DOMINION

It's an almost 100% repeated musical product. If not recycled. A sort of a meal that once had been already eaten. Often compared to Egg or National Health, in other words, Ryan Stevenson as a composer is often compared to Dave Stewart as a composer. But Mr Stewart discovered and explored new musical continents, while Mr Stevenson just plays Canterbury like a game. And what was a revelation in the music of Egg or National Health (full of life) turned into armchair academism in the music of Zopp (artificially sophisticated). Yes all the albums by Egg (especially The Civil Surface) and National Health (especially D.S. Al Coda) were mostly built of illogical sound constructions, as well as is Dominion. But just remember all those mad combinations of sounds in (for example) A Visit To Newport Hospital: all were really interdependent (while remaining mad). On the contrary, seemingly similar sound constructions and even themes here in Dominion are mostly unnatural. The only exception is the middle section of Toxicity which is really mighty, real-life and full of sincere emotion. As for the rest... well, it might sound great if composed and released back in 1970s in the fairway of Canterbury protagonists. Then Zopp would take its place as an excellent 'second echelon' Canterbury band. But as an original and independent phenomenon of 2020s, Zopp does not work. Though nobody will dispute that Stevenson plays a lot of instruments really fine. As a composer, he has enough talent and more than enough professionalism but lacks effrontery. (In a good sense of course.)