SEPARATE REALITIES

Trioscapes were born during the summer of 2011 out of a session, when bassist Dan Briggs from the Alternative Metal band Between the Buried and Me invited sax/flute player Walter Fancourt and drummer Matt Lynch to jam on Mahavishnu Orchestra's ''Celestial terrestrial commuters''.Eventually the chemistry was there to move the trio into a more professional level and by October 2011 they had traveled to Winston-Salem to record their debut ''Separate realities'', after having composed a nice collection of instrumental tracks.The album was released in May 2012 on Metal Blade, while their is also a vinyl version out on Hodweed & Fugue Records.

Trioscapes just prooved that you don't have to include a guitarist in the line-up to come up with impressive, powerful and dense instrumental music.Full-front bass lines and passionate jazzy drum patterns support Fancourt's intense, scratching sax plays, while Lynch is also responsible for quite a few electronic samplers heard in the album.Influences include KING CRIMSON, RETURN TO FOREVER, MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA, maybe with a more technical approach as proposed by DON CABALLERO.The music is always complex and rich with a great amount of tempo changes, but the atmosphere is not always dark and haunting as you may expect, the three guys have thrown in some more tricky and enjoyable tunes for a more balanced and consistent sound.Lots of dynamic rhythms, plenty of twists and turns and a fair dose of sax soloing lead this work with a certain piece (''Gemini's descent'') highlighted by Francourt's dreamy and elegant flute work, coming in full contrast with the power of the rhythm section and reminding a bit of a Kraut Rock act.Otherwise be sure to face an intricate and compelling trip into the world of Prog Fusion with major technical exhibitions, but also some very tight and confident executions.

Nice little surprise by a trio with no guitarist, which managed to come up with an energetic and bombastic Fusion debut.Strongly recommended, especially, if you love the more technical side of instrumental Prog Rock...3.5 stars.