Over the last 25 to 30 years Brazil has well established itself as a major hub for heavy metal, particularly power metal and progressive metal. To name a few progressive metal and/or power metal bands are Angra, Souslspell, Shadowside, Vandroya, and now Mr Ego. A month or so back I friend founder and bass player for Mr. Ego Paulo André . Paulo was generous enough to send me a physical and digital copy to Se7en, their latest most recent effort.
Mr. Ego’s sound is widely debated. Some called them Brazil’s Symphony X. I refuse to believe this and when you really listen to Se7en you begin to hear and see so much more. They are more Jorn Lande era Masterplan meets Allen/Lande with a twist of the Joe Lynn Turner fronted Sunstorm with light elements of early Dream Theater. On Se7en you get a little bit of all those bands I mentioned as a influence to Mr. Ego. You get the progressive heavy metal of Masterplan and Allen/Lande with the added spoken word element effects used by earlier Dream Theater. Se7en is one of those albums where people can relate a little bit with every track.
Opening Se7en is the beautifully used choir intro 16:2. It also has some background effects with children playing and helicopters a a buzzing before exploding into the next track Fall On Our Knees.
Fall On Our Knees begins with a blistering distorted rhythmic section with bass/drum and rhythm guitar with a clean keyboard. This track does not waste the listener’s time hooking them into Se7en. The vocals are a fine blend of Jorn Lande, Russel Allen and Joe Lynn Turner. It has a killer hook and melody in the solo. The keyboard converts to a hammond old style in the vein of Deep Purple on steroids. This track ends with a Dream Theater style spoken word excerpt edit from President Regan’s speech in front of the Berlin Wall where he says, “Mr Gorbachev tear down this wall.” Thus using it as a nice bridge segue to the next track Broken Walls.
Broken Walls explodes with some vicious rhythm progressions and time signatures that are not for the faint of heart. The hooks and melodies may sound like traditional heavy metal however far from it. There are still some serious time signatures and breaks especially in the stringed portion between guitar and keyboards. Iuri Nogueira – Guitar executes his playing so well and it is so well produced it gives the listener the appearance there are more than one guitar playing at a time.
1917 starts out with a proto thrash element in the way of Pantera yet with a cleaner more progressive sound. Some other elements that come to mind here are elements of progressive metal band Watchtower with the intricate time signatures going in and out. The vocals and backing vocals really balance well in harmony here and it seems the band is starting to to melt like a fine cohesive weld. The solo’s are thunderous as well as the double blast beats in the drums.
Deceived opens straight up with a blistering ear splitting rhythm guitar riff that commands the listeners attention. The first 1:00 or so is a all out sonic assault on the senses. This track also has a special guest feature. It is Symphony X’s Mike LePond. The guitar riffs have some very tasteful breaks allowing for the drum to be the backbone to this track. The vocals appear to feel more like Jorn Lande again yet on the Avantasia projects. The keyboards ride the razors edge between hammond and mellotron style instead of the typical cliche glossy keyboards. The keyboards also sound more like a additional guitar on the song.
For The Last Time is a very dark and brooding segue. The piano has a sound of dark chamber music. There in the background are some more spoken word effects as if a news cast is happening.
Injustice starts out with a heavy clean bottom rhythm section between the guitar and bass before the passage takes a serious bass affair with a nice isolated vocal leading it. This track displays the bands willingness to slow a track down and give something different to to the audience. It continues to get increasingly heavier in the riffs as the track progresses. Vocally this one is of the ‘most harmonic and melodic ‘ on the album.
Black Gold is another really blistering track both vocally and instrumentally. This track displays the higher end and range of André Ferrari Anheiser -Vocals. The rhythm riffs totally remind me of Iced Earth’s Days Of Purgatory meets Angra. This track is white hot from start to finish.
End Of Times opens up like early 1980’s Armored Saint in many ways yet with 21st century riffs of Dream Theater meets At Vance. The riffs are not a blistering power metal style. The hooks and melodies are more a progressive metal based. They have that time signature and rhythm change up. At the 3:00 mark appears another spoken word effect within the song as the vocal softens up with warmth before exploding into the guitar solo.
Tears Of An Angel is a ballad on Se7en. It is a more piano/keyboard and rum driven track. The guitar’s and bass are not on a shred fest here. The instrumental side of this is a very easy listen to every metal fan out there. Once again the spoken word effect appears to be a simulated news cast in the background.
Silence Of The Lambs Pt.1 Future Of Illusions opens up a 12 minute multi tracked epic. Part 1Future Of Illusions starts it off in a ballad style with just piano and vocals. The keyboards serve more like a orchestral instrument portraying a stringed section from a symphony much like a violin it drops before moving on to Silence Of The Lambs Pt.2 Chain Of Events.
Silence Of The Lambs Pt.2 Chain Of Events really explodes into a progressive and melodic metal frenzy. With steady riffs and steady progressions Silence Of The Lambs Pt.2 Chain Of Events takes you on a really journey with the riffs and vocal harmonies. It also makes Silence Of The Lambs into a mini epic especially when Pt. 3 7063 RM kicks in. Especially much in the vein of Dream Theater’s Learning To Live meets Symphony X’s Church and The Machine of Twilight of Olympus.
Silence Of The Lambs Pt.3 7063 RM closes out the trilogy and the album with with great melodic and harmony savvy progressions and passages.
After listening to this and digesting this as long as I did, I am confident when I say the Mr. Ego are NOT Brazilian Symphony X clones. When approached with a open mind and objective ear, Mr. Ego do have their very own sound. This band also solidifies Brazil as a major global hub for heavy progressive power metal. I give this a 4/5 for a well written and self produced effort.
Sir Issac Newton, Albert Einstein, Artimesus, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Plato. All these names have one thing in common, they were all the Geniuses and Scientists of there time. All came up with scientific theories that were proven facts and even Universal Laws with some of them. In their respective times many considered them ‘Mad Scientists’ that were out of their minds until their hypothesis’ were all proven as bona fide facts.
When I listen to Pitts Minnemann Project The Psychic Planetarium I notice a vibe that runs in common with those legends I mentioned above. Pitts Minnemann Project are 4 very different musicians that are all world class intellectual’s and musical geniuses of their time. Pitts MinnemannProject are made up of Jimmy Pitts – Keyboards, Theremin ,Tom ‘Fountainhead’ Geldschläger– Guitars , Jerry Twyford –Bass , Marco Minnemann – Drums who have brought their world class intellect and musicianship and created one of the very best instrumental progressive rock/metal psychedelic fusion albums I have heard over the last 15 years in The Psychic Planetarium.
The band members of this album have all seemed to bring years of musical theories and detail on the project. Pitts Minnemann Project comes in the tradition of Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, meets Liquid Tension Experiment, Gordion Knot and Derek Sherinian’s Black Utopia and PlanetX projects with The Psychic Planetarium hooks you the listener right away out of the gate starting with the rhythm injected Conquistador.
Conquistador starts out with a progression of deep heavy rhythm between bass and keyboards before taking a steady metamorphosis with the drums and and rhythm section. From there it hooks the listener up a steady progression of sound with various really odd time signatures that really fuse together to give the listener a immediate mind altering listening experience. Conquistador is a very appropriate title for the first track. It commands attention with the time signatures, hooks and melodies.
Imaginary Numbers as this track opens, and on careful examination is like a stringed orchestra with, cello’s, violins, stand up basses, viola’s , etc .. pumped exquisitely through the filter of a fusion programmed keyboard. In doing so on the open passage the band gel’s very well. About the :55 mark it takes a incredible jazz direction sounding much like a horned section to a orchestra yet pumped through the filter of the keyboards. The bass/drum/ rhythm guitar play into these filters with great time signatures and passages. Imaginary Numbers is one of the heavier, darker tracks on the album. The bass really closes this one in a very bleak manner.
The Guide opens up with a baby grand piano style passage perhaps filtered to give the listener the image that the passage is being played in a open atmosphere like a empty warehouse. The Guide is at the vintage crossroads between Bach & Mozart with current elements of fusion.
Peacekeeper starts with a sonic fury of rhythmic section proportions. The bass and drums are clearly the driving point of the track in the intro before the keyboards add another layer to it. Marco Minnemann adds some nice bells and chimes in a very intricate uncanny manner. Tom ‘Fountainhead’ Geldschläger – Guitars adds a beautiful shred fest in and out in various places throughout the progression of Peacekeeper. This is definitely a work of sheer genius in a mad scientist form.
Of Colours Spontaneous is a beautiful almost 4 minutes of classical piano passages. It is arranged in such a way where you can digest, reflect and take in what you have just heard with the rest of the album before going on the epic journey that is the 24+ minute title track to the album The Psychic Planetarium.
The Psychic Planetarium explodes on impact from the first minute bombarding the listeners full audio senses. It builds upon the bass/drum rhythm section alongside a really heavy blistering rhythm guitar and infused glossed keyboards. This track takes some very nice breaks in the way of the arrangement isolating each instrument allowing the listener to digest the sum of the album’s various parts. Whether it was intentional or not The Psychic Planetarium has the appearance of what a psychedelic jam band like Umpherey’s McGee or even Oresund Space Collective put forward.
At about the 6:00 mark Jimmy Pitts produces some female chant style vocals through the filter of the keyboard. From that point the track takes a turn as if the listener is on a voyage through interstellar space. Between the heavy rhythm sections and various time progressions the keyboard has a fine backing atmosphere with various guitar shredding passages going in and out in layers. Where one time signature drops it is immediately replaced with another layer in a very unpredictable fashion. The Psychic Planetarium keeps the listener on the edge of there ears or seat and commands their attention for its almost 24 + minute duration.
The Beautiful Faint Glow begins with a beautiful bass oriented rhythmic melody. The keyboard starts to build layer upon layer. The guitar and bass on this one is are done in a vocal style manner as if they are both in one melodic harmony. Once again there is a heavily orchestral induced violin style element. It kind of reminds me of Steve Vai meets Kansas Dust in the Wind. The Beautiful Faint Glow has a profound sense of orchestral elements clashing wonderfully with fusion elements giving this piece colour and grace.
Pitts Minnemann’s The Psychic Planetarium is one serious mind-fuck. It is very cleverly written, recorded and produced. As far as ‘Pure’ instrumental bands are concerned, Jimmy Pitts and Marco Minnemann along with Fountainhead & Jerry Twyford have created a ‘Masterpiece for the 2010’s’. They have also introduced new exotic ideas and theories to the world of progressive rock/metal fusion. This gets a 5/5 and has potential to be ‘Instrumental Album Of 2016’.
Label : Independent Release Release Year : 2016 Country : United Kingdom Genre : Progressive Folk Rock/Progressive Metal/NWOBHM
Band Members
Dean Marsh – Vocals,Guitars,Synths, Mandolin, Octave Mandola, Bass (The Voice Of The People Of Cogtopolis) Luke Severn – Lead And Backing Vocals (The Voice Of The Nightkeepers) Chris Ewen – Bass Stefan Hepe – Drums, Percussion
With
Melissa Hollick – Female Vocals (The Sung Words Of Eve) Dying Seed – Backing Vocals
Additional & Guest Musicians/ Chorus & Orchestra
Dean Marsh – (The Voice of The People Of Cogtopolis) Luke Severn – (The Voice Of The Nightkeepers) Arjen Lucassen – (Sung Words Of Armistead) Blaze Bailey– (Sung Words Of The Primarch) Dave Oberle– (Sung Words Of Pastor Simon) Melissa Hollick – (The Sung Words Of Eve) Matt Stevens – Ambient Guitars Dave Oberle – Bodhran/ Tan Tan
The Players – (Narrative Actors)
Mark Benton (Dr Who) – Spoken Words Of The Lamplighter/Prison Guard/The Secretary Zach Galligan (Gremlins) – Spoken Words of The Steam Ranger Tim Muro – Spoken Words of The Tinker Alicia Marsh – Spoken Words Of Eve Paul Barnhill – Spoken Words Of Pastor Simon Bill Fellows (Downtown Abbey) – Spoken Words Of The Armistead & Nightkeeper Spy Paul Kavanaugh – Spoken Words Of The Primarch & Nightkeeper Brethren 1 Chris Ewen – Spoken Words Of The Boy Luke Severn – Spoken Words Of Second Secretary & The Brethren 2
Growing up on a habitable part of ‘The Surface’ of the world, I kept on hearing of a mysterious sub terrain world called ‘Cogtopolis.‘ For some reason the city on ‘The Surface’ suffered a apocalyptic end and its inhabitants were forced to move underground and thus the city founded was ‘Cogtopolis’ . My curiosity got the best of me so I got my ticket to this mysterious yet enigmatic cavernous city. The world I had taken my holiday to was far better than any ‘Astonishing’ civilization I have ever been to in 2016.
This world is created by the much acclaimed progressive rock band called Gandalf’s Fist as they return in 2016 with The Clockwork Fable. Gandalf’s Fist have returned with a 3 hour melodic movie in the theater of YOU the listener. The Clockwork Fable has a all star cast much like they 2014 Forest of Fey did. This time with The Clockwork Fable, Gandalf’s Fist return with the undisputed ‘King Of Rock/Metal Opera’s Arjen Lucassen – Ayreon, Blaze Bayley – ex Iron Maiden, Matt Stevens – The Fierce And The Dead on the musical vocal side. On the narrative spoken word side the storyteller’s Gandalf’s Fist enlist the talents of actors such as Mark Benton – Dr Who, Zach Galligan – Gremlins and Bill Fellows – Downtown Abbey . This is some serious talent coming from a independent that totally self finances their projects.
Gandalf’s Fist The Clockwork Fable is a rock/metal opera, conceptual work and a progressive rock oriented musical all in one. As far as rock/metal opera’s The Clockwork Fable now joins the likes of The Who’s Tommy, Ayreon, Avantasia, Genius The Rock Opera and Leonardo The Absolute Man. As far as conceptual albums The Clockwork Fable joins on the progressive rock side Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick, Pink Floyd’s Darkside of The Moon & The Wall, Yes’ Tales Of Topographic Oceans, Queensryche’s Operation Mindcrime 1&2 , Fates Warning’s A Pleasant Shade Of Grey, Dream Theater’s Metropolis 2: Scenes From A Memory and Spock’s Beard’s Snow and Pain Of Salvation’s BE in modern time. On the stage musical side The Clockwork Fable has potential to even be adapted into a musical like Hair, Cats, Rent or West Side Story.
The Clockwork Fable is broken into three separate Acts much like a stage musical or Broadway production. There is Act 1 The Day The Great Cog Failed,Act 2 Of Men And Worms and Act 3 From Burrows We Came. Every Act runs in a very concurrent and fluid manner as the story is well crafted and produced. The narrative segue’s are spot on and keep the Traveller or you the listener completely engulfed in the story of the lives of Cogtopolis on The Clockwork Fable, thus commanding your full attention to listen carefully. Instead of doing a complete track by track analysis I will point out highlights off each of the 3 CD’s or Three Act’s.
Act 1 The Day The Great Cog Failed -(Tracks 1-10)
The Clockwork Fable opens up with The Traveler and The Lighter, a monologue of The Lamplighter offering The Traveler, the listener a grand tour through the great city of Cogtopolis. The Lamplighter proceeds to explain the inner workings of Cogtopolis which ironically are similar to the inner workings of a old clock that operates off cogs’ or wheels. It lays a Steampunk kind of atmosphere to The Traveler. After The Lamplighter has given The Traveler basic instructions for the tour, Eve a young lady meets them with a neo progressive track titled Shadowborn.
Shadowborn is has heavy neo progressive/folk/progressive metal elements. The instrumental portion reminds me a lot of the NWOBHM meets today’s folk metal much like Finntroll without the grunts. Eve who is sung by Melissa Hollick basically introduces The Traveler or listener to the plight of those in Cogtopolis.Shadowborn has some killer hooks and melodies with a sprinkle of a powerful guitar solo. The Lamplighter – (Parts 1- 8) begins with a very Pink Floydian ambient orchestral passage. The soft warmth of the vocals between male and female invite you in as part of the story or the day in the life of a resident of ‘Cogtopolis‘. About the 4:00 mark the entire song takes a series of twists and turns through various folk and progressive passages. The Hammond keyboard gives it a darker depth of underworld persuasion while the folk influence remains constant. Layers upon layers of ambient atmospheres in harmony with the ambient vocals carry the listener off into this underworld universe. This also displays the urgency of what The Lamplighter’s mean to Cogtopolis. There is a killer guitar outro solo around the 13:00 mark.
In The Cavern Of The Great Cog is another in a series of segue narratives that keep the story very concurrent with continuity. The narratives serve as the backbone to The Clockwork Fable allowing The Traveler or listener to remain in the story as a character themselves. This leads to the next musical track The Great Cog.
The Great Cog opens up with a heavy bass/drum rhythm section perfectly complimenting the brief warm ambient vocals before the the vocal takes on a more Rob Halford sound. The synths remain in the vein of the old school hammond organ keeping a darker edge to the conceptual sound. The vocals go in and out from very ambient style atmosphere to a more Rob Halford high end register. There are some great breaks where the vocal takes a half spoken word in harmony with the sung vocal.
The Shadow Rises is another in the series of narrative pieces. The band has done a great job with the continuity of narrative segue’s leaving The Traveler or the listener compelled to the story like a eyewitness character. Thus there is never a drop nor silence between the sung tracks and narrative tracks. The Capture (Including A Song For A Fallen Nightkeeper) is definitely NWOBHM influenced with its galloping rhythm intro. The vocals have both a choral chant and a well articulate female vocal. This is the first time the instrumental section gives the listener a instrumental simulation of the steampunk inner workings to Cogtopolis. The main and lead vocals are sung through a ambient atmospheric filter.
Act 2 Of Men And Worms – (Tracks 11-20)
As rumor that ‘The Surface’ might be stabilizing and sunlight is returning so does speculation without facts. Some of the people of ‘Cogtopolis’ either become zealots or just out and out complacent. Gandalf’s Fist do a great job depicting vividly in both instrumental and lyrical of this complacency. Tracks such as Victims of Light, Ditchwater Daisies and The Lamplighter (Parts 9 – 13), all explain about some being imprisoned for questioning authority, people in Cogtopolis perhaps conspiring to go to ‘The Surface’ and the like lyrically.
On a instrumental side, Act 2 serves as a perfect melodic and rhythmic bridge towards Act 3 the final Act. A Solemn Toast for the Steam Ranger reborn is a 10 minute epic in a very Peter Gabriel fashion, particularly Solsbury Hill yet with light jazz elements and a female and male vocal. A Solemn Toast for the Steam Ranger reborn is a excellent ambient atmospheric piece with great guitar solo’s that get progressively heavier as the track moves forward. The solo’s are almost in a vein of Iron Maiden with folk elements. The music is not to heavy yet not too mellow. It is balanced just right. Their are many cohesive vocal harmonies that keep the story of The Clockwork Fable moving without boring the Traveler , you the listener.
Act 3 From Burrows We Came
Act 3 From Burrows We Came is the heavier Act both on the heavy prog side, heavy metal side and even the folky side. The Lamplighter (Parts 14-15) begin with a very heavy brooding style in both the instrumental atmosphere and rhythm section. The vocals are conducted perfectly in a brood heavy handed ambient atmosphere. The Climb explodes in a very old school NWOBHM fashion with galloping guitars and fast bass lines, yet with a modern neo progressive sensibility. About the 2:00mark appears the choir. The band uses the choral or choir more as a ambient instrument than a vocal. The Climb reminds me a of the very heavy handed ambient vibe of Pink Floyd’s Welcome To Machine before taken another NWOBHM turn in the way of progression. Although the synths are more neo progressive about this point they still remain very heavy with the rhythm section. The Climb is the pivotal track that starts to wind up the story of The Clockwork Fable.
I think I will stop there with my analysis portion of the review. Besides I need to make my way home now from my holiday vacation in Cogtopolis. I will say this, without a doubt Gandalf’s Fist have innovated the blueprint in which progressive rock/metal conceptual albums are written, recorded and produced. The Clockwork Fable places the listener within the story as a living breathing character. The Clockwork Fable is one of those concepts that will be talked about for many generations to come. The Clockwork Fable gave me the impression I was on holiday or vacation to the very world Gandalf’s Fist created. They beautifully and perfectly painted a motion picture movie in the theater of my mind. My time in Cogtopolis was very interesting .This album will definitely show up in my Top 5 of 2016 and for all those reasons above gets a maximum of 5/5 .
Peter Gabriel | SO | A 30th Anniversary Retrospective.
Label : Geffen Records Release Date: May 19, 1986 Country : United Kingdom Genre: Crossover Progressive/Art/Pop/Eclectic Rock
Track Listing From CD (U.S.): Geffen 9 24088-2
1. Red Rain (5:39) 2. Sledgehammer (5:16) 3. Don’t Give Up (6:33) 4. That Voice Again (4:53) 5. In Your Eyes (5:30) 6. Mercy Street (for Anne Sexton) (6:21) 7. Big Time (success) (4:29) 8. We Do What We’re Told (Milgram’s 37) (3:22) 9. This Is The Picture (excellent birds) (4:18)
Band Members/Guest Musicians
Peter Gabriel Lead Vocal Piano Keyboards Synthisizers Percusion etc on All Tracks
Jerry Marotta –Dums Track 7 Drumstick Bass Track 7
Chris Hughes – Linn programming Track 1 Stewart Copeland – Hi-hat Track 1, Drums Track 7 Tony Levin – Bass Tracks 1-5, Drumstick Bass Track 7 David Rhodes -Guitar Tracks 1-5 & 7-8, Background Vocals 1& 5 Daniel Lanois – Guitar Tracks 1-2 & 4, Tambourine Track 2, Surf Guitar (Track 7), 12-StringGuitar Track 9 Manu Katch? – Drums Tracks 2-5, Percussion Tracks 3-5, Talking Drums Tracks 5 & 9 Wayne Jackson – Trumpet Tracks 2 & 7, cornet Track 7 Mark Rivera – Saxophone Track 2 Don Mikkelsen – Trombone Tracks 2 & 7 P.P. Arnold, Coral Gordon, Dee Lewis – Background Vocals Tracks 2 & 7 Richard Tee – Piano Tracks 3/ 5 & 6 Simon Clark – Chorus CS80 Track 3/ Hammond, CMI, Bass Track 7 Kate Bush – Guest Vocal Track 3 L. Shankar – Violin Tracks 4 & 8 Jerry Marotta – Additional Drums Tracks 5 & 8 Larry Klein – Bass Tracks 5-6 Youssou N’Dour – Guest Vocal Track 5 Michael Been, Jim Kerr – Background Vocals Track 5 Ronnie Bright – Bass & Vocals Track 5 Djalma Correa – Surdu, congas, triangle Track 6 Mark Rivera – Processed Saxophone Track 6 , Alto, Tenor and Baritone Saxophones Track 7 Jimmy Bralower – Linn Kick Track 7 Laurie Anderson – Voice Track 9 Bill Laswell – Bass Track 9 Nile Rodgers -Guitar-Track 9
The day was August, 15, 1975 and then Genesis front man Peter Gabriel decided it was time to part ways with the band. Along with his other brethren in Genesis, Peter Gabriel would be one pioneers of the first wave of progressive rock to come out of the United Kingdom along with Yes, King Crimson and Emerson Lake & Palmer. This would not be the only time Peter Gabriel would be pioneer in the music industry either. His departure from Genesis was not the end to the career of Peter Gabriel, it would be the start of the making of a icon and revolutionary genius.
When Peter Gabriel went solo it was far from easy for him even though he did come from an established band in Genesis. During his time in Genesis, Peter Gabriel was highly flamboyant with various stage costumes or face paint on stage. However it would go over the bands’ and some of the fans heads. Gabriel was basically a moving human stage prop on stage. This really did not go over in the visual department. However within the next 6 short years a new medium would provide Peter Gabriel to be as creative as he wanted to be. This new medium would be MTV .
While Gabriel struggled and his ex Genesis band mates were having continued success, it would be the release of the video in 1982 on MTV called ‘Shock The Monkey’ that would bring Gabriel back for the older Baby Boomer generation of fans that followed him in Genesis and at the same time introduce Gabriel to a whole other younger generation of fans in Generation X that would come to know him through his solo work. Meanwhile at the same time as ‘Shock The Monkey’ was out you had Yes out with Owner of a Lonely Heart and prog rocks’ second supergroup ASIA out with Heat of The Moment.
The technological means was there for progressive rock. Granted they had to make the songs from 20-30 minute epics to 3-5 minutes for acceptable airplay but since there were no definitive blueprints for making videos back in that day, bands could explore and craft mini 3-5 short films to accompany their songs. This new medium and concept would certainly not be lost on Peter Gabriel going forward. As a matter of fact, he was one of the few of his old progressive rock contemporaries that would totally embrace the music video. In 1986 he would release his top selling album ever in SO.
The Manifestation of A Genius
The Inside Look At Peter Gabriel’s SO
Before SO Peter Gabriel would release 4 self titled albums called Peter Gabriel. He really did not like particular titles on albums and felt they were too distracting. However these four albums would garner nicknames to them. 1977’s Car, which gave the world his first popular solo hit ‘Solsbury Hill‘ , 1978’s Scratch which did not receive too much critical nor fan fare. It would be the release of 1980’s Melt that would establish Peter Gabriel as a progressive rock solo artist with the songs Bilko and the popular ‘Games Without Frontiers. Finally there was the fourth Peter Gabriel solo project nicknamed 1982’s Security —also released in German as the Deutsches Album (1982)—saw success with Gabriel’s music video for the eye-opening “Shock the Monkey”
SO was written by Gabriel in 1984 in between sessions for the writing for the Alan Parker film Birdy. What became of the writing and recording sessions afterward and away from the soundtrack for Birdy would manifest themselves as a collective that the world now knows as 1986’s SO. Gabriel had this to say initially about the creation of SO“crash open at the front”, meaning he wanted instant impact with the public and listener. Gabriel more than exceeded the world’s expectations. Now we will see just how much it had and still does impact the progressive rock, art rock and world music scenes. SO would also go on to be certified Diamond or 10 times platinum, meaning 10 million units worldwide.
Red Rain
Red Rain is a subtle opening ambient piece. It was inspired by a recurring dream where Gabriel was swimming in a sea of red water. Gabriel explained to Mojo magazine September 2013: “‘Red Rain’ was written after a dream I’d had about the sea being parted by two walls. There were these glass-like figures that would screw themselves into each wall, fill up with red blood and then be lowered across the sand, as it were to the next wall, where they’d unload the blood on the other side. I used to have these extremely vivid dreams that scared the hell out of me.” Hi-hat cymbals performed bt The Police’s Stewart Copeland were used to simulate rain.
Sledgehammer
This was the song that shattered the glass top and took Peter Gabriel from cult progressive hero to worldwide iconic status. Sledgehammer was released as a single in a era where you had to have a music video on MTV to give that single a opportunity to gain any traction in the music race back in that time. It is MTV’s most played music video of all time. In 1987, the video swept up at the MTV VMAs winning 9 awards including, Video of the Year. This is the most awards a single video has won.The video also won Best British Video at the Brits whilst the song was nominated for 3 Grammys (including Song of the Year). It was directed by Stephen R. Johnson who had previously helmed the Talking Heads video Road To Nowhere which also utilised the lip-sync stop-motion style. Sledgehammer knocked Invisible Touch by Genesis off the No. 1 slot in the US Billboard Hot 100. Peter Gabriel used to front the band until 1975, when he left and Phil Collins took over vocal duties. It has never left radio rotation since the ‘Classic Rock’ format came to being in the early 1980’s.
Don’t Give Up – Featuring Duet w/ Kate Bush
Jill Gabriel, who was Peter’s wife at the time, said “I saw an article in a newspaper about a woman who jumped out of a huge block of flats with her child and killed herself. I gave it to Peter and it was the original inspiration and he was heartbroken to read it. However his lyrics are always multi-layered with many different influences.” Peter has also cited a TV show about unemployment and family life, and a photo of a family in the dust bowl depression as influences on the song.Peter had some kind of nervous breakdown in 1985, and he wrote this song to reward the support he got from his family. This album provides a glimpse of Gabriel’s state of mind: it’s a mixture of excessive enthusiast songs (“Big Time,” “Sledgehammer”) and depressive ones (“Don’t Give Up,” “MercyStreet”). Paula Cole sang this with Gabriel on his 1994 album Secret World Live. This also became a very popular hit with high school kids going to prom and graduating at the time.
That Voice Again
Peter Gabriel was once quoted about this track saying, About judgmental attitudes being a barrier between people”. This was so appropriate for the time. We had the Cold War, two very different countries for the first time with the capacity to destroy every living soul through nuclear warfare. The political divide in some parts of the world was at a all time high.
Mercy Street
This is based on the book of poems of the same name by Anne Sexton. An American mental patient, she wrote as a form of therapy. Gabriel was impressed that she wrote entirely for herself rather than an audience.Sexton made five suicide attempts, the fifth being successful: she died of carbon monoxide poisoning in 1974.The title came from Anne Sexton’s 1969 play 45 Mercy Street. She was also working on a poem with the same title at the time of her death.Gabriel could relate to Sexton as a deep thinker with a troubling depression who searches for meaning through her art. He used the image of darkness on Mercy Street to signal her depression.The end of this song was very intense when Gabriel performed it during live shows, where he used a high-pitched wail to simulate Sexton’s death. The video was a subdued black and white piece. It was quite different from his extravagant “Sledgehammer” video. The song also came out of an experience that Gabriel had on a plane. He told Mojo magazine September 2013: “Pan Am had started doing mileage programs. I got up to 100, 000 miles from touring, so I booked a free flight from LA to Rio. The catch was that I had to travel economy. “On the way onto the plane, I said hello to the bass player in Earth Wind & Fire Verdine White.”
Big Time
This was another one of those songs where Gabriel stretched the boundaries in the visual area of video. Gabriel said about Big Time, “A satirical story about a basic human urge… success.” This tells the story of a man from a small town who grows to be larger than life. The ending is heavily processed as Gabriel’s voice gets deeper and deeper, creating a sense of size until it ends cold. Stewart Copeland appears again on drums.
We Do What We Are Told To Do (Milgram’s 37)
This is a heavily ambient yet fuzzy track simulating how the powers that be in the world try and control humanity. It is also based on the true story based on the social experiments of StanleyMilgram, a Yale professor who had subjects administer electric shocks to a person if they answered a question wrong. The person being shocked was an actor who writhed in pain as the shocks got larger. Milgram wanted to see if the subjects would administer the shocks when the experimenter told them to, even though they were causing apparent pain in the person. Almost all subjects administered the highest level of shock despite the actor pounding the wall in apparent agony. The instrumental in the backdrop gives a melodic sense of a people coming under control of something that goes against their own will.
This Is The Picture (Excellent Birds)
This track barely made the album. It was only submitted with the album master to the record label 48 hours before it went to pressing. The track contains many neo progressive elements providing well crafted keyboard atmospheres with a power progressive drum/bass rhythmic section. This is a Darkhorse Gem on SO. It was co-written by Laurie Anderson who was a known songwriter in the World Music scene.
In Your Eyes
There is not much more than can be said about this one. I think “In Your Eyes” achieved iconic status after its appearance in the John Cusack movie Say Anything. Remember the part at the end where John Cusack attempts win his love back played by Ione Skye. That part where he has his boombox over his head and the sweet sounds of In Your Eyes coming out it. Well this track managed to finally win over of of the toughest generations in Generation X and further solidify Peter Gabriel from Baby Boomer Progressive Cult favourite to a transcendent internationally known and multi generational superstar. Since then this is well played at high school proms, weddings and engagements.
I did not want to simply just talk all about the music like I would during a album review. I wanted to really display the mindset Peter Gabriel was in at that time. My intentions were to display to a whole other generation the true significance of how Peter Gabriel’s SO has impacted both instrumentally and lyrically within the world as a whole. Just as we sit here 30 years later still talking about this ‘Sheer Masterpiece’ , I believe this album will still be talked about and gain more appreciation for future generations to come.
Label : Progressive Promotion Records Release Year : 2016 Country : Germany & International Genre : Power Neo-Progressive Hard Rock
Band Members
Oliver Rusing – Lead & Backing Vocals, Drums, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Keyboards Michael Sadler – Lead & Backing Vocals Sean Timms – Piano & Keyboards Colin Tench – Guitars Karsten Stiers – Lead Vocals Jurg Eschrig – Mandolin, Backing Vocals Daniel Neustad – Fretless Bass Chris Thomas – Acoustic Guitars Markus Bergen – Keyboards
Karibow are a band that has recently come upon my radar. Formed in the late 1990’s by German multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist Oliver Rusing, Karibow come in the neo progressive tradition of bands like Saga, Marillion, and Rush ( Moving Pictures & Permanent Waves ) – era with a power AOR twist of bands like Journey, Styx and Honeymoon Suite. In 2016 Oliver Rusing returns with Holophinium a double conceptual piece on the experience of space travel. He is also joined by a all star cast of various characters within the progressive rock community. To name a few are Colin Tench Corvus Stone, Saga vocalist Michael Sadler, Sean TimmsUnitopia & Southern Empire.
Karibow Holophinium is a very well written, well intelligent and well produced double album. It is practically two albums in one however it is written in such a way where the audience can not have the first half without having the second half and vice versa. Disc 1 Fragments is the more intimate view to Holophinium and Disc 2 Letter from the White Room is a more overall view of Holophinium. Now I will point out some highlights to each disc for the listener.
Disc 1 Fragments
Fragments begins with a futuristic track called Distant Movements. This 1:44 basically serves like a cinematic intro into the album. It is more keyboard based with various effects before the album moves forward to the next track Holophinium. The opening to Holophinium is very heavily rhythm based to start with. Soon the track takes on a very neo symphonic passage as the crystal clear vocals kick in. Holophinium goes in and out of various time signatures and change chord progressions. The backing vocals are wonderfully mixed in like a echo as much as a harmony based backing vocals. It has a killer guitar solo around the 3:30 mark. Holophinium really sets the mood and vibe of this double conceptual piece before going into the next track E.G.O.
E.G.O. starts out with a very Peter Gabriel influenced intro with the keyboards. E.G.O. has a lot of ambient atmospheres in the back drop with the instrumental. This track contains well executed rhythm based sections between bass and drums. The vocals are executed more towards the rhythmic section with the various breaks and brief spoken word portions. This track also does not depend on the status quo verse/bridge/chorus . It intentionally continues with the story. The vocals are warm and inviting to the listener and welcome even the most discriminating of pallets. The story continues in a warmth light before going into its next track Victims of Light.
Victims Of Light begins with a thunderous rumble almost like a rocket preparing for take off. The effect is created with the bass/drum/rhythm guitar section. It is one of the heavier intro passages on the project before being joined by a dark Hammond style organ. The vocals are more AOR based than progressive based on this. The band executes and uses a unique talent and ability of vocal harmony on Victims of Light. The main highlight here is the well produced harmony between the instrumental and vocal.
Some Will Fall starts out with a lush keyboard atmosphere with a nice spoken word section in harmony with it before the lead vocal kicks in. This is one of the darker and more somber tracks on Holophinium. The band really put on a vocal clinic and a guitar clinic on this particular track. The guitar solo really bridges the mood on this one as well.
Connection Refused opens up with a well crafted simulated effect as if it were a old internet dial up signal. The band do this with a well played percussion section and keyboard. The vocals are really full of emotion on this track. The drum/bass rhythm section are a very tight with a blissful rhythmic backbone.
River starts out with a straight away rock track in a very thick AOR tradition. The keyboards kick in in a neo progressive fashion. River is a very Saga influenced track. It has great rhythm and lead guitars with great bass/drum rhythm sections. The backing vocals are used in a more instrumental way on this one.
Angel Scent is another warm and inviting track with nice instrumental and vocal harmonies. This one takes on a heavy jazz progression in the background and lead in the composition. This song is really carried by the vocal harmony.
King opens with a nice percussive and keyboard passage. Soon the guitar comes in and takes it in a hard rock direction. The vocals play nicely off the rhythm section. King also has a semi pop sensibility that could be a potential single for the album.
Quantum Leap begins with a heavy rhythm section with a keyboard giving the track some melody. The keyboard is very futuristic in nature. Quantum Leap have various hooks time signatures and progressions where the listener has no time for being bored. Quantum Leap also is a great conclusion and outro to Disc 1 Fragments before the album picks back up on Disc 2 Letter from the White Room, a 36+ minute epic.
Disc 2 Letter from the White Room. This track opens with a spoken word tidbit almost like a prayer to God before the keyboard takes it into a almost deep space atmosphere. This is soon joined by vocals and a light percussion portion before the drums take it on a progressive passage. I have never heard such a unorthodox intro however it is brilliant. The band does a great job at progressively building this track up adding layer on layer of various rhythmic passages in harmony with the stringed section of keyboard and guitar. The vocals are warm enough to ease the listener into a track as long as this. One highlight I noticed on Disc 2 Letter from the White Room like I did with Disc 1 Fragments was that the writing and production is at a point where it does not overwhelm the listener. It is as if the listener is allowed to rest within the track instead of being forced into it like some progressive rock epics.
I believe that Karibow have a sheer progressive masterpiece on their resume with Holophinium . This album is written in such a way that they can play it live in its fullest and make a evening of it. It will be curious to see if any visual treatment will be given to this album. Given the way the album was arranged and engineered I give this a 4.5/5. This album is already a Top 10 Album of 2016 for me as well.
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