Spock's Beard - Snow

Spock's Beard

Snow

Inside Out Music

Being an ardent fan of Spock’s Beard for some years makes it quite a challenge to review their sixth studio outing, Snow. There’s also the fact that this is their first attempt at a full-blown double concept album that makes the task at hand even harder.

Suffice to say, Snow is everything you expect from the band. The album is based on an Albino psychic character named John Sikeston (AKA "Snow") who grows up sheltered from normal life until his move to New York in his teenage years. The story features a whole host of characters that flesh out the story.

Now, what about the music? Well, there are plenty of lavish melodic moments (‘Made Alive’, ‘Love Beyond Words’ and ‘Solitary Soul’), hard rock numbers (‘Stranger In A Strange Land’, ‘Welcome To NYC’, ‘Freak Boy’ and ‘Devil’s Got My Throat’) and progressive workouts (‘Overture’, Second Overture’ and ‘Snow’s Night Out’).

Nick D’Virgilio (Drums) deserves special mention for his stunning lead vocals on the tracks ‘Carrie’ and ‘Looking For Answers’. He’s improved ten fold since his solo album Karma.

If I really had to be critical (and its hard, let me tell you!), the real weak moment on the album has to be the keyboard solo ‘Ladies And Gentlemen, Mister Ryo Okumoto On The Keyboards’. It may well be short by seventies standards, but unnecessary nether less. It would be impossible to really go through the album track by track, and I believe that fans would rather discover the album as a whole by themselves. All is made up though with the final piece of the puzzle ‘Made Alive Again/Wind At My Back’. The band turns everything (vocals harmonies and instruments up to ten) in a towering crescendo. Pure magic that words can’t describe!

Between the perfect harmonies and the songs that never outstay their welcome, there’s a sense that the time is perfect for Spock’s Beard to finally arise to the top of the progressive field along side Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater, and lose long forgotten icons of the past like Genesis, Marillion and Ayreon. This is an album that truly defies words, and will live well beyond its shelf life. There’s a lack of bands of this calibre, and that is a real shame. Both progressive and concept are not dirty words to those of my age.

For more information on Spock's Beard, check out - https://www.facebook.com/spocksbeard.

© Justin Donnelly.

Tunnelvision - Tomorrow

Tunnelvision

Tomorrow

Massacre Records

Upon first listen, this Finnish five-piece band didn't really sound like anything special. However, after repeated listens, the music finally started to have an effect.

After forming in 1995, Tunnelvision released their debut While The World Awaits in 1999. The band have gone through numerous line up changes in their time, but things looked fairly solid prior to the recording of their new album, Tomorrow.

There's a militant drum sound opening the album on 'Calling', and Marko Waara's vocals are certainly unique. If you can imagine a cross between Queensryche's Geoff Tate and Nevermore's Warrel Dane, you'll some idea. The keyboard dominated 'Silence' adds a dark sound to the epic, while 'Parasites' simply lumbers along with its heavy riffing. While itís not a definitive ballad, the slow rocking 'Lightning' again highlights Marko's powerful vocals (and Finnish accent). There's an almost power metal feel to 'Time Of The Hunter's Moon', but there's also just enough progressive moments to please fans of the genre. There's also some cool slap bass work from Lauri Porra towards the tail end of the song. 'The Hermit (Wait And See)' has a touch of Dream Theater in its song structure, as does 'Don Juan's Triumph'. As good as that sounds, the chorus in 'Don Juan's Triumph' is really its downfall. It simply lacks that special something.

'Ribbon Of Tears' is another of the albums quieter moments, featuring some tasteful moments from guitarist Vili Ollila, making way for the two epic closing numbers 'Long Voyage Back' and 'While The World Awaits'. Both numbers allow the band to have individual shining moments, and are by far the best tracks on the album (Is that the guitar solo from Alice Cooper's 'Pass The Gun Around' in 'While The World Awaits'?).

Tunnelvision are far from doing anything original in the progressive field. The production as well fails to truly capture the band in full flight. Having said that, Tunnelvision are certainly a band worth keeping an ear on. They may just have a few surprises next time around.

For more information on Tunnelvision, check out - https://www.facebook.com/massacrerecordseurope.

© Justin Donnelly.

Dark Tranquillity - Damage Done

Dark Tranquillity

Damage Done

Century Media Records

Sweden’s Dark Tranquillity may have been a half step behind some of the other leaders in the Gothenburg melodic death metal movement (In Flames and The Crown come to mind), but with Damage Done, Dark Tranquillity are not only going to get the praise they deserve, but be a hard act to follow in the process.

Their last release, 2000’s Haven raised a few eyebrows from long-term fans, and while it was a great album from the band, it tended to be a little more on the experimental side of things. Damage Done seems to revert back to the aggressive sounds of previous albums, yet pushes them beyond anything they’ve done before.

‘Final Resistance’ opens with a deceptively melodic riff before turning into a full on assault attack of the senses. Vocalist Mikael Stanne seethes anger and hate, while retaining the essential melody that binds the band as one. ‘Hours Passed In Exile’ has some majestic melodic twin guitar work (Courtesy of Niklas Sundin and Martin Henriksson), while ‘Monochromatic Stains’ (The first promotional video from the album) returns the aggression. Both ‘Single Part Of One’ and ‘The Treason Wall’ lean heavily on the keyboard sounds, but are counter balanced with the heavy guitars, and riffs most bands would envy. One of the catchier tunes is the unusually titled ‘Format C: For Cortex’, and has a passing resemblance to Iron Maiden in parts. The title track ‘Damage Done’ passes with intensity, but ‘Cathode Ray Sunshine’ is certainly highlighted by its experimentation of subtle keyboards and guitar tones. The experimentation is taken one step further with the brilliant ‘The Enemy’. This is defiantly one of the albums many highlights. ‘White Noise/Black Silence’ again pushes the manic fury, only to dilute itself with the sweeping instrumental ‘Ex Nihilo’.

The Gothenburg scene may well be seen as death metals bastard child, but there’s a lot to be said about the movement when something as special as Damage Done is conceived.

For more information on Dark Tranquillity, check out - https://www.facebook.com/dtofficial.

© Justin Donnelly.

Norma Jean – Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child

Norma Jean
Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child
Solid State Records/Tooth & Nail Records

Norma Jean (formerly know as Luti-Kriss) has returned with their second album for Solid State Records. Following hot on the heels of their highly acclaimed Throwing Myself, the band was toured relentlessly, rushed into the studio, and now they're back with Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child.

As time goes, Norma Jean's sound seems more extreme, and the messages more thought provoking (cryptic?). The song titles are certainly some of the strangest I’ve read in some time (‘Pretty Soon, I Don’t Know What, But Something Is Going To Happen’, ‘Sometimes It’s Our Mistakes That Make For The Greatest Ideas’ and ‘I Used To Hate Cell Phones But Now I Hate Car Accidents’), but the songs are pure youthful metal hardcore noise. No one particular track stands out as they all have their moments of inspired twisted guitar sounds and screaming chaotic vocal exercises from Joshua Scogin. One thing worth mentioning is Aaron Jonathan Weiss’s (Mewithoutyou) vocal contribution to the crushing ‘Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste’.

Noted producer Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage) has done the near impossible and allowed plenty of space within the scope of sound utilized by Norma Jean, without turning the album into a wall of noise. If hardcore is your bag, and Hatebreed and Converge get you all excited, then check this band out before they sell heaps of albums and start being labelled sell outs.

For more information on Norma Jean, check out - https://www.facebook.com/normajean.

© Justin Donnelly.