Daydream XI - The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn (2017 Progressive Power Metal)

Every so often a band comes out of nowhere and turns the music scene upside down.   Last band that comes to mind was Circus Maximus, they hadn't even released a CD yet and they were already booked to ProgPower USA.  Daydream XI appear to be another band poised to make itself known in the music scene.  What makes this Brazilian bands story so interesting though is they've been around since 2008 and even released their debut disc is 2014 and while it was well received they were relatively unknown.  That's all about to change, and I predict with a thunderous explosion.  Daydream XI are poised to take Center Stage next weekend at ProgPower USA and Sensory was kind enough to make this release available to fans.  I predict when all is said and done Daydream XI might be the next Circus Maximus.  

 This Brazilian bands sophomore release comes 3 years after their debut and all the tracks were written after Progressive Nation at Sea.  Tiago Masserti, the brains behind the outfit, was courteous enough to take some time to answer some questions about his latest release as I was contemplating my review. 

Circus of the Tattered And Torn is a concept album, though it was never originally intended to be such.  Tiago explains “I started working in 2014 right after we came back from Progressive Nation at Sea.   I wrote 50 or 60 song to get where I wanted”.  That must have been some inspiration!  

Each chapter or song is paired with a character from the Circus of the Tattered and Torn.  I talked to Tiago more about the songs, “I came up with the story as a metaphor.  I was thinking constantly about people’s needs to compete to see who is more hurt and affected by the tragedies in their life, while at the same time trying to make themselves look better and better through titles and credentials.  When all we really want is just to feel something and get a glimpse of humanity in others. 

“The songs represents different aspects of human life through the vision of the characters”. 

Ticket 000011 is a spoken word piece that kicks off the disc with Phillip, the circus master, talking about the lost souls and how to reel them back in as he’s talking to Circe, his apprentice.  Open The Curtains is the opening of the Circus and is mostly instrumental but introduces us to the epic story “Circus of the Tattered And Torn”.  Trust Forged Knife was one of the first singles released to fans.  It’s a song about trust and abusive relationships.   Painted Smile is one of my favorite songs.  Well written and a great chorus.  I asked Tiago for more insight into this, “Painted Smile is about sadness and dealing with the image we portray to others versus what we really feel”.  Appropriately the lyrics reference we all clown hiding the behind the painted smile and the chorus states:

                                And in this twisted play

                                Forever Bound to Fail

                                I am the sadness disguised

                                Behind a painted smile.

Yes we are. 

Another one of my favorites is the appropriate named A Cup of Agony.  It’s an up tempo song, at times feeling angry.  I love the chorus:

Endlessly nurturing the pain to ignore

The needless attention we’re longing for

Endlessly trying in vain to restore

The needs of a heart that beats no more.

The songs so catchy and mesmerizing.   Discussing this song Tiago said, “A Cup of Agony came up when I was writing about the idea of pain, both physical and psychological. The song itself came up really naturally.  Lots of riffs and some melodies surrounding the theme.  (haha).  I think that’s something we call all relate to from time to time. 

Overhauling Wounds clocks in at a shade over 10 minutes.   It starts very slowing, building up through out the song.  It’s a very beautiful piece.  Tiago stated, “it’s about change, about falling so hard and so deep that the only way you can go is up and rebuild yourself.

I really loved the song Collector of Souls. It’s almost a bluesy song that even has that old Hammond organ sound.  I asked Tiago if he was intentionally going for a bluesy rock sound “No, I never write with the intention to sound like anything.  I just let it happen.  Collector of Souls came to me in my sleep and I woke up and recorded the melodies for the intro choirs.  It had this southern, bluesy, gospel feel to it and I just went for it. 

Forgettable and The Love That Never Was lead into the epic finale, the title track and 15 minute opus, The Circus Of the Tattered And Torn.  It’s a brilliant closing piece showcasing everything I love about Daydream XI.  Beautifully orchestrated choruses, fantastic musicianship and a well written story.   It was written in multiple sessions but is masterfully crafted.

The Circus Of The Tattered and Torn clocks in at 71 minutes and beautifully meshes Progressive Power Metal in a way that few do.  Symphony X is one that comes to mind, though Tiago is quick to point out that he doesn’t like labels, it’s something done for PR.  We as fans like it so we have a baseline to compare to and honestly, Symphony X isn’t a bad place to start.  I can’t say enough good things about this disc.  Tiago has a fantastic voice and the band is very very talented.   The disc is very solid beginning to end and the story is as good as the music.   I for one cannot wait to see what this band puts together for a 3^rd release. In fact, I asked Tiago for some insight to the next release and all he would tell me was “the music is written for the 3^rd disc”.  Tease.  I think this band has a very bright future and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them at ProgPower USA.  Rating: 10/10

Silverfish - Silverfish (2016 Southern Classic Rock)

New to the scene, southern classic rock band Silverfish looking to make a big splash in The Nashville scene with their debut. Great harmonies and songwriting dominate this outstanding debut.  Actually I shouldn't say Silverfish are completely new. Douglas Gery was the founder of the highly underrated band Catawompus.  The band was a fairly successful regional band doing shows all around the Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia circuit but eventually retired.  Newly reformed, Silverfish look to continue to make waves in the music scene though with a more Christian slant to their lyrics.  If there's one thing that Douglas knows how to do, it's write a good, catchy song and the disc entitled "Silverfish" is full of them.  See Me Electric opens the disc with a funky guitar riff and is very infectious.   Celebrate is a beautiful tune about celebrating a reunion in the afterlife, meeting at the Pearly Gates to see all family and friends.  Christ On My Pocket is another uptempo rock song that reminiscent of Catawompus days.   What If is another funky rocker.   Baggage Claim is another favorite of mine, and even though it's the last tune it's hardly a weak tune.    Silverfish is 10 songs long but only clocks in at 33 minutes so it's a case of quality over quantity.    I highly recommend this to all fans of southern rock, I can't say enough good things about it.  It's great music and very uplifting lyrics, which in this day and age is hard to find.  Rating: 9/10

Musicians:

Douglas Gery - lead guitar & background vocals

Jimmy Hamilton - lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Bryan Graves - bass
Jamie Smith – drums

Songs

1. See Me Electric
2. Celebrate
3. I'm What It Looks Like
4. Christ On My Pocket
5. What If?
6. Church Bell Groove
7. Love Is Everything
8. Just Another Hallelujah Song
9. Wait For You
10. Baggage Claim

Greta Van Fleet - Black Smoke Rising EP (2017 Classic Rock)

Sometimes it's hard to fathom the influence Led Zeppelin had in their career.  Jimmy Page's guitar playing and Robert Plants mesmerizing vocals have spawned many a band that hope to emulate the success these Brits had.  Kingdom Come may have been the most successful band that comes to mind but Lenny Wolf and his band could never sustain the success they had outside of the first release.   Fast forward to 2012 and 13-16 year old Kiszka brothers decided to form a band eventually recorded an EP that included Highway Song.  The now 18-21 year old kids from Frankenmuth Michigan eventually released another EP in 2017 that included Highway Song which has garnered so much attention that it reached #2 on the Rock Charts and has been featured on High Octane satellite radio. This success has led to tours across the US including many sold out shows.   So what does Greta Van Fleet have to do with Led Zeppelin? Everything...and nothing.  They have no affiliation with Led Zeppelin but the band including singer Josh Kiszka were obviously big Zeppelin fans and it shows in their song writing.  Josh has got a set of pipes that at first glance you think your listen to the 2nd coming of Robert Plant.  The rest of band and their song writing also take a cue from the Led Zeppelin school of songwriting.  The song Flower Power is a slower song that draws on influence such as Thank You.  Safari Song is a more uptempo rock tune that would fit right in with Led Zeppelin II.  One of the best songs, and in my opinion, maybe the most diverse of the 4 is title track to the EP.  The band seems to step away from their comfort zone and write a song that seems to suit their talents...and it works.   This band has had a very short career and is quickly making a name for themselves.  All 4 songs from the EP are fantastic and it goes to show that no matter the age, no matter the influence if you write a quality song and are talented people will listen.  Where they go from here is anyone's guess but for now the future appears very bright for this incredibly talented and young band.  Rating 10/10

Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence (2016)

Devin Townsend is probably one of the most prolific writers in the metal world these days.  Few can boast a discography of his magnitude and what's astounding is the quality of it.  He's release 11 releases as Strapping Young Lad,  who many consider a ground breaking group in the extreme metal genre.  Then he has 23 releases as 3 different iterations of his own bands and countless other appearances including most notably singer on Steve Vai's Sex & Religion.   Devin Townsend has a style that is unique in that he layers many different sounds to give the music a very full and at times ethereal sound. The sound has progressed through each release and at times he's even completely deviated from it by way of an ambient instrumental and country/blues release. By the time Devin did Epicloud he seemed to have found a niche sound and further explored that with the brilliant Z2 release.  Devin continues that transformation with Transcendence.  While not everybody seems to appreciate Devin's direction I feel  he has masterfully blended the lush sounds and choirs backing him into 10 finely crafted songs that take the listener on a musical journey.

Transcendence opens with a remake of Truth which originally appeared on the 3rd Devin Townsend CD. Devin has given it the 2016 treatment with it's lavish sound and is a perfect segue into Stormbending.  Stormbending is an emotionally powerful piece that only has 2 verses but is a rollercoaster of sound that is embellished with beautiful orchestration and choirs.   Failure is a hypnotic follow up to Stormbending and among my favorites.  However top honors in my opinion go to Stars. It is one of Devin's best songs he's written. Brilliant harmonies, catchy and I love the lyrics

 The disc closes with the appropriate cover of Ween's Transdermal Celebration.

Devin Townsend's music is like art and once again he's created an aural masterpiece that stands out among the crowd as one of the best metal releases of 2016.  Transcendence is the type of CD that allows you to close your eyes and get lost in sound and music.  I think people either "get it" or it goes over there head.  If you allow yourself to embrace what is Devin Townsend it will take you on a musical journey few artists dare to go.  Transcendence is one of Devin's most ambitious efforts to date and ranks right up there as one of his best efforts as well.  Rating 9.5/10

The Alpha Complex - Generate (2014)

The Alpha Complex - Generate (2014)

Michael Woodruff is no stranger to the metal scene having fronted Motograter, Relevent and Riven before taking his talents and forming The Alpha Complex in 2012.  After several versions of the lineup the band released Generate in 2014 and has spent the last two years crisscrossing the country destroying venues in it's wake.  The bands strength is clearly the powerful vocals of Woodruff.  Since his EP (Pre-Release) with Motograter,  Michael has been honing his skills and the improvement in his vocal power and melody is very apparent in the 5 years between releases.  Generator is an intriguing release in the fact that there's some really good stuff that shows the potential of this band.   Black And Blue is a very catchy song that really shows the band is on the verge of something special. As Bridges Burn, Never Again and Til The End are other songs that stand out.  One of my favorites is Cut The Strings. I love the harmonies of the band mixed with Michaels heavier vocals. It's a well written song, fast paced and catchy,  then at about the 4 1/2 minute mark the song transitions into a mellow ending.  I really like how it worked.   This is The Alpha Complex at it's finest.  However, at times the band struggles to find it's own identity and gets lost in trying to sound too much like someone else.  Case in point, Cold has a tendency to sound a bit too much like Breaking Benjamin. Then there is Goodnight...which quite honestly I'm not sure what the band was doing outside of trying to write an Alternative type hit song. Not going to say much more other than: Guys...you are clearly capable of something much bigger and better than this.  One other song I really didn't care for was the cover of Garbage's song #1 Crush. You know what, I'm ok with that. I applaud the band for going out on a limb and taking a chance at something different. It might have been better suited for a B side of a single or an EP but I love that the band was willing to try something different (ask Disturbed how that worked for them).  There's more diversity with the closing song Waves, which is a really interesting song and would have been a great follow up to Cut The Strings considering how it ended and how Waves sounded.  I liked the harmonies and the song has an progressive/melodic feel to it.  It showed a side of the band that I think they were trying to explore with Goodnight and #1 Crush.  

There is a LOT to love about The Alpha Complex.  I love the electronic influences. In fact, I'd love to see them explore it a little more on their next release.   Michael is clearly the star of this show, but it's obvious he's surrounded by a talented band. Generate for the most part is a very solid CD and I think if the band focuses, grows and expands on it's strengths, 2017 could be a very special year for them. [Independent Release. https://www.facebook.com/TheAlphaComplex/  https://thealphacomplex.bandcamp.com/ ]

1. Til The End

2.Black And Blue

3. Special

4.Cold

5. Never Again

6. As Bridges Burn

7. #1 Crush (Garbage Cover)

8. Leech

9. Cut The Strings

10. Goodnight

11. Waves

Rating: 8/10

Epica - The Holographic Principle (2016)

Grandiose, Lavish, Bombastic, Symphonic cinematic Metal...all adjectives could be used to effectively describe The Holographic Principle.  This is the Dutch bands 7th release and admittedly the most ambitious to date.  Everything from the tones/sound, the lavish production, the choirs, the deathly vocals are bigger, better and more ambitious than anything Epica has endeavored to date.   Admittedly many fans absolutely loved The Quantum Enigma and even questioned aloud how would the band top that release?  Well Epica dug deep, pulled out all the stops and has made an album that is not only their best release to date, but in my humble opinion, one of the best metal albums of 2016. (Disclaimer: I'm a symphonic metal fanboy who loves this kind of music).  What I love about this CD is...well everything.  I love how they've incorporated the choirs and symphonic elements with the growling vocals and through it all have not lost their vision of crafting a great song with a memorable chorus.  Simone Simons vocals are powerful yet don't dominate the music.  Same with Mark Jansen's growling vocals, you don't ever get the impression they are taking anything away from the songs.  Edge of the Blade is the first song that follows the intro Eidola and the showcases Simone's operatic vocals and the choirs that are used so effectively throughout this release.  A Phantasmic Parade starts with a staccato string intro that leads into a blazing chorus and headbanging riffs.   Universal Death Squad start quietly with a string/piano intro before the riffing begins.  Again I love the symphonic elements the band has brought to the table yet the double barrel drumming and riffing gives this a heavy as hell sound.  Divide and Conquer is my absolute favorite song on this CD.  The chorus is so catchy yet the song is powerful and masterfully mixes the operatic vocals of Simone with the choirs and Marks vocals.  Everytime I listen to this I find myself bobbing my head with the beat (Otherwise known as headbanging).  Beyond The Matrix is another one that will please the headbanging crowd.  Once Upon A Nightmare is probably the slowest song and allows Simone to showcase her vocal range flawlessly. The Cosmic Algorithm follows with a more uptempo tune. Next is Ascension - Dream State Armageddon, which is probably the heaviest song on the CD yet is as accessible as any.  It's a dark song with Marks vocals being more prominent on this track than others.  Dancing In a Hurricane has a middle eastern flair to it and stands out as one of the mellower tunes on this release (it's all subjective cause it still rocks).  Tear Down Your Walls and the 11:36 minute opus otherwise known as The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding of Reality finish out this fine CD beautifully.  


I cant overstate this enough.  This CD is brilliant.  It's well written and I absolutely love the production.  That in itself is so huge.  I look back at another well known symphonic metal band who wrote a fantastic CD but didnt do it any justice because the mix on the vocals and guitar were weak.  This release suffers from none of that.  The guitar tone of Mark Jansen and Isaac Delahaye is thick and heavy.  The choirs are lavishly done yet don't dominate the disc.  The shear quality of the songs is staggering, you take a poll of 10 Epica fans and you might get 5 different answers (or more) for their favorite songs.  It's that good.  Simply put, Epica has raised the bar for themselves and other symphonic metal and quite honestly folks, it's going to be a hard bar to top.  The Holographic Principle fires on all cylinders and doesn't let up from beginning to end.  An absolute gem of a disc. Rating 10/10

Website: http://www.epica.nl/

Ascendia - The Lion And The Jester (2015)

Every now and then a band comes out of nowhere and sets the music industry on its collective edge and you're left wondering where the hell did that come from.  In this case it came from Toronto, Canada in the form of Ascendia.  They are a 5 pc Symphonic Progressive Power Metal band and are the real deal.  The vocalist Nick Sakal has a powerful set of pipes that are on full display on their debut disc.  The band is rounded out by brothers John Lov (Guitar), Billy Lov (Drums) , John Abanador (Bass) & Maestro (keyboards).   The CD kicks off with The End of It All, a riveting opening track that showcases all the band abilities in one fell swoop and sets the tone for the rest of this amazing disc.  Remember Me and my personal favorite Moonchild follow, showing that Ascendia was far from a one hit wonder.  In fact it's safe to say that this band, while unsigned when this was released, wont stay that way for long.  Demon's Eyes is a powerful song that is as impressive as any of the aforementioned tunes. The band even throws in a slower tune in Last Forever then follows that up with a mesmerizing tune No More Tales To Tell.  There is so much to love about this disc from the musicianship, the stellar vocals and the fantastic song writing.  These guys played the prestigious ProgPower USA Festival in 2016 and prior to that did some warm up shows with Circus Maximus and local boys Imminent Sonic Destruction (More on that gig later).  The accolades have been rolling in since those shows and deservedly so. The Lion And The Jester was one of the best disc in 2015 and I'm looking forward to hearing what these guys can follow it up with.  (Rating: 10/10)

Website: https://ascendiamusic.bandcamp.com