Monday, April 30, 2012

Review of Separate Realities by Trioscapes


1. Blast Off
2. Separate Realities
3. Curse of the Ninth
4. Wazzlejazzlebof
5. Celestial Terrestrial Commuters
6. Gemini's Decent

“Trioscapes started in the summer of 2011 when bassist Dan Briggs (Between the Buried and Me) contacted Walter Fancourt (tenor saxophone/flute) and Matt Lynch (drums) about working up a rendition of the Mahavishnu Orchestra classic "Celestial Terrestrial Commuters". The group also messed around with a few original ideas with the intent of playing a one-off live show. However, after rehearsing the material and playing the show, the group decided the music was so demanding and fun to perform that there should be more of a future for the project. A few more songs were written near the end of the summer and a full length album was recorded the first week of October with Jamie King in Winston-Salem, NC. Trioscapes combines elements of 70s fusion with progressive rock, dark syncopated grooves, a flare for the psychedelic, and an unabashed love for both quirky Zappa-ish melodies and thunderous abrasive trade-off lines. Trioscapes currently has two shows confirmed for this May to celebrate the release of the CD on Metal Blade Records. The 12" LP is also available via Dan Briggs's own Hogweed & Fugue Records. Both will be available for purchase at the shows.”

Trioscapes’s album Separate Realities is just as the title says. Two different types of music, being metal and jazz, infused together to make one epic band. Let’s start this album off with Blast Off because your mind will be blown. Is that a saxophone I hear? Why yes it is, this band already has my attention. Every single bit of this song had me hooked and the main riff, if you may call it so on the saxophone is so amazing. The next song, the title track, is a long song so be prepared, but it is nothing short of epic. Keeping interesting in a doom metal style kind of, Trioscapes knows how to keep your attention. Starting off all chilled out with the guitar soloing, leading into the drum and bass bit, which leads into the once again epic saxophone is awesome. I need to point out 2:31 in this song because it is once of the best bits I’ve heard off this album. I don’t know what I heard at 4:20 but it sounded like something out of an old cartoon. I won’t dissect this whole song for you because its so long, but the saxophone solos, doom type bits, and funky riffs are what make this song. The third song Curse of the Ninth has a very groovy intro, with the bassline, guitar bits, and the flute, the bringing in the synth (I think). This soothing bit then jumps right into the heaviness of the bass and saxophone, yes, yes I just did say that. This song also have a very well done saxophone solo, I applaud the lungs and talent of Walter Fancourt! The next song needs its title defined to me because I don’t know what a Wazzlejazzlebof is, but I am quite sure its just as groovy as the song itself is. The drum in this song is so head bobbing with how jazzy it is. There is a bit where the saxophone sounds like its being played in an alleyway or subway station and it makes it sound really atmospherical, needless to say I liked it. The second last song is Celestial Terrestrial Commuters and this time it shows off the skill of the guitars, they are good but then Fancourt just steals the spotlight with the saxophone. I feel bad for whoever plays guitar in this band, my guess Dan Briggs, because I don’t know how he feels being shown up by a saxophone. Winding down and finishing off this epic forty minute journey, is the track Gemini’s Descent. This song really knows how to make a good ending with its bass line and guitar effects. They bring you back down to earth from having your mind blown with some soothing flute and end it off with a heavier bit. Then they go back to the soothing bass line to leave you to clean up your eargasm.

As you can tell from my fan boy of a review up yonder, this is definitely a grab. If you like doom metal and maybe jazz in an epic, this is mind blowing kind of way you should definitely pick this album up on the 8th. Honestly, the only words to describe the album in short are epic, bass, saxophone, doom. If you don’t listen to this album then you obviously don’t like having your mind blown. Trioscapes, if you don’t keep this up I will be disappointed. You have made gold and you should continue doing so!

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