating from within an organism, in Sociological terms, confined within a group or society; apt given the current state of the world, it’s impact on the individual, our own physical and mental processes that we endeavour to control or hide.
Starting Point is the first track on the album from Electro Metal act Nitroverts; it’s a fusion of samples and Nu Metal style groove and aggression that easily hooks you in; vocally there’s a mix of clean and growled vocals, the latter used as emphasis, an added layer rather than a constant theme.
The consecutive tracks What’s Going On, Alienated and Control all follow the same path and I’m reminded of acts from Nu Metal’s heyday Adema and Spineshank, particularly the latter with their Electro/Industrial edge, it’s upon the track Hit The Brakes that the Nu Metal influences bleed through in such a way that the opening riff sounds quite similar to Don’t Stay by Linkin Park, not necessarily a bad thing to wear your heart on your sleeve.
There’s a skippable instrumental track before Helladrenaline and Not A Monster offer huge slabs of groove and dance like drum beats, Where I Belong is another track that holds Linkin Park similarities for me (maybe it’s just that title) but it’s a head bobbing track with a hugely catchy chorus with soaring vocals.
Break The System brings the album to a close and is the most melodic and stripped back track upon the album, the samples and guitars are as prominent as they’ve been throughout but the feel of the song is more intimate.
I’ll be giving this one more air time. 7/10