Metamorphosis - Then All Was Silent


Year of Release: 2005
Label: Galileo Records
Catalog Number: www.galileo-records.com
Format: CD
Total Time: 62:55:00

Metamorphosis' third album, Then All Was Silent, is a neo-prog epic. You will find music that is influenced by Marillion (late 80s), Genesis and Pink Floyd, and yet doesn't exactly copy them entirely. The mostly mellow and mid-paced music is highly melodic and lyrical, owing to the chiming and shimmering electric guitars, engaging in lovingly rendered solos -- Rothery, Gilmour, Hackett all come to mind at one time or another, though the first two are the mostly referenced -- the frequent use of acoustic guitar and acoustic textures, atmospheric keys, and sparse percussion. The whole production has a crystalline consistency, a certain transparency that allows for all the various instruments to be heard. That's what we expect, of course, but here I hear a certain extra clarity. The arrangements allow for lots of space for each instrument, though guitars are the primary element. You will hear keyboards used sparingly throughout - their spotlight doesn't come really until the opening passage of "The Secret Room," a piece that is a melodic, mid-tempo piece full of vocal harmonies and jangly guitar, and the opening passage of "The Book," which is a mellow, soft and breathy piece; reflecting the awe that Kenny -- our protagonist -- is experiencing looking through a book called Wonders Of The Earth. Here's a band that knows what aspects most appeal to the (neo-) prog fan and uses them to paint their canvas.

The fretwork in on the opening track "The Birth" from guest Olivier Guenat, who plays on this track only (the other guitarists are Giova Esposito and David Grillon), is especially reminiscent of Rothery, whereas there's a more liquid, Gilmour-esque like solo on "The Killing Machines" (either Esposito or Grillon) -- the Pink Floyd references come from a post-Waters era mainly, though a few hints at Dark Side Of The Moon period creep in. Genesis is most felt in the sometimes Gabriel-esque vocals of J. P. Schenk, whose often fragile delivery is slightly accented, but well suited for the emotional expression required for, for example, the "beautiful" and haunting chorus of softly-delivered piece "When Kenny Was Sad." This chorus refrain is of the variety that sticks in one's mind. It has a "heartbreaking" quality to it. "Springtime" is another highlight, a measured, mid-tempo piece that takes its time to develop. There's a touch of sadness in the understated delivery. The heaviest track is the strutting "Confinement," with its throbbing, throaty bass and pulsating drums, churning guitars, screaming guitar solos, though "Beyond The Walls" is a bit meatier than many of the tracks, the instrumental opening to this piece bordering a bit on spacerock.

If you haven't dismissed this out of hand because of the comparisons, then you are in for a treat because this is a good album. Because in as much as you get certain elements of those mentioned above (and we could also mention IQ, too), Then All Was Silent doesn't compare to anything these artists have put out. Oh, I don't mean in quality; good as this is, it isn't quite a masterpiece. No, I mean that you aren't really constantly thinking of these other bands - impressions flit into and then out of awareness as you focus on the music at hand? at ear.

When you come to end of it, you realize that, although it is not a perfect album - I'm not sure one exists - and there are many moments that seem familiar, it is a good album, tapping into, as I said, all the elements that progressive rock fans like. The imagery in the booklet reflects WWII, even as the concept is meant to be more modern - well, futuristic actually, it being about cloned soldiers and Kenny, who is one of the clones yet trying fight against what he's being trained for. It's a tragic tale and portends a grim future - you will read into it your own inferences, to what here-and-now philosophy is being rendered in allegory.The lyrics themselves need a bit of work and one also might find these a bit too "pleasant" for a topic that needs, maybe, some biting commentary. But the focus here is making Kenny a sympathetic character, an anomaly in a system breeding conformity, and for the pathos to be effective, the music needs to be similarly somber.

My only negative criticism is that the lyrics are hard to read in the booklet - red text that becomes almost inscrutable over the darker areas of the photographs.


Tracklisting:
The Birth (7:01) / When Kenny Was Sad (7:58) / Springtime (4:48) / Beyond The Wall (6:45) / Confinement (4:16) / The Killing Machines (4:27) / The Secret Room (3:31) / Revelation (2:23) / The Book (4:22) / The Escape (5:53) / Then All Was Silent (10:45)

Musicians:
J. P. Schenk - vocals, backing vocals, keyboards, drums, synth bass
Giova Esposito - guitars, additional bass
David Grillion - guitars
Olivier Guenat - solo guitar (1)
Milena Zaharieva - flute (10)

Discography:
After All This Years (2002)
Nobody Cares (2003)
Then All Was Silent (2005)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin CH

Added: February 3rd 2007
Reviewer: Stephanie Sollow
Score:
Artist website: www.jp-metamorphosis.com
Hits: 1916
Language: english

  

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